Helloturia I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

Joanna Mccarty Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Cheryl A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Paul Andrews Masters of Horror: Haeckel's Tales is set sometime during the 19th Century where John Ralston (Steve Bacic) has recently lost his wife & has gone to a known Necromancer named Miz Carnation (Micki Maunsell) in an attempt to try & bring her back from the dead, Miz says that he doesn't know what he's asking for & tells him that if he still wants his wife brought back from the dead after she has told him a story then she will oblige. Miz starts her story, it's about a young medical student named Ernst Haeckel (Derek Cecil) who is obsessed with bringing the dead back to life. After his scientific methods fail he approaches a Necromancer called Montesquino (Joe Polato) who claims to have the magical ability to raise the dead, however after accepting a room for the night from one of Montesquino's customer's Haeckel realises there is a horrible price to pay for his services...This Canadian American co-production was episode 12 from the generally hit-and-miss Masters of Horror TV series, Haeckel's Tale turned out the be the final screened episode after Takashi Miike's Imprint got pulled shortly before it was due to air. Originally to be directed by George A. Romero who strangely still gets a 'In Assaciation with' credit even though I'm not sure in what capacity he worked on it, if any. In the end John McNaughton got the job & he turns in a perfectly watchable Masters of Horror episode, it's not the best this series has to offer but it's far from the worst. The script by the show's regular producer Mick Garris was based on a short story by Clive Barker of the same name & you can definitely see Barker's perverse imagination dotted throughout Haeckel's Tale, sex with the dead, zombies, violence, gore, twisted revelations, good vs evil, the whole creation of life, what it means & various religious themes along with a general messed up approach to things. The storytelling here is quite good & I really liked the tale within a tale narrative & it's rather cool twist ending which I didn't see coming. However it's not all good news, I thought it dragged a little in places & isn't the most exciting of episodes either & around the scenes that obviously came from Barker's twisted imagination it's a tad dull.Director McNaughton does alright although why was he chosen for a Masters of Horror episode when he had never made a horror film before except maybe Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986) & even that is more of a thriller than horror puzzles me, answers on a postcard please. This has a few stylish moments, I liked the period setting which made it feel like a Hammer film at times & there are some suitably creepy & nasty scenes in it. The gore doesn't really kick in until the final 10 minutes or so, there's a dead cut open body, someone is disembowelled & has their eyes poked out & eaten by some rotten zombies, there's some blood splatter, a zombie dog & a gross zombie baby who has a face only a mother could love...Technically this is good & has nice production values, it's well made & obviously had a fair amount of time spent on it as the period setting is well realised. The acting is alright but there are no 'names' in this one.Haeckel's Tale is a good Masters of Horror episode, it's certainly one of the better ones & was an OK if somewhat premature way to end season 1. Definitely worth a watch for horror fans or fans of the series.

Jonny_Numb 'Haeckel's Tale,' one of the last "Masters of Horror" episodes to be released on DVD, is a strange concoction of contradiction. Plot-wise, the film begins on a serious note but dives further and further into B-level silliness; visually, the costumes and sets run the gamut from impressive accuracy to jaw-dropping cheapness; the FX have a slapdash obviousness (the puppet-dog in the basket to the 'budget zombies'); and finally, it doesn't seem typical of any party involved (which, in this case, really isn't a good thing). John McNaughton, pinch-hitting for George Romero, directs a script by Mick Garris, based on a short story by Clive Barker...it's hard to imagine where such a fine teaming would go wrong, but it does. After the introduction of a poorly conceived (and unnecessary) framing device, we focus on Ernest Haeckel, a young upstart med student with delusions of Frankenstein-ian grandeur; on the way to see his ailing father, he comes across an old man and his attractive bride, who has a strange fixation with the residents of the local cemetery. Even for a 60-minute episode, the plot feels stretched, and the twists and revelations run the gamut from dumb to simply insulting (the ending being the worst offense). While the faux-Hammer period setting and costumes would have made this one of MOH's more ambitious episodes, McNaughton and Garris ultimately transform a promising premise into the type of Saturday-afternoon cheese-fest Vampira would be right at home hosting.

The_Void I don't think I'm on my own when I say that the first few episodes of the Masters of Horror series were largely disappointing; but the series certainly took a turn for the better mid-way through, and alas; it ended up being minnow Masters of Horror; Lucky McKee and William Malone that delivered the best episodes, while John McNaughton isn't far behind. Whether or not McNaughton is actually a master of horror is debatable; as Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer aside, his successes have all been outside of the genre. But whether or not his past credits warrant his presence is beside the point, as McNaughton steps into zombie master George A. Romero's shoes nicely. The episode is based on a short story from the great Clive Barker, and features themes of necromancy and bringing the dead back to life. Haeckel's Tale might not be very original, but the way that all the story elements are brought together is superb, and this instalment certainly never lets its audience know what is going to come next, as the story jumps from science to magic, while still retaining the same basic point. I was surprised at how much gore was featured in this episode given that it was made for TV, and the pivotal sequence involving zombies towards the end is a major highlight. Overall, I won't hesitate to name this as one of the best of the Masters of Horror efforts, and it gets a big thumbs up from me!

Coventry Having directed the one classic horror milestone "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" apparently was enough to include John McNaughton in the whole Masters of Horror project. This was originally meant to become George A. 'father of all zombie movies' Romero's episode, but McNaughton does a great job and the opening credits still refer to Romero as being some kind of inspiration source. That's cool. And it only gets better, as the writer of "Haeckel's Tale" is no less than Clive Barker; creator of such brilliant genre efforts like "Hellraiser" and "Candyman". So, is this really one the best entries of the entire first season? Well it's not in the top 3 but, yes, it is another very solid and worthwhile horror adventure with a neat Gothic atmosphere and a handful of genuine shocks. The script lacks a bit of structure and continuity but overall it's compelling and refers to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein quite often. The mini-movie opens with a little wraparound story about a young man that requests the help of an elderly witch to bring back his beloved bride from the dead. The witch wants to help him but warns him about the dangers of necromancy by telling the tale of Ernst Heackel... He was a talented and obnoxious young scientist, on his way home to visit his ill father, until he made acquaintance with a bizarre couple in the woods. Raising the dead was an important part of their lives every night and that had terrible consequences for Mr. Haeckel. This tale is a strange combination of stylish Gothic thrills, morbid science, Fulci-esquire zombie splatter and sleazy sex scenes. The film is occasionally scary, but at other times very humorous and truly eccentric. For a good half hour, you have no real idea where the story is going! It initially looks like Haeckel is another amateur-Frankenstein and his obsession with science will drive him one step too far, but then suddenly he becomes the victim in a dark world of black magic and the occult. The make-up effects are terrific and especially the supportive characters of the film are highly memorable. Notably the always-reliable Jon Polito and the breathtaking young actress Leela Savasta. Another very recommended Masters of Horror episode.