Director: John McNaughton
Cast: Steve Bacic, Micki Maunsell, Gerard Plunkett, Derek Cecil, Pablo Coffey, Christopher DeLisle, Tom McBeath, Jon Polito, Leela Savesta
Screenplay: Mick Garris
59 mins. Rated TV-MA.

Well, I’ve got a hell of a start to this year’s 31 Days of Horror!

Ernst Haeckel (Derek Cecil, TV’s House of Cards) is desperately chasing the ghost of Victor Frankenstein, always in search of the formula to create life. Along his travels, he comes into contact with Walter Wolfram (Tom McBeath, Aliens vs. Predator-Requiem) and his wife Elise (Leela Savesta, Black Christmas). Haeckel quickly notices that Walter and Elise have an unusual relationship, and he quickly discovers the horrifying nature of their marriage.

Haeckel’s Tale is based on a story by Clive Barker, and it appeared as an installment of Mick Garris’s Master of Horror series, which was a collection of films made by some of the best horror directors with mostly free reign to tell the horror tale of their choosing. Usually, a number of these tales tended to go places that commercial studio films would avoid, and Haeckel’s Tale is most definitely a story that I didn’t expect. Garris himself scripted the film, which slowly unfolds an incredibly strange tale, and I liked Garris’s flourishes, like tying Haeckel to Frankenstein’s lore. It’s obvious that Garris scripted this for horror maestro George A. Romero, who had to leave the project due to schedule issues. Roger Corman was in the seat next but had to depart for health issues. John McNaughton (Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer) ended up doing the film, which was passable, though he doesn’t have a lot in flair for the material outside of the absolutely insane finale, which turned out pretty strong.

As far as performance goes, McBeath and Savesta are the standouts. As husband and wife, they both play up the strange union quite well, especially as the narrative edges into the macabre. McBeath, who was able to play serious and comedic quite well with his role in Stargate SG-1, and he harnesses the intensity and the silliness of Wolfram. Savesta doesn’t have much to do, but in her more intimate moments, she plays the craziest moments of the film with a level of serious devotion to the role and the demands that it’s hard not to admire.

Haeckel’s Tale has a lot of strength in its narrative and shock moments, as well as an intelligent and goofy script from Garris. While I wish McNaughton was able to mine more from the material, it’s still a fun addition to the Masters of Horror label.

3/5
-Kyle A. Goethe