Day 7: Body Bags
This time is a made-for-TV deal. A seemingly backdoor pilot as the anthology film was meant to spawn off a series much like Tales From the Crypt, but Showtime changed their minds. Oh well, we get three stories with quirky introduction from an odd coroner played by director John Carpenter, who is having a lot of fun chewing up the scenery.
The three stories are:
The Gas Station. A female college student is having her first night on the job at an all-night filling station. Unlucky for her, there is a serial killer going around town and he might just be in line to give her a visit. However, luckily for her, it's not Michael Myers since this John Carpenter directed story takes place in Haddonfield, Illinois. The story consists of cameos from other known directors Wes Craven and Sam Raimi.
Hair. Stacy Keach plays a man who is obsessed with his regressing hairline. When he hears of a revolutionary new hair implanting program, he rushes out and gets much more than what he bargained when his hair keeps growing. This one is also directed by Carpenter.
Eye. A family-man baseball player is close to finally being called up to the majors after years of close calls. All is well until he loses control of his car during a rainstorm and is involved in an accident that causes him to lose an eye. Not wanting to lose his livelihood along with it, he takes an offer for an eye transplant from a questionable doctor. However, he begins showing tendencies much like his donor who just happened to be...a homicidal maniac. Bummer. This one is directed by the man who brought us the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Tobe Hooper.
As mentioned before, in-between these stories, Carpenter plays a wacky coroner making tons of puns which were silly fun. Also, at the end, the coroner segments results in cameo appearances for Tom Arnold and Tobe Hooper.
GRADE: B-
I'm such a sucker for a good anthology because good stories can make up for lackluster ones. "The Gas Station" is full of nods towards Carpenter's Halloween and a very passable tension story. "Hair" is okay at the very best and its twist is kind of dumb, but Stacy Keach is so much fun to watch act. "Eye" is where it's at with Mark Hamill who plays his character in such a likable way and struggles as his mind is corrupted by the evil that has been implanted in him. No wonder they saved it for last.
Carpenter is fun in his host segments and I think I would've watched the show if it'd been given a chance.
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