Masters of Horror Pelts DVD with Meat Loaf, Link Baker, Emilio Salituro (Unrated) +Movie Reviews

An Over-The-Top Meatloaf Plus Enchanted Raccoons Equals The

K. Harris | Las Vegas, NV | 12/06/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The second season of Showtime's "Masters of Horror" has had more than its share of inauspicious offerings. So I was intrigued and delighted when Italian horror legend Dario Argento was invited to the party again. Season One's Argento was "Jenifer" which, to me, was more of an oddity than an entertainment. But I never count Argento out. To be honest--I hadn't seen Argento around in the few years prior to "Masters," but his early Giallo-style influence on modern horror is undeniable. And while nothing in "Pelts" come close to his lyrical and haunting masterpiece "Suspiria," it is still a demented bit of fun (and a big improvement over "Jenifer."

Meatloaf (I will do anything for pelts, but I won't do that!) stars as a fur trader looking to cash in on some quality skins. With a big score, he hopes to win the love of a most unpleasant stripper. John Saxon is a trapper who ensnares a whole slew of beautiful raccoons. For reasons that aren't particularly important (just go with it) they are mystical and guard something vaguely supernatural. Anyone who comes into contact with the pelts from these beasts can expect to meet with a little nastiness.

Buoyed by a great, over-the-top performance by Meatloaf--I had a lot of fun with "Pelts." I never connected with the supernatural angle, but I didn't try to overthink it either. There are some good effects, a decent amount of gore, and a playful tone. The ending, in particular, reaching a crescendo that is almost operatic in scope. One of the more interesting entries into a very hit-or-miss anthology. KGHarris, 12/06."

Argento presents you with gore and lots of sleazy nudity...Y

M. B Cole | Las Vegas, NV | 04/25/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is my first Masters of Horror movie I watched due to such bad reviews of almost every one of them. I read good things about this one (hi Chris and M!) so I decided to pick it up. And boy am I glad I did. If you want to sit back and enjoy a good gore fest then I would definitely recommend this. Argento definitely does not hold back with the grossness. I haven't been happily goriefied in quite some time. And not only that... we are also blessed with a ton of nudity. So much nudity that I actually kind of felt bad about our main actress cause I think she was topless for about 90% of her scenes. And then we have Meatloaf. You can never go wrong when Man-Boob Bob is in your movie. He played his part wonderfully in Pelts as a horny, sleazy, and uncaring fur coat maker looking for a big paycheck.

Oh... the story is about some raccoons with some guardian spirits in them. They die and get skinned. But their guardian spirits live on and get revenge. Sounds dumb I know, but the story isn't THAT bad. But, like porn, are you really watching this for the story or are you watching this for something else!
"

A "Tales From The Crypt" throwback.....

V. Francis | Sutherlin, OR USA | 02/25/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Do you like the old HBO series TALES FROM THE CRYPT? If so, PELTS may just be tailor made for you. In this installment of the popular MASTERS OF HORROR series, director Dario Argento gives us PELTS, the story of a fur trader named Jake Feldman (Meat Loaf Aday, who really needs to drop that last name, IMO) who stumbles upon the furs of several enchanted raccoons, and decides to make the world's most beautiful coonskin coat with them, in order to seduce Shana, the lesbian stripper of his dreams(A role filled out very nicely by Ellen Ewusie). One small problem: The furs, being once attached to enchanted-forest-dwelling raccoons, curse whomever they come in contact with to die as the raccoons themselves did; bloody, hideous, painful deaths.

So in no short order, the trapper who originally trapped the animals and killed them, his son, and several sweatshop workers are dead in stupendously over the top fashion, from gutting themselves, to diving face first onto a bearclaw trap (A great moment of giallo that is sure to please the gorehounds out there) to actually sewing their face shut. The only question left is whether or not Feldman can resist the siren song of the furs long enough to dump them and surive the nightmare he's found himself in.

The plot IS, as other reviews have stated, flat out ridiculous, but in PELTS' defense, no more so than the average episode of TALES FROM THE CRYPT used to be. In fact, if you threw in a Cryptkeeper intro and extro, this would be a slam bang episode of TFTC. The acting is solidly in the B-movie range, as you'd expect from a made for cable movie, and only Meat Loaf really stands out from the rest of the cast. The gore is plentiful enough to keep the gorehounds happy, there's plenty of bare breasts to keep T & A fans happy, and over all, horror fans in general should find enough in PELTS to suit their fancy. A great entry into the MASTERS cannon, right alongside Argento's other entry, JENIFER. Recommended."

3 ½ - Stars: Blood--Gore--Racoons--Fleshing Off!!

Woopak | Where Dark Asian Knights Dwell | 10/20/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Italian horror scribe Dario Argento's second season "Masters of Horror" is a short film called "PELTS". The short film is based on the short story by F. Paul Wilson with its teleplay written by Matt Venne. Dario Argento is a master of horror indeed, while this installment isn't necessarily the best among the "Masters of Horror" series, it may well be one of the goriest.

Jake Feldman (Meatloaf Aday) is a short-tempered eccentric furrier struggling to build a small-time business in fur coats while being obsessed with a very sexy stripper (Ellen Ewusie). One day, a sadistic backwoods trapper (John Saxon) kills a strange group of raccoons and calls Jake to sell the "special" raccoon hide. Jake knows that quality pelts can help him make it big in the fur business. The problem is, these are no ordinary pelts; anyone who comes in contact with them are driven insane--to perform acts of self-mutilation and murder. Even if Jake does manage to possess both the fame and the sexy stripper he so covets, what is the price to be paid?

PELTS isn't really a scary short film. The film's plot is so severely underdeveloped and fails to induce a decent scare. Instead of creating a spooky atmosphere, with the characters being fleshed out (or in this case "fleshed off") so you can form an attachment to them, the film goes into a different direction. The film goes for a gross-out experience that really tries to push the envelope. The film does provide a lot of fun in terms of blood and gore. Argento relies on some CGI effects but most of the film's key sequences are done in the old-school way; using prosthetics and a lot of red ink. The gore scenes are actually a lot of fun to watch, but with the film's lack of an enthralling storyline, the film fails to be very memorable.

The film has a lot of holes in its script and the so-proclaimed curse of the pelts needed a lot of (ahem) development. To Argento's credit, the film is nicely paced and the performances seem solid enough. Greed, selfishness and lust all play into our main characters. The mutilation and death sequences are inventive enough to give me an unsettling grossed out feeling. The film also has subtle injections of commentary against animal cruelty and such.

The performances of the cast is quite acceptable. Meat Loaf Aday has a very specific talent in playing an unlikable character and the role fits him to a `T'. Together with Ellen Ewusie as a gold-digging stripper, the two does have a certain amount of chemistry between them--an odd one, honestly, but chemistry nonetheless. The two does manage to make the most of whatever small material they have to work with.

PELTS is a decent entry in the "Masters of Horror" series and I had a lot of fun watching it. Gorehounds will have a reason to rejoice and as with most entries in the series, the film does have an abundance in female nudity and sex. The weakness in its story makes it rather difficult to look past the gore elements, but whatever little key elements it does have sure provide a lot of fun. Dario Argento is definitely capable of better outings but at least, "Pelts" isn't the let down I feared.

Recommended to horror/gore fans, and a good rental to everybody else. [3 ½- Stars]

"

Meatloaf pours gravy over the angry raccoon spirits

C. Christopher Blackshere | I am the devil's reject | 12/29/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Okay, that sounds stupid. But trust me, this gory short film rules!
Meatloaf makes fur coats out of the pelts of dead raccoons. But the little critters' ghosts hold a grudge and put a curse on all those involved.
It's easy to overlook this weak storyline due to all the gore and nudity. Fright Master Dario Argento is the best with gruesome deaths, and he doesn't hold back here. There were a few disgusting self-mutilation scenes that looked way too realistic.
Really, with all the vivid gore and hot naked chicks you don't get a chance to get annoyed by the plot. A must-see for horror buffs."

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	Masters of Horror - Pelts Actors: Meat Loaf, Link Baker, Emilio Salituro, Elise Lew, Shawn Hall Director: Dario Argento Genres: Horror, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Television UR 2007 0hr 59min Studio: Starz/sphe Release Date: 02/13/2007 Run time: 58 minutes Rating: Nr
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