Redwarmin This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Bea Swanson This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Brennan Camacho Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Ginger Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Jonny_Numb I have always considered Mick Garris one of our most undervalued genre directors. He has understood Stephen King's prose well enough to make excellent TV adaptations of "The Stand," "Desperation," and "The Shining" (cleaning up Stanley Kubrick's nauseatingly overpraised mess-terpiece); his most simultaneously renowned and scorned creation may be the "Masters of Horror" anthology series, cited as maddeningly uneven by some, and fulfilling to others. If you can't tell already, I was a fan of Garris's Season 1 entry (the much-derided 'Chocolate'), and am now an even bigger fan of 'Valerie on the Stairs,' a showcase of storytelling (about storytelling, no less) that truly earns the praise given to a 'master.' Working from a story treatment by Clive Barker, Garris tells the tale of Highberger House, a place seemingly dusted with antiquity, where struggling writers can stay rent-free until their work gets published. Rob Hanisey (Tyler Leitso) secures a room after the previous tenant commits suicide, and quickly forges a negative rapport with the other residents when he begins having visions of an ethereal beauty named Valerie (the smoldering Clare Grant), imprisoned by the appetites of The Beast (Tony Todd under a mountain of makeup and latex). The cast (also featuring Christopher Lloyd in a good supporting role) is excellent, and Garris foments fear through the use of imposing high- and low-angle shots, matched with frequently tight and confining framing. Most importantly, he really understands Barker's fascination with multiple layers of reality, other dimensions getting a foothold, and the power of sexual desire intertwined with human imagination. Garris also takes many opportunities to show off the surprising, cynical humor that has punctuated his previous films (Rob's initial meeting with the landlord, and a middle-aged Southern woman complaining of having her "pleasure interrupted" are two gems among many). But in the end, 'Valerie' is really about the art and craft of writing--in many ways, it is a clever salute to the form, something this Garris/Barker collaboration conveys beautifully. One of the best episodes of the series.7.5 out of 10

gavin6942 A young writer checks into a hotel where you are allowed to live for free as long as you like, as long as you never publish anything. The moment you get something published, you are asked to leave the hotel. Within the hotel, though, is a woman named Valerie (on the stairs) who needs to be saved from some supernatural force. What is our young writer to do? I thought the story had potential after reading the synopsis. As an aspiring writer myself, I like the idea of a place that lets you focus on your writing on your schedule, but has you enter the real world once you're done. This film is alright... except that most of it makes no sense and its very repetitive (within one hour).Clive Barker is a well-known horror writer, so we expect a lot from him (though, in all honesty, I can't for the life of me tell you much good he's produced). And we have director Mick Garris -- the man who directed "Chocolate" from season one, which many people (not including myself) consider to be the worst episode of that season. Garris is second-rate, I won't even try to defend him. He has made nothing that will leave a lasting dent on the horror community in generations to come.The best thing about this short film is the acting. The main character is alright and another housemate (Bruce) is even better. Valerie... not so much. Tony Todd ("Candyman") shows up, but sadly is given a role that doesn't really have him doing anything besides be menacing. Christopher Lloyd is yet another housemate and does a fine job with it, though there was nothing about he role that demanded the presence of Christopher Lloyd.As I've been saying, the film makes no sense, and that's the biggest drawback. We have some decent gore, scary sound effects and plenty of nudity. But I didn't follow why any of it was going on. The biggest mysteries are explained about halfway through, but others are left untouched and the ending is complete and utter nonsense. In fact, the ending being changed just slightly would have made my rating of this film go up at least a little bit.We are now through eight films of the thirteen episode season, and I continue to be unimpressed. With the exception of Landis and Argento, "Masters of Horror" has been more like "Masters of Bore". Mick Garris a great man for creating this show, but perhaps he needs to stay out of the director's chair. If his season three contribution turns out to be no better than "Chocolate" or "Valerie on the Stairs", he really should refrain from directing altogether. This episode can be missed without little loss on the viewer's part.

Tim Hayes Valerie On The Stairs is written and directed by series creator Mick Garris from an original story by veteran author Clive Barker. Where to start? First off this is supposed to be a sexually charged episode but aside from one sex scene, we are only told that it is sexually charged as nothing really happens to lead us to believe so. Hell there was more sexual energy in the dance between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in Mr And Mrs Smith than this episode reveals. The demon is played by gravelly voiced Tony Todd and he does well with a poorly written role. His makeup is reminiscent of Night Breed star Boone, however. Tyron Leitso as hero Rob is merely okay. He has no real personality so it's hard to tell. The acting trophy here really goes to Christopher Lloyd who is great as an aging author closely linked to the events. Basically Barker seems to be just reiterating a lot of older ideas and Garris brings no real joy to the episode. Its merely okay. Still, average Barker is better than top of the line Eli Roth any day.

lethalson I am giving this a 5 because it's not so bad on it's own, but because I compare it to other MOH episodes--and that is-- it doesn't stack up too well against them. If you look at the resume of Mick Garris there isn't too much horror, and it shows. Much too tame-- would have been better as an amazing story. It seemed to be hurt by trying to be both horror and comedy. The most disappointing part was the beast. Very B movie effects. The beast in Wishmaster was much cooler looking. And using Tony Todd, aka Candyman was just cheesy. Maybe someone should update Rawhead Rex. That is a Clive Barker story I would like to see with better effects...