John Carpenter's Cigarette Burns

Last updated
"John Carpenter's
Cigarette Burns"
Masters of Horror episode
Cigaretteburnsmastersofhorror.jpg
DVD cover for Cigarette Burns
Episode no. Season 1
Episode 8
Directed by John Carpenter
Written by Drew McWeeny
Scott Swan
Featured music Cody Carpenter (composer)
Production code 108
Original air date December 16, 2005
Guest appearance(s)
Episode chronology
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"John Carpenter's Cigarette Burns" is the eighth episode of the first season of Masters of Horror . It originally aired in North America on December 16, 2005.

<i>Masters of Horror</i> US television series

Masters of Horror is an American anthology television series created by director Mick Garris for the Showtime cable network.

North America Continent entirely within the Northern Hemisphere and almost all within the Western Hemisphere

North America is a continent entirely within the Northern Hemisphere and almost all within the Western Hemisphere; it is also considered by some to be a northern subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean, and to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea.

Synopsis

Deeply in debt to the father of his late wife, rare-films dealer Kirby Sweetman (Norman Reedus) has less than a month to produce $200,000 in order to keep his small theater afloat. He is hired by an old cinephile, Mr. Bellinger (Udo Kier) to find the only existing print of a rare 30-year-old movie titled, La Fin Absolue du Monde (French : The Absolute End of the World). The film supposedly has supernatural power to anyone who views it which led to a homicidal riot during its premiere at the Sitges Film Festival, after which it was destroyed.

Norman Reedus American actor and model

Norman Mark Reedus is an American actor, television host, and model. He is known for starring in the popular AMC horror drama series The Walking Dead as Daryl Dixon and in the film The Boondock Saints (1999) and its sequel The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day (2009) as Murphy MacManus. He has also acted in numerous films and television series, and modeled for various fashion designers.

Udo Kier German actor

Udo Kier is a German actor and voice actor. Known primarily as a character actor, Kier has appeared in over 200 films in both leading and supporting roles throughout Europe and North America. He has collaborated with acclaimed filmmakers like Lars von Trier, Gus van Sant, Walerian Borowczyk, Dario Argento, Charles Matton, and Paul Morrissey.

French language Romance language

French is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the spoken Latin in Gaul, and more specifically in Northern Gaul. Its closest relatives are the other langues d'oïl—languages historically spoken in northern France and in southern Belgium, which French (Francien) has largely supplanted. French was also influenced by native Celtic languages of Northern Roman Gaul like Gallia Belgica and by the (Germanic) Frankish language of the post-Roman Frankish invaders. Today, owing to France's past overseas expansion, there are numerous French-based creole languages, most notably Haitian Creole. A French-speaking person or nation may be referred to as Francophone in both English and French.

Bellinger leads Sweetman to a hidden room in his mansion, which contains an emaciated pale man (Christopher Redman) in chains. The wounds on the man's shoulders appear to be the source of a pair of angelic wings. The chained man explains that his existence is bound to the existence of the film. Bellinger then offers Sweetman $100,000 to find the film, which Sweetman increases to $200,000. Sweetman begins his research and gets his first lead: a critic who wrote a review of the film. The mentally-sick critic gives Sweetman an audiotape of an interview with the film's director.

Starvation severe deficiency in caloric energy, nutrient, and vitamin intake

Starvation is a severe deficiency in caloric energy intake, below the level needed to maintain an organism's life. It is the most extreme form of malnutrition. In humans, prolonged starvation can cause permanent organ damage and eventually, death. The term inanition refers to the symptoms and effects of starvation. Starvation may also be used as a means of torture or execution.

Sweetman listens to the tape and has a hallucination of his late wife in the state of her suicide. Sweetman's friend tells him that he was the projectionist at a secret screening of the film. He was spared death and insanity because he turned away from the film as it played. Eventually, he tried to stop it, but blacked out, only to wake up with his left hand burned. He sends Sweetman to a warehouse, where he meets a deranged filmmaker. Sweetman is seized, injected with an anesthetic, and blacks out, waking up tied to a chair. The filmmaker explains to Sweetman that an angel was sacrificed in the film, and the evil of that horror affects all who view the film. Sweetman experiences another vision and when he comes to, he finds himself holding a machete. The filmmaker has his throat slashed. Before the man dies, he says, "Katja".

Hallucination perception in the absence of external stimulation that has the qualities of real perception

A hallucination is a perception in the absence of external stimulus that has qualities of real perception. Hallucinations are vivid, substantial, and are perceived to be located in external objective space. They are distinguishable from several related phenomena, such as dreaming, which does not involve wakefulness; pseudohallucination, which does not mimic real perception, and is accurately perceived as unreal; illusion, which involves distorted or misinterpreted real perception; and imagery, which does not mimic real perception and is under voluntary control. Hallucinations also differ from "delusional perceptions", in which a correctly sensed and interpreted stimulus is given some additional significance.

Suicide intentional act of causing ones own death

Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders, including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, and substance abuse—including alcoholism and the use of benzodiazepines—are risk factors. Some suicides are impulsive acts due to stress, such as from financial difficulties, troubles with relationships, or bullying. Those who have previously attempted suicide are at a higher risk for future attempts. Effective suicide prevention efforts include limiting access to methods of suicide—such as firearms, drugs, and poisons; treating mental disorders and substance misuse; proper media reporting of suicide; and improving economic conditions. Even though crisis hotlines are common, there is little evidence for their effectiveness.

Anesthetic drug that causes anesthesia

An anesthetic or anaesthetic is a drug used to induce anesthesia - in other words, to result in a temporary loss of sensation or awareness. They may be divided into two broad classes: general anesthetics, which cause a reversible loss of consciousness, and local anesthetics, which cause a reversible loss of sensation for a limited region of the body without necessarily affecting consciousness.

Sweetman tracks down and speaks with Katja, the director's widow (Gwynyth Walsh). She gives Sweetman the only remaining copy of the film. When he asks how the director died, the widow reveals that he slashed his own throat, and hers as well, though not fatally in her case. Sweetman brings the film to Bellinger and collects his payment. Bellinger sees the mutilated angel in the film. Sweetman is informed that his father-in-law locked the theater. He receives a phone call from a distraught Bellinger, and returns to the mansion. There he finds the butler, who gouges his own eyes out with a knife after watching the film. Inside, he finds Bellinger loading his own intestines into the reels of another projector.

Gwynyth Walsh is a Canadian actress best known for her role of the Star Trek character B'Etor, one of the Duras sisters. She also played constable Nimira in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Random Thoughts".

Butler male domestic worker in charge of all the male household staff

A butler is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some also have charge of the entire parlour floor, and housekeepers caring for the entire house and its appearance. A butler is usually male, and in charge of male servants, while a housekeeper is usually a woman, and in charge of female servants. Traditionally, male servants were better paid and of higher status than female servants. The butler, as the senior male servant, has the highest servant status. He can also sometimes function as a chauffeur.

Sweetman's father-in-law pulls a gun and threatens to kill him. They struggle and another cigarette burn envelopes the screen. Sweetman awakens to find both him and his father-in-law watching the movie, both bloody. The butler frees the chained angel. Sweetman's late wife appears and bites her father's neck. Sweetman wakes up, and decides that he and his father-in-law both have to die because neither can truly let her go as long as they're alive. Sweetman then brutally kills his father-in-law and commits suicide himself.

The last scene shows the angel taking the two film reels. The angel walks into the theater, looks at Sweetman's bloody corpse and says, "Thank you for this," indicating the film reels, before leaving. [1]

DVD and Blu-ray Disc

The DVD was released by Anchor Bay Entertainment on March 28, 2006. The episode was the eighth episode and the first to be released on DVD. The episode appears on the first volume of the Blu-ray Disc compilation of the series. [2]

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References

  1. ↑ Working with a Master: John Carpenter on IMDb
  2. ↑ "Masters of Horror: Cigarette Burns (Television) - Dread Central". Dread Central. 2005-12-08. Retrieved 2016-06-02.
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