Sunday, March 18, 2007

Masters of Horror: Pro-Life


After providing fans with "Cigarette Burns," easily the best episode of the inaugural season of Showtime's hour-long horror anthology show "Masters of Horror," John Carpenter returns for the second season with "Pro-Life." While its title would lead one to believe that the episode centers around the much-discussed abortion debate, it's really more of a backdrop. "Pro-Life" is a siege film at its core, with demonic impregnation at the forefront. In other words, just what you'd expect out of the genius behind "Assault on Precinct 13" and "Prince of Darkness."

While on their way to work in the wooded hills of rural Oregon, Kim (Emmanuelle Vaugier) and Alex (Mark Feuerstein) almost run over Angelique (Caitlin Wachs) after she darts out from the brush directly in front of their car. The couple put the young stranger, obviously terrified and on the run from someone or something, into their back seat and take her with them to the clinic where they work. Shortly after arriving at the clinic, Kim and Alex are joined by their boss, Dr. Kiefer (Bill Dow). All three are surprised to find out that not only is Angelique pregnant but she's also the daughter of Dwayne Burcell (Ron Perlman), a local antiabortion activist whose violent past forced the clinic to put a restraining order against him. As soon as that revelation comes, so does Dwayne, who pulls up outside of the fence and informs the guard at the gate that he knows they're holding his daughter inside, and he wants her back.

Alex goes outside to try and explain to Dwayne that they found Angelique wounded, terrified, and pregnant, that they're only doing a checkup, and that no harm will come to the baby. Agreeing to abide by the rules of his restraining order, Dwayne hops into his van and backs down the clinic's dirt road. Meanwhile, inside, Angelique is trying to convince the doctor's to abort the child that's growing inside her rapidly expanding belly. She confesses that the baby wasn't born of man, that she was raped by a demon, and that she'll do anything to expel his seed, even if she has to cut it out herself. The doctors are at a loss; they can't explain why Angelique's pregnancy is occurring so rapidly, and if they try to abort the child, the procedure would probably kill her. Outside the clinic Dwayne's van has returned. This time he's not alone; he's brought his three teenage sons and a militia worth of firearms. But the scariest thing Dwayne has is inside his head: It's the voice of God telling him to "protect the baby," which Dwayne is prepared to do…at any cost.

Written by Carpenter's prior collaborators on "Cigarette Burns," Drew McWeeny and Scott Swan, "Pro-Life" approaches nowhere near the high bar set by their prior effort. While "Life" has moments of greatness, they're few and far between and usually rely more on the effects than on the writing. The demon father is particularly striking as are some of the gunshot wounds Dwayne and his kin inflict during their God-driven siege on the clinic. But nothing compares to the awesome sight of the horrific child that spews from Angelique's womb. I'll try not to spoil it by using only three words, giant crab legs.

hile most of the character's are paper thin, the actors all do their best with the material they're given, especially the always captivating genre vet Perlman. While it would have been easy to play Dwayne as the bad guy, Perlman takes the character on a different route entirely. He portrays him as the hero. Even during the attack on the clinic, Perlman never lets Dwayne come across as evil or even vengeful; he's just a father who wants to save his daughter. Sure, he eventually turns one of Doctor Kiefer's own machines against him, but in Dwayne's mind, it's all for the better good.

After providing fans with "Cigarette Burns," easily the best episode of the inaugural season of Showtime's hour-long horror anthology show "Masters of Horror," John Carpenter returns for the second season with "Pro-Life." While its title would lead one to believe that the episode centers around the much-discussed abortion debate, it's really more of a backdrop. "Pro-Life" is a siege film at its core, with demonic impregnation at the forefront. In other words, just what you'd expect out of the genius behind "Assault on Precinct 13" and "Prince of Darkness."

While on their way to work in the wooded hills of rural Oregon, Kim (Emmanuelle Vaugier) and Alex (Mark Feuerstein) almost run over Angelique (Caitlin Wachs) after she darts out from the brush directly in front of their car. The couple put the young stranger, obviously terrified and on the run from someone or something, into their back seat and take her with them to the clinic where they work. Shortly after arriving at the clinic, Kim and Alex are joined by their boss, Dr. Kiefer (Bill Dow). All three are surprised to find out that not only is Angelique pregnant but she's also the daughter of Dwayne Burcell (Ron Perlman), a local antiabortion activist whose violent past forced the clinic to put a restraining order against him. As soon as that revelation comes, so does Dwayne, who pulls up outside of the fence and informs the guard at the gate that he knows they're holding his daughter inside, and he wants her back.

Alex goes outside to try and explain to Dwayne that they found Angelique wounded, terrified, and pregnant, that they're only doing a checkup, and that no harm will come to the baby. Agreeing to abide by the rules of his restraining order, Dwayne hops into his van and backs down the clinic's dirt road. Meanwhile, inside, Angelique is trying to convince the doctor's to abort the child that's growing inside her rapidly expanding belly. She confesses that the baby wasn't born of man, that she was raped by a demon, and that she'll do anything to expel his seed, even if she has to cut it out herself. The doctors are at a loss; they can't explain why Angelique's pregnancy is occurring so rapidly, and if they try to abort the child, the procedure would probably kill her. Outside the clinic Dwayne's van has returned. This time he's not alone; he's brought his three teenage sons and a militia worth of firearms. But the scariest thing Dwayne has is inside his head: It's the voice of God telling him to "protect the baby," which Dwayne is prepared to do…at any cost.

Written by Carpenter's prior collaborators on "Cigarette Burns," Drew McWeeny and Scott Swan, "Pro-Life" approaches nowhere near the high bar set by their prior effort. While "Life" has moments of greatness, they're few and far between and usually rely more on the effects than on the writing. The demon father is particularly striking as are some of the gunshot wounds Dwayne and his kin inflict during their God-driven siege on the clinic. But nothing compares to the awesome sight of the horrific child that spews from Angelique's womb. I'll try not to spoil it by using only three words, giant crab legs.

hile most of the character's are paper thin, the actors all do their best with the material they're given, especially the always captivating genre vet Perlman. While it would have been easy to play Dwayne as the bad guy, Perlman takes the character on a different route entirely. He portrays him as the hero. Even during the attack on the clinic, Perlman never lets Dwayne come across as evil or even vengeful; he's just a father who wants to save his daughter. Sure, he eventually turns one of Doctor Kiefer's own machines against him, but in Dwayne's mind, it's all for the better good.

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