Pelts (2006)

Coon-Struck

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Buy Pelts on DVD

Dario Argento directed this entry from the cable TV series "Masters of Horror," and though it lacks his unique visual style and personal themes, it's still an amusing and effective little chiller. Meat Loaf stars as Jake Feldman, a fur-maker with a second-rate business and an unrequited crush on a stripper, Shanna (Ellen Ewusie). When a sleazy trapper (John Saxon) and his son (Michal Suchanek) trespass onto sacred land to capture raccoons, they find that the fur has magical properties. Mostly, though, it seems to inspire people to commit horrible, gory acts on themselves and others. One scene, in which a seamstress sews her own eyes shut, harkens back to Argento's more illustrious past (Opera, from 1987, in particular). Argento effectively fills his 59-minute running time with sex and gore, pushing the limits of cable TV and topping many of his own recent, dour theatrical efforts. It comes from a short story by veteran horror writer F. Paul Wilson, whose novel The Keep provided the basis for Michael Mann's 1983 film.

DVD Details: As with the other entries in the "Masters of Horror" series, Anchor Bay Entertainment has released Pelts on a high-quality DVD. Extras include a widescreen transfer, two making-of featurettes, trailers, a photo gallery, storyboards, a bio for Argento, an audio commentary track by writer Matt Venne, and a PDF copy of the screenplay on DVD-Rom.

Starring: Meat Loaf, John Saxon, Ellen Ewusie, Link Baker, Brenda McDonald, Michal Suchanek, Emilio Salituro, Elise Lew, Shawn Hall, Sylvesta Stuart, Melissa Gonzalez, Darren E. Scott, Chuck Duffy, Kelvin Lum, Ildiko Ferenczi
Written by: Matt Venne, based on a short story by F. Paul Wilson
Directed by: Dario Argento
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Running Time: 59 minutes
Date: March 13, 2007