Haeckel's Tale (2006)

Review by Adam C. Thomas



This is one entry into the Masters Of Horror series of short films directed by horror greats. It revolves around a man, fresh from the love of his life's funeral, and he seeks to bring her back to life, so that they can be in love together. Then, suddenly, we're thrust into the story of Mr. Haeckel, who tried to do the same thing, with what we're left to believe were quite less than savory results.
I wanted to hate on this movie. I wanted to hate the less than stellar acting, the story, I had convinced myself I wouldn't enjoy this movie, for some strange reason. I was, however, wrong. I found myself sucked in to it. Everything is so fantastical, and the time period is a strange one for horror. I almost hoped the snake oil salesman at the beginning had used a less comical approach to his necromancy, but it was still entertaining.
There's sort of a lull in the story towards the middle, with the advent of a typical forbidden love story. It was, as is usually the case, oddly out of place, and forced. Then, however, the weirdness picks back up with the quickness. The story gets into whiskey tango foxtrot territory at breakneck speed.
The effects and cinematography felt kind of canned, but that seems to be the case with a lot of these MoH shorts. Don't get me wrong, there are some brilliant pieces borne of this series, I just wish Showtime would give them the budget they needed to do them properly. I'd say this one is worth checking out. It's on Netflix, it's pretty entertaining, it just feels flat in some areas. I give this one a 7 out of 10.