Many people might argue this, but were it not for John Carpenter; the slasher genre may not have grown to the popularity in the 1980’s. Halloween is just one of many horror films that Carpenter has done that has made him a legend in the industry. When you think unknown serial killer, Michael Meyers is one of the first names that many think of, the other being that of Jason. The Showtime anthology series Masters of Horror has brought together some of the greatest minds in the business of terror to keep you awake at night.

Kirby Sweetman (Norman Reedus) is the owner of a art house movie theater who excels in finding rare films. He is approached by a collector, Bellinger (Udo Kier) who is looking for a film that has a dark history around it. Rumor has it that the premier of the film Le Fin Absolute du Monde was met with bloody violence in the theater, but while legend has it that the film is long gone, the only print is alive and well. Kirby’s job is to find it, and the sum of $200,000 he is asking is just enough to cover the debt that he’s in.

As he begins his search however, Kirby begins to see odd flashes, circles that resemble cigarette burns that replay the darkest moment of his life; the suicide of his wife. Kirby finds that anyone who knows about the film is either unwilling to talk about it or, if they do, they warn him to stay away from it. With a large amount of money on the line however, and questions concerning the images he’s seeing, Kirby plunges headlong into a dark and sinister world that he may not be able to escape from.

There are a lot of fans of John Carpenter that say that he’s lost his touch over the years, and it is hard to live up to the expectations that some have come to expect from him. Granted, most of his films since In the Mouth of Madness haven’t been memorable, and some have been a complete let down, but Cigarette Burns shows that Carpenter still has the potential to make a fantastic and memorable piece of cinema.

At first, the idea behind the film has some similarities to the Japanese horror film Ringu, but that is soon long forgotten. The underground world of obscure cinema that Carpenter takes us into is a fascinating one, and it’s very easy to get sucked right into what is an engaging plot. The search for the film itself tends to rely more on what the celluloid could have on it, and those few that have seen it, and are still alive, don’t offer much knowledge. They only have vague information for Kirby to follow. This bring about an great, and somewhat forgotten horror element wherein the ideas that you have conjured in your mind are much more terrifying than what a director can show you, and this does end up being the case. As more and more obscure information was revealed, I found myself still watching the film while in the back of my mind; I was creating a scenario regarding what the lost film could have on it.

The movie itself is fairly straight forward in what it attempts to do, though there is time found to fill in some of the past details concerning Kirby and his life. That doesn’t mean that horror is forgotten however, and Carpenter finds that time go throw in some rather gruesome scenes, such as decapitations, eye gouging, and a great deal of blood and gore, something that the horror master didn’t necessarily make a name on. Halloween, much like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (the original, not the remake), is one of those rare films where people recall seeing a great deal of blood. The truth to the matter is you’ll find little to none, but that’s not the case with Cigarette Burns. I also have to applaud Carpenter for not taking the standard gore path used these days of using blood that looks far too take. The gore here is done extremely well and has all of the old school feeling seen in classics like Day of the Day, though here the blood isn’t used on such a high level.

Cigarette Burns ultimately is great story telling combined with the horrific. The basic idea behind the sought after Le Fin Absolute du Monde that film can be artistic, but in this case it is used as a weapon is what makes the movie that much more intriguing. Carpenter also never over does anything in this film, and though some questions might arise about various things, these are all answered in due time and no stone is left unturned. And, much like Stuart Gordon’s entry into Masters of Horror, this movie is another instance that forgoes the cliché happy ending that Hollywood is so accustomed to forcing on movie goers.

Cigarette Burns comes with a number of special features. The film itself has two different commentary tracks, the first with John Carpenter and the other featuring the writers Drew McWeeny and Scott Swan. There are a collection of trailers for Masters of Horror as well as still from the movie and a bio on Carpenter including information on his humble beginnings and what ultimately made him a legend in the horror industry. There are a number of featurette as well. You will find an interview with Carpenter included here as well as interviews with a number of individuals that have worked with him on previous projects. There also in an interview with Norman Reedus as well as a behind the scenes look at the making of the movie. DVD-ROM owners will also find screen savers and a copy of the screenplay included in the bonus materials.

Every director makes a bad movie now and again (unless your name happens to be Uwe Boll, then it’s again, and again, and again.) Carpenter may have fallen from grace with a number of his fans that have been following his career for years, but Cigarette Burns is bound to gain their respect. Personally, I’ve often found Carpenter to be a little overrated, but this is a brilliant short film that is opening a new chapter in John Carpenters legacy and isn’t going to be nearly as difficult to obtain as the movies Le Fin Absolute du Monde, meaning there’s not a reason in the world to miss this one.
 

-mike-