Masters Of Horror: The Screwfly Solution

Director Joe (The Howling, Gremlins) Dante helmed one of the more daring episodes of Masters of Horror to date--Homecoming-- and his second go-round for the cable anthology series is another thought-provoking chiller with real-world overtones. Here, Dante and screenwriter Sam Hamm (who also penned Homecoming) adapt James Tiptree, Jr.'s 1977 noted short story of the same name and concoct an alarming nightmare scenario in which men are suddenly and brutally attacking women when sexually aroused. The solution to this sudden wave of violence falls to scientists Jason Priestley and Elliott Gould, but the situation rapids erupts into a global epidemic, and Priestley's wife (Kerry Norton) must fend for herself and their daughter in a world that wants her dead at all costs. Dante and his capable deliver the terror with a straight face, and if Hamm's script strays too often into tangents about environmental responsibility, the abundance of suspense and outright violence offers a balance to genre fans that are less interested in social issues. The DVD includes commentary by Dante and Hamm, featurettes on the episode's production and special effects (by KNB), and the shooting script in DVD-ROM format. --Paul Gaita