Review by: I Am 138
Date: 22nd May 2008
While I’ve enjoyed most of the Masters of Horror episodes I’ve seen, I’ve felt even the good
ones were pressed for time. Perhaps due to years working on the groundbreaking sitcom Dream
On, John Landis seemed to have a better handle on the shorter running time, and Deer Woman is
by far the best offering I’ve seen from the series.
Deer Woman reunites Landis with Dream On star Brian Benben, who plays a detective that’s
been assigned to work strictly on animal attacks. It seems like a thankless, “keep him out of the
way” job, but when a strange death is found where the victim appears to have been trampled to
death, Benben goes to investigate. Benben is quickly taken off the case because the only
suspect is a beautiful Indian woman seen with the victim prior to his death, making the crime a
straight homicide. But things really aren’t that straightforward, as the title of the film implies, and
Benben is curious about the whole thing. He delves into the mystery, but keeps having trouble
getting the facts to make any sort of sense.
If the series was called Masters of Horror Comedy, than this entry, and Landis’ participation in
general, would probably fit in better. Regardless, this is a hilarious, fast paced, unique story that
I absolutely loved. Deer Woman makes use of some of the rich Native American folklore that is
still vastly overlooked by Western culture. There are some wicked fuckin’ films that could be made
using Native American legends, and I was REALLY pleased to see this one hit the screen. In
fairness, a deer woman may not make for an intensely frightening experience, but it did make for
the most enjoyable Masters of Horror episode I’ve watched. Much of the humour derives from
Benben logically trying to work out the completely illogical case, and there are some really gut
busting moments here. It was also fun to spot the sometimes subtle, sometimes not, references
to Landis’ previous work.
I was interested in Deer Woman because I love Landis’ An American Werewolf in London, but
was also leery because Landis, like so many others in the Masters of Horror pantheon, seems to
have done his best work decades ago. I was pleasantly surprised to find Landis at the top of his
game, and really the only flaws I can cite for the episode are some dodgy CGI deer. Landis co-
wrote Deer Woman with his son Max, but says most of the story was Max’s. If that’s so, I’d
certainly like to see more from the younger Landis.
Once again, Anchor Bay Entertainment has loaded the DVD with “over 3 hours of bonus features.”
We get quick on-set interviews with Benben and co-stars Anthony Griffith and Cinthia Moura. The
usual short behind the scenes is here, but as usual, I still wasn’t interested. Deer Woman’s trailer
is present and accounted for, as are the trailers for the other Masters of Horror films, and a few
other Anchor Bay releases. A still gallery and bio on Landis can be perused, and if you pop your
disc into your computer, you can check out the screenplay and load a screensaver from the ROM
extras. But let’s move on to the stuff everybody cares about. The customary, career-spanning-
yet-tightly-focused-on-Masters-Of-Horror interview is great. Landis is always fun to listen to,
and it was nice to briefly revisit his early ‘80s bonanza. This interview further highlights the odd
inclusion of Landis in the series, as Deer Woman is only his third horror piece (fourth if you
REALLY stretch it and include Schlock) but I’m super glad he was included. The interviews with
people who’ve worked with him are lots of fun as well, and include a myriad of famous faces, such
as the always engaging Rick Baker. This section also features Max Landis, who seems to have
inherited his father's exuberance. Sadly, the commentary track does not feature Landis, but
rather Benben and Griffith. I LIKE Benben, but I am finding it hard to accept that one of the
largest special features on the Masters of Horror DVDs rarely includes the actual master, and was
a bit put off by this.
All in all, I can fully recommend you check out Deer Woman if you’re into silly monsters and don’t
take your fright flicks too seriously. If you’re a fan of Landis’ particular brand of humorous horrors,
then you will need this DVD for your collection.
Date: 22nd May 2008
While I’ve enjoyed most of the Masters of Horror episodes I’ve seen, I’ve felt even the good
ones were pressed for time. Perhaps due to years working on the groundbreaking sitcom Dream
On, John Landis seemed to have a better handle on the shorter running time, and Deer Woman is
by far the best offering I’ve seen from the series.
Deer Woman reunites Landis with Dream On star Brian Benben, who plays a detective that’s
been assigned to work strictly on animal attacks. It seems like a thankless, “keep him out of the
way” job, but when a strange death is found where the victim appears to have been trampled to
death, Benben goes to investigate. Benben is quickly taken off the case because the only
suspect is a beautiful Indian woman seen with the victim prior to his death, making the crime a
straight homicide. But things really aren’t that straightforward, as the title of the film implies, and
Benben is curious about the whole thing. He delves into the mystery, but keeps having trouble
getting the facts to make any sort of sense.
If the series was called Masters of Horror Comedy, than this entry, and Landis’ participation in
general, would probably fit in better. Regardless, this is a hilarious, fast paced, unique story that
I absolutely loved. Deer Woman makes use of some of the rich Native American folklore that is
still vastly overlooked by Western culture. There are some wicked fuckin’ films that could be made
using Native American legends, and I was REALLY pleased to see this one hit the screen. In
fairness, a deer woman may not make for an intensely frightening experience, but it did make for
the most enjoyable Masters of Horror episode I’ve watched. Much of the humour derives from
Benben logically trying to work out the completely illogical case, and there are some really gut
busting moments here. It was also fun to spot the sometimes subtle, sometimes not, references
to Landis’ previous work.
I was interested in Deer Woman because I love Landis’ An American Werewolf in London, but
was also leery because Landis, like so many others in the Masters of Horror pantheon, seems to
have done his best work decades ago. I was pleasantly surprised to find Landis at the top of his
game, and really the only flaws I can cite for the episode are some dodgy CGI deer. Landis co-
wrote Deer Woman with his son Max, but says most of the story was Max’s. If that’s so, I’d
certainly like to see more from the younger Landis.
Once again, Anchor Bay Entertainment has loaded the DVD with “over 3 hours of bonus features.”
We get quick on-set interviews with Benben and co-stars Anthony Griffith and Cinthia Moura. The
usual short behind the scenes is here, but as usual, I still wasn’t interested. Deer Woman’s trailer
is present and accounted for, as are the trailers for the other Masters of Horror films, and a few
other Anchor Bay releases. A still gallery and bio on Landis can be perused, and if you pop your
disc into your computer, you can check out the screenplay and load a screensaver from the ROM
extras. But let’s move on to the stuff everybody cares about. The customary, career-spanning-
yet-tightly-focused-on-Masters-Of-Horror interview is great. Landis is always fun to listen to,
and it was nice to briefly revisit his early ‘80s bonanza. This interview further highlights the odd
inclusion of Landis in the series, as Deer Woman is only his third horror piece (fourth if you
REALLY stretch it and include Schlock) but I’m super glad he was included. The interviews with
people who’ve worked with him are lots of fun as well, and include a myriad of famous faces, such
as the always engaging Rick Baker. This section also features Max Landis, who seems to have
inherited his father's exuberance. Sadly, the commentary track does not feature Landis, but
rather Benben and Griffith. I LIKE Benben, but I am finding it hard to accept that one of the
largest special features on the Masters of Horror DVDs rarely includes the actual master, and was
a bit put off by this.
All in all, I can fully recommend you check out Deer Woman if you’re into silly monsters and don’t
take your fright flicks too seriously. If you’re a fan of Landis’ particular brand of humorous horrors,
then you will need this DVD for your collection.
| "Their wildest dreams are your worst nightmares" |
|
| |||||
|
Masters Of Horror: Deer Woman
DVD/APPROX. 60 MINS/2005/USA UNRATED
DVD/APPROX. 60 MINS/2005/USA UNRATED
| Search Movie Database: |
7
| All written material © 2006 to Present DVD Resurrections. This website is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Opinions expressed in these pages are solely those of the DVD Resurrections. No copyright infringement is intended or implied. |