First airing on the Showtime cable network in October 2005, the
“Masters of Horror” anthology series has parlayed its early critical plaudits
into deserved public acclaim, with each one-hour episode tackling provocative
ideas, and giving some of the genre’s leading practitioners a chance to
exercise their fright muscles. The latest offering is director John Carpenter’s
Pro-Life, a twisted tale of the
supernatural and the menacingly paternal.
with Carpenter for another “Masters” offering, Cigarette
Burns), Pro-Life is a combination
monster movie and siege film. It starts off with a near-accident on an isolated
mountain road. Two doctors at a remote country women’s health clinic, Alex
(Mark Feuerstein) and Kim (Emmanuelle Vaugier — above, in a shot perhaps unfairly unrepresentative of her work in the movie), are returning from an
afternoon fling when they almost hit young Angelique (Caitlin Wachs). After
driving her to their facility, they discover she happens to be the daughter of
the devoutly religious Dwayne Burcell (cult film veteran Ron Perlman, of Hellboy),
who’s had a restraining order placed against him for targeting the clinic for
its “ungodly activities.” A tense standoff quickly develops, and the situation
worsens when Alex and Kim discover Angelique is pregnant… and with a most
unusual baby. As Dwayne and his three sons attempt to “rescue” Angelique, all
involved soon discover that the only thing more dangerous than her would-be
saviors is the demonic secret growing within her.
as cheesy (Angelique is wheeled into the facility by an extra sporting a
“clinic escort” vest!), and Wachs is additionally not strong enough of an
actress to really pull her weight. The material itself is I guess a bit
scandalous, chiefly in its juxtaposition of themes, but Carpenter’s staging
frequently seems perfunctory and a half step off. What really helps sell Pro-Life, though, is Perlman’s
performance. He brings a quiet, chilling menace to the role of Dwayne, giving
all the scenes of relatively conventional human standoff a weight and
intimidation that the rest of the film can’t really touch.
televisions, Pro-Life comes with Dolby
digital 5.1 and Dolby digital 2.0 surround sound mixes, though the dialogue
seems mixed a bit too low in relation to the music. The release comes with the usual
impressive slew of supplemental bonus features that trick out
First up is an audio commentary track with Carpenter and writers McWeeny and Swan.
Much glad-handing ensues, but Carpenter eventually ducks out, mid-track, for a
cigarette break, and instructs the writers to continue praising him as much as
possible. A 15-minute making-of featurette includes interviews with all of the
primary cast and crew, but the six-minute effects featurette on the birthing of
the movie’s demon baby — complete with interviews and show-how from Howard
Berger and Greg Nicotera, plus actress Wachs — is in particular a lesson in
streamlined entertainment value. A storyboard gallery, a text biography of Carpenter
and list of his films, and a copy of the movie’s teleplay on DVD-ROM round
things out. B- (Movie) A- (Disc)