Pelts (2006)

Just perfect...

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Getting a box set of Masters of Horror from a very kind DVD seller as a birthday gift,I was thrilled to find that it contained auteur film maker Dario Argento's first ep for the show.Trying to find the second ep,I was disappointed to being only able to find it getting sold for silly money on eBay. Talking to a family friend about Region 1 DVDs that he has recently picked up,I was taken aback to find out that he had somehow got hold of Argento's second ep at a good price,which led to me at last putting on the coat.The plot:Desperate to have sex with a stripper called, Shanna,fur trader Jake Feldman finds himself constantly getting pushed back in the chair.Working as suppliers to Feldman, Jeb Jameson and his son go onto mystic private land and kill raccoon.Getting set to give Feldman the beautiful raccoon fur in order for him to make Shanna,the Jameson's peel away the raccoon's,and unwittingly undress a deadly curse.View on the film:Sowing up his debut writing credit,the screenplay by Matt Venne adapts an F. Paul Wilson short story into reflecting leather which pulls one of Argento's major themes to its extreme edge.Since his first offering,Argento has made his main characters connection to animals one that become more entwined with each passing title.Dressing this theme, Venne makes the link to animals one that has taken a very dark turn,as every attempt someone makes to get close to the coat,leads to the animals/nature getting their revenge.Stripping Jake Feldman as a loner in the strip club,director Dario Argento & cinematographer Attila Szalay give the tale an underlying Film Noir atmosphere,as claws of low hanging shadows burn above the screen,peeling away at the skin Feldman lives in.Limited in doing any overly stylish camera moves,Argento lets the style run deep red in extravagant gore scenes.Backed by an icy score from Claudio Simonetti, Argento slices the screen in practical effects gore which allow Argento to linger on the ghoulish acts,until the blood- drenched effects and Feldman are snapped by an Argento "pop." Taking a role first offered to Dario's daughter Asis, Ellen Ewusie gives a good performance as Shanna,whose raunchy kick Ewusie makes sure is too hot to handle for Feldman. Flying out of the screen like a bat out of hell, Meat Loaf gives a wonderful performance as Feldman,thanks to Loaf knotting Feldman's burnt out loner with a bloody new dress sense.

A sweat shop furrier becomes part of a bloody chain reaction when he acquires supernatural pelts that have a horrifying effect on all those who come in contact with them... Director Dario Argento lays the gore effects on with a trowel in this stylishly effective ecological allegory starring Meatloaf as the boorish fur-trader who's obsession with turning the raccoon pelts into a beautiful coat for the object of his affections exacts a terrible price. John Saxon guest stars as a greedy old geezer who unwisely traps his coons on sacred ground. The premise is very similar to a Cornell Woolrich short story about an ancient Aztec ceremonial cloak that makes its wearers murderous. Tobe Hooper fashioned it into the 1990 TV movie I'M DANGEROUS TONIGHT with Madchen "Twin Peaks" Amick as a young woman who turns the accursed cloak into a ravishing red cocktail dress. When it's worn, watch out!

Dario Argento truly seems to "Get It" when it comes to horror. As in "Jenifer", Argento knows how to get under (or through) a viewer's skin, and "Pelts" is no exception. I sit through horror films on an almost daily basis, yet I find myself squirming more then sitting when I watch Argento's extremely graphic stories of utter gore and chaos. The tale is an odd one, combining greed, lust and absurdness to great effect and featuring a very well acted Meat Loaf as the main protagonist. Of course, it's always good to see an old favorite, as John Saxon delivers a stellar performance as well. I stand in awe of Argento's ability to constantly turn out over the top, disturbingly beautiful and horrific works, but I certainly will not question his integrity. As far as "Masters Of Horror" is concerned, he has proved himself a true "Master"... "Pelts" is definitely one of the top three episodes of the series... Well done.

Like his previous "Masters Of Horror" effort, JENIFER (2005), this feels nothing like the typical Argento film; reportedly, however, his latest project – the much-anticipated (and long-awaited) THE THIRD MOTHER (2007) is a return to form of sorts for the Italian maestro. Anyway, PELTS again features a surprising emphasis on sex – with lead actor Meat Loaf shown being obsessed with a black stripper! While his role is too small, it was still nice to see an aged John Saxon re-united with the director (24 years after TENEBRE [1982]).The engaging plot provides the excuse for a simple enough message – "Be Careful What You Wish For" – but the level of gore (even if the make-up in some scenes leaves a lot to be desired) displayed throughout the episode is so extreme, to say nothing of outrageous, as to be amusing rather than repellent or disturbing! Sado-masochism is perhaps a logical step from fetishism, but there's no real explanation as to why the raccoon fur should have that effect on people who come into contact with it – unless a suggestion of black magic is intended with the presence of the old woman who owns the land on which the animal was hunted...