Showtime's Masters of Horror: "Incident On and Off a Mountain Road" (2005, DVD) Directed by Don Coscarelli Ellen (Bree Turner) finds herself struggling for survival while hunted in the woods by Moonface. As her abusive relationship with her husband Bruce unfolds on screen via flashbacks, she turns the tables on Moonface in a variation of "the survival of the fittest".
Directed by Coscarelli (Phantasm) from a script by Stephen Romano, which was adapted from a short story by Joe R. Lansdale. Angus Scrimm provides comic relief as Buddy the lovably goofy old man chained in the basement. And Ethan Embry gives a solid performance as Bruce, the psychotic and loving husband to Ellen. I didn't care to much for Turner though with her pouty, cutesy faces (I swear at one point her face silently screamed "Please, look at me. Anyone. Tell me I'm pretty!"), but I could easily look past that when she was kicking major butt.
I have to say it is refreshing to finally see a heroine on screen that would live up to my standards. There are no screaming bimbos begging for mercy here. No cheap shot nude exploitation scenes. I always wondered where the ass kicking, gun shooting, levelheaded women are in cinema and I found one of them here. Not all women are weak in reality, so they shouldn't be portrayed as such on screen. Kudos to the men behind this that give women the respect they deserve.
Where things get weak is toward the end. I think they should have shaved off the last few minutes where it delved into corniness. There was way too much talking when it is not necessary; the actor's actions spoke loud enough. But my biggest problem was the ending's assumption that a few moments of abuse could turn a weak person into a cold, calculating serial killer. That is a bit far fetched. She may have been tough and she may have been unhinged, but that doesn't make her a serial killer. Simple Psych 101 We do not make serial killers they are born and raised.
There was also an unnecessary rape scene (not graphic, so don't get excited). This held no purpose and when I listened to the commentary, not only did all three of the grown men completely ignore the subject matter, but they changed the topic to another scene!?! The main problem in this scene is when Bruce calls Ellen a "whore". Nowhere in the previous scenes does he come across as sexually aggressive or abusive towards her or sexually uptight. It seemed out of character and odd. It would have made more sense if they had a fistfight since he was training her to defend herself especially considering he previously made her attack him with a knife to see if she could cut him.
Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound. The SFX were okay, but minimal. There were a few instances of blood and the scarecrow corpses looked great. And of course, the direction and camera-work are top notch. Coscarelli and DP capture close-ups and tight shots that make the characters just pop off the screen.
DVD Extras: All MoH Trailers, Interviews with actors Ethan Embry & John De Santis, Commentary with Coscarelli, Romano, & Lansdale, a DVD-ROM featuring the screenplay, and more.
Favorite Quote: Buddy, "I have been waiting for you. Well, waiting for someone, so it might as well be you." Bottom Line: A good tale centered on a strong female with great direction from the director that brought you Phantasm and Bubba Ho-tep. But if you are looking for extreme gore or scares, look elsewhere.
Rating: 6.5/10 Molly Celaschi www.HorrorYearbook.com
Directed by Coscarelli (Phantasm) from a script by Stephen Romano, which was adapted from a short story by Joe R. Lansdale. Angus Scrimm provides comic relief as Buddy the lovably goofy old man chained in the basement. And Ethan Embry gives a solid performance as Bruce, the psychotic and loving husband to Ellen. I didn't care to much for Turner though with her pouty, cutesy faces (I swear at one point her face silently screamed "Please, look at me. Anyone. Tell me I'm pretty!"), but I could easily look past that when she was kicking major butt.
I have to say it is refreshing to finally see a heroine on screen that would live up to my standards. There are no screaming bimbos begging for mercy here. No cheap shot nude exploitation scenes. I always wondered where the ass kicking, gun shooting, levelheaded women are in cinema and I found one of them here. Not all women are weak in reality, so they shouldn't be portrayed as such on screen. Kudos to the men behind this that give women the respect they deserve.
Where things get weak is toward the end. I think they should have shaved off the last few minutes where it delved into corniness. There was way too much talking when it is not necessary; the actor's actions spoke loud enough. But my biggest problem was the ending's assumption that a few moments of abuse could turn a weak person into a cold, calculating serial killer. That is a bit far fetched. She may have been tough and she may have been unhinged, but that doesn't make her a serial killer. Simple Psych 101 We do not make serial killers they are born and raised.
There was also an unnecessary rape scene (not graphic, so don't get excited). This held no purpose and when I listened to the commentary, not only did all three of the grown men completely ignore the subject matter, but they changed the topic to another scene!?! The main problem in this scene is when Bruce calls Ellen a "whore". Nowhere in the previous scenes does he come across as sexually aggressive or abusive towards her or sexually uptight. It seemed out of character and odd. It would have made more sense if they had a fistfight since he was training her to defend herself especially considering he previously made her attack him with a knife to see if she could cut him.
Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound. The SFX were okay, but minimal. There were a few instances of blood and the scarecrow corpses looked great. And of course, the direction and camera-work are top notch. Coscarelli and DP capture close-ups and tight shots that make the characters just pop off the screen.
DVD Extras: All MoH Trailers, Interviews with actors Ethan Embry & John De Santis, Commentary with Coscarelli, Romano, & Lansdale, a DVD-ROM featuring the screenplay, and more.
Favorite Quote: Buddy, "I have been waiting for you. Well, waiting for someone, so it might as well be you." Bottom Line: A good tale centered on a strong female with great direction from the director that brought you Phantasm and Bubba Ho-tep. But if you are looking for extreme gore or scares, look elsewhere.
Rating: 6.5/10 Molly Celaschi www.HorrorYearbook.com