Review of Masters of Horror 5: Mick Garris' "Chocolate"

Left: Mick Garris showing how it all goes down. Right: Lucie Laurier showing she is down!














Of course, the series creator has to have a hand(no pun intended) in his latest series. I have never been a connoisseur of the man, but have seen his other films from "Critters 2: Main Course" to "The Stand". It's funny how now he can set this whole thing up on Showtime and lately it feels like he gives the directors to show as much T&A as possible. I'm not complaining, I've just been noticing. Then again, I shouldn't be surprise it is SHOWTIME! This entry in the horror series based of GArris' short is no exception. While the others stand alone to me as masterpieces, to mixed bags, and just entertaining. This falls in the entertaining zone, but it's mere direction that just fills a whole hour of suspense that makes it feel longer. The story is simple, about a man that starts having the senses of a mysterious woman. Garris gives no resolution into why he starts having the same senses of this mysterious woman, but just go in format where he has to deal with it. We don't know why, I didn't know how he got the ability to see, smell and feel what this woman sees, smells and feels. Garris gives no explanation, and the whole movie isn't about finding that explanation but rather the man having feelings for the woman. So a movie that is sick twisted new age stalker love story. A concept like this, Garris basically takes from "The Exterminating Angel", where the rich aristocrats deal with the fact there stuck in the room. Same goes for "Chocolate", not comparing it to "Exterminating Angel", but it has that note and extends it. It's like surrealistic suspense, with a concept like this the woman commits a murder, and of course he sees it. Theirs the kicker, the other nifty thought is that he also feels her when she masturbates and has sex with a man. That's some trippy stuff, as he has these randomly blackouts he is disconnected with the real world and tries to maintain a state of alertness so he won't..........I don't know crash into a car. When he has these, and by the way the character's name is Jamie, he has them when he's having sex with a girl or driving or and other instances that Garris can put this concept into twisted sequences. Matt Frewer(Max Headroom) plays his best friend who is a laughable scientist by day and punk rocker at night. I always liked Matt Frewer, even who he gets bit parts he still does a good keeping a place of not overacting but hitting his note. I feel the man is underrated!
Garris did a really good job, but people will feel its mediocre suspense filler. It may fall into that category has do most of his works, even though they have attention span. You watch them late night and can;t stop watching it. it could follow into that, but GArris crafted knew where to turn and what numbers to hit in this one! As the story unfolds, he tends take a predictable approach that you already know. If you do already know how it end, which is something that be said in one or two sentences. It still doesn't differ the fact on how it's executed! To me, I love it. It's a MINI-MASTERPIECE!