Deer Woman (2005)
Review by Peter Syslo

DEER WOMAN (2005) is another fine entry in the “Masters of Horror” series, from AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON mastermind John Landis. AN AMERICAN… is possibly the best werewolf movie, ever, and I feel that Landis brought some of that same spirit to DEER WOMAN. The part human/part animal theme is present again and it does involve a lot of the same humor of Landis’ lycanthrope masterpiece. I remember hearing people say, back in 1981, that a horror movie that was part comedy was a really sick idea and unnatural; this may have been the real birth of “splatstick”, along with Raimi’s EVIL DEAD, which came shortly after. I admit, sometimes the horror/humor combo does not always work and a lot of the time, that is due to the comedic element bombing. However, Landis has such a strong comedic sensibility in his films, that his combinations of horror and humor are as natural as chocolate and peanut butter – and DEER WOMAN is one of those cases.

DEER WOMAN is directed by the legendary John Landis and is written by Max Landis and John Landis. The film stars Brian Benben (from HBOs “Dream on”), Anthony Griffith, and Cinthia Moura as the irresistible Deer Woman.

The film is about a police detective (Benben), with a tragic past, who investigates crimes involving animals. The case begins when he gets a call about a trucker who may have been killed by an animal. After following up on clues and examining evidence, it appeared that the trucker was “trampled” by hooves. Along with another officer (Griffith), the detective makes headway on the case but it continues to take strange turns. A few men are killed over the next few days and witnesses say that each was seen with a beautiful, Native American woman. At each of the crimes scenes, more evidence of animal attacks is apparent. The officer and detective learn the strange truth about things, as a Native American casino worker tells them the legend of the Deer Woman. The two actually come face to face with the strange legend, at differing points, and the climax is a slightly unexpected twist, which is definitely in the darkly hum orous style of Landis.

I thought that DEER WOMAN was a pretty good episode of “MOH” – SICK GIRL is still my favorite, but this one isn’t too far behind. I liked the fact that Landis styled it after AN AMERICAN… and it can almost be considered as a companion piece; it’s funny, because the detective actually references AN AMERICAN… by reviewing examples and evidence of bizarre animal attacks. The werewolf attacks are considered real in the world of this story, and I thought that it put a fun spin on things. Also, the cast really seemed to bring this story to life; with Benben as the likeable, funny “loser” type of character; with Griffith as the honest, devoted friend; and with Moura perfectly cast as the beautiful-yet-deadly deer woman (while watching this, some of you will admit to the fact that you would be dead too). Just as in the werewolf movie, there is that humorous quality to DEER WOMAN but there is also the really dark underlying “vibe” which is scary but addictive at the same time. I just thought of another “Landis” moment where you get that same feeling – at the beginning of TWILIGHT ZONE – THE MOVIE with Albert Brooks and Dan Akroyd (“Wanna see something really scary?”). That’s such a great moment and it works so well.

Cutting to the chase: If you are a fan of Landis or if you like the horror/humor combo, then DEER WOMAN will be right up your alley. I think that it has the same fun spirit as some of Landis’ classic films and it is one of the better episodes of “MOH”. It is a pretty interesting story and it has some blood, scares, and nudity (the blessed horror trinity); all elements work well together and I believe horror fans of all levels can receive satisfaction from DEER WOMAN. My only complaint is that the story isn’t necessarily new material, for Landis or for horror, but it is nice to put on a newly cleaned and comfortable old shoe, sometimes. I give DEER WOMAN an 8 out of 10.