HAECKEL'S TALE is directed by John McNaughton (THE BORROWER and HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER), with an assist from zombie master George Romero (although how much of a part he played in this ep's completion, I couldn't say.) MOH creator Mick Garris adapted Clive Barker's short story, and I would like to believe that a LOT of liberties were taken in the process, from having seen the finished product.
Clive proved that he was adept at bringing his own work to the screen with the classic HELLRAISER, but others seem to have a little trouble translating the stunning, horrific yet elegant prose stylings of the author in a similar fashion. I don't know if having too many chefs stirring the pot might've resulted in the "hacking" of HAECKEL'S, and it's even more difficult to say without having read the original source material. But unless tales that combine the undead gut-munching of Lucio Fulci, the B-movie vibe of AIP knockoffs and the softcore smarm of Showtime After Dark gives you a chubby, you might want to steer well away from this wreck.
It begins stylishly enough, just like an old Roger Corman pic. A young man seeks the services of an aging necromancer, who reluctantly agrees to resurrect the man's recently deceased bride, but only if he agrees to listen to the tale of a man who came before him, one Ernst Haeckel, who believed that he could unlock the secret to raising the dead.
An admirer and acolyte of the experiments conducted by Dr. Viktor Frankenstein, Haeckel is your garden-variety Herbert West wanna-be, whose initial attempts at resurrection are about as successful in kind. As Fate would have it, he meets with the mysterious Professor Montesquino, (a robust performance by character vet Jon Polito), who challenges Haeckel's staunch belief in science with his own supernaturally-based skills, which the young doctor snidely dismisses outright.
Fate throws in yet another twist as Haeckel receives a tragic note: his father is deathly ill and has little time to live. He decides to make the journey to see his father and maybe help him with what knowledge he has gleaned from his experiments. During the journey, are there more surprises in store? Absolutely, as an old man invites Haeckel back to his cottage to escape the cruelty of the elements, and to meet his stunningly beautiful, much younger wife.
Can you see where this is going yet? Let's just say that the bride of Haeckel's guest prefers her men a little...STIFFER than most, and that Montesquino's involvement in the lives of everyone involved goes a lot deeper than anyone would've dared imagine.
I wish I weren't making this sound better than it actually is. I'm sure the good intentions were there to produce something that drops your jaw in absolute shock, and it does achieve that goal...just not in a good way.
The story shares some of the same qualities as JENIFER, but where that episode rooted itself firmly in the rules and the scenario it had established, TALE takes a left turn into absolute absurdity once Haeckel meets his wizened benefactor, and then never recovers. How did the old man come to be married to such a beautiful bride? How did they both become involved with Montesquino? Besides a madness caused by unending love and devotion, what would make the woman want to sleep with her undead husband, and why would he share the wealth with his rotting compatriots? I don't mind a noble attempt to combine horror movie genres, as long as the creative team making the attempt can make it work, and work well. There are more loose ends in this story than the steaming entrails ripped fresh from a screaming victim's heaving gut, (and that's the LEAST graphic image in this ep!) Just call me old-fashioned, but if the main purpose of this TALE was to see a lovely young thing get gang-banged by the extras from DAY OF THE DEAD, then you just lost me.
Sorry, people, but in good conscience I can only dub HAECKEL'S TALE the worst of the MOH lot. * out of **** stars.
Clive proved that he was adept at bringing his own work to the screen with the classic HELLRAISER, but others seem to have a little trouble translating the stunning, horrific yet elegant prose stylings of the author in a similar fashion. I don't know if having too many chefs stirring the pot might've resulted in the "hacking" of HAECKEL'S, and it's even more difficult to say without having read the original source material. But unless tales that combine the undead gut-munching of Lucio Fulci, the B-movie vibe of AIP knockoffs and the softcore smarm of Showtime After Dark gives you a chubby, you might want to steer well away from this wreck.
It begins stylishly enough, just like an old Roger Corman pic. A young man seeks the services of an aging necromancer, who reluctantly agrees to resurrect the man's recently deceased bride, but only if he agrees to listen to the tale of a man who came before him, one Ernst Haeckel, who believed that he could unlock the secret to raising the dead.
An admirer and acolyte of the experiments conducted by Dr. Viktor Frankenstein, Haeckel is your garden-variety Herbert West wanna-be, whose initial attempts at resurrection are about as successful in kind. As Fate would have it, he meets with the mysterious Professor Montesquino, (a robust performance by character vet Jon Polito), who challenges Haeckel's staunch belief in science with his own supernaturally-based skills, which the young doctor snidely dismisses outright.
Fate throws in yet another twist as Haeckel receives a tragic note: his father is deathly ill and has little time to live. He decides to make the journey to see his father and maybe help him with what knowledge he has gleaned from his experiments. During the journey, are there more surprises in store? Absolutely, as an old man invites Haeckel back to his cottage to escape the cruelty of the elements, and to meet his stunningly beautiful, much younger wife.
Can you see where this is going yet? Let's just say that the bride of Haeckel's guest prefers her men a little...STIFFER than most, and that Montesquino's involvement in the lives of everyone involved goes a lot deeper than anyone would've dared imagine.
I wish I weren't making this sound better than it actually is. I'm sure the good intentions were there to produce something that drops your jaw in absolute shock, and it does achieve that goal...just not in a good way.
The story shares some of the same qualities as JENIFER, but where that episode rooted itself firmly in the rules and the scenario it had established, TALE takes a left turn into absolute absurdity once Haeckel meets his wizened benefactor, and then never recovers. How did the old man come to be married to such a beautiful bride? How did they both become involved with Montesquino? Besides a madness caused by unending love and devotion, what would make the woman want to sleep with her undead husband, and why would he share the wealth with his rotting compatriots? I don't mind a noble attempt to combine horror movie genres, as long as the creative team making the attempt can make it work, and work well. There are more loose ends in this story than the steaming entrails ripped fresh from a screaming victim's heaving gut, (and that's the LEAST graphic image in this ep!) Just call me old-fashioned, but if the main purpose of this TALE was to see a lovely young thing get gang-banged by the extras from DAY OF THE DEAD, then you just lost me.
Sorry, people, but in good conscience I can only dub HAECKEL'S TALE the worst of the MOH lot. * out of **** stars.