Masters of Horror - Deer Woman (2005)

Detective Dwight Faraday (Brian Benben) is a burntout cop demoted to the weird calls desk until a series of bizarre murders suddenly grabs his attention: Several men killed by massive blunt force trauma while in a state of sexual arousal all last seen in the company of a sexy Native American woman (Cinthia Moura). But when it s discovered that these corpses were trampled into hamburger by what appear to be hooves Faraday must hunt a killer who may not be totally human.Will one cynical cop be caught like a deer in the headlights or has a horrifying seductress risen from legend to slaughter the horny? Anthony Griffith co-stars in this erotic horror comedy co-written and directed by John Landis (ANIMAL HOUSETHE BLUES BROTHERS) and featuring grisly gore effects by Gregory Nicotero & Howard Berger (KILL BILL LAND OF THE DEAD CHRONICLES OF NARNIA).Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR Rating: NR UPC: 013131446296 Manufacturer No: DV14462 Product Description

Masters of Horror - Deer Woman

I am happy with my purchase. I had been looking for this dvd for a while. May 4, 2008

Short and sweet

I bought this movie for a friend of mine after seeing it in Wal-Mart and then discovering it to be unavailable there. The story follows a series of brutal murders and one cop's determination that something unnatural is causing them. It is based off an ancient Native American legend of a vengeful monster that disguises herself as a beautiful seductress to lure men into her bed and to their doom. She is part woman and part deer, with the lower part of her body being that of the deer so that she can unleash her wrath on the evil horny men of the world (of course if she does exist I think she has her work cut out for her).

I will not lie and say this is a great horror film because in fact it is probably one of the most bizarre and funniest things I have seen brought to life on the big screen. My friend and I laughed the duration of the film and have made it a part of our 'must see cheesy horror films' collection. The only true flaws (other than the to be expected acting and affects) is that it ends abruptly and with no resolution. However it was worth every penny and I look forward to watching it again. December 30, 2007

I want that hour of my life back

This entry in the Masters of Horror series contains no horror whatsoever, but is a lazy comedy with a ridiculous premise and wretched acting. As far as the humor is concerned, it is so "subtle" that it neglects to be funny. Don't waste your time. July 15, 2007

Ineffective horror comedy

A burned out cop (Brian Benben) investigates a series of murders in which the victims are men who have been trampled to death shortly after sex. The clues lead him to the Native American legend of the Deer Woman (Cinthia Moura). The narrative is a police procedural that offers few surprises. Director and co-writer John Landis attempts to inject a healthy dose of humor through the dialogue, and some of it works, though most of it falls flat. In addition, many of the performers seem very self-conscious somehow. The resolution is preposterous, with the Deer Woman running from our hero instead of killing him like all the others for the simple reason that the script requires it. The best thing about the film is Moura's exquisite body. July 7, 2007

What's Next? "Buck Man"?

Perhaps "Deer Woman" was made because the makers of the "Masters of Horror" series realized that their brainchild had turned into a bit of a joke. After having put out several unintentionally funny "horror" pieces, they must've decided to actually TRY to be funny, because "Deer Woman" is a just a few chuckles shy of a laugh riot.

Detective Dwight Faraday (played perfectly by "Dream On"s Brian Benben) is a cliched cop-in-decline, suffering emotionally over the death of his partner and demoted-due-to-distrees to the Animal Attack division in his department. Bodies -- or, rather, large piles of goo that once were bodies -- begin to turn up. Hoof prints? Corpses with aroused genitalia? Why, it must be a Deer Woman!

When fleshing this theory out, Detective Faraday and his partner Jacob (also perfectly played by Anthony Griffith) are in a casino, and their brainstorm is assisted by a Native American employee, who tells them about the old Indian myth of the Deer Woman. "That's the stupidest thing I ever heard," Jacob says after the details are explained. "Hey," the casino worker says, "it's just a story."

Right. John Landis, director of both "An American Werewolf in London" and "The Three Amigos," has no delusions of being a "master of horror." He keeps it light and fast, and his cast plays it spot-on in every scene. It's enjoyable to watch a director as talented as Landis just goof off for a bit, even if, in this series, it WOULD be nice to get at least ONE sincerely horrifying episode.

I'll trade watered-down scares ("Witch House" & "Chocolate") for quirky comedy any day (this comedy couldn't even be properly called "dark"). Landis doesn't really care how stupid the end result is (and it IS pretty stupid). When Faraday and Reed ask the casino employee why a deer woman might go around murdering horny men, the response is, "Why does everything have to have a 'why' with you people, you know? It's a woman with deer legs. Motive isn't really an issue here."

Amen, Mr. Landis. However, I do have to say that the one or two niggling little plot holes (spectral deer show up several times and are never explained or connected to the deer woman) got on my nerves, especially since the whole story had been so well-contained. And considering the vignette was providing solid laughs throughout, the ending was a vague letdown, with yet more phantom-esque elements thrown in inexplicably just before a non-conclusion fades to black. The episode ends with someone laughing to themself over the silliness of everything; it would've worked a lot better if Landis had come up with a great parting joke and left the laughing up to the audience. April 4, 2007

More reviews at Amazon.com ...