The Fair Haired Child (2006)

Crappy film

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

Warning do not read unless you've seen episode.This tale surprised me, this turned out to actually be one of my favorite tales for the show in my book.It's a really twisted and dark urban brothers Grimm like tale which is cool because I love Grimms Fairy Tales most of them were really dark even scary which made this short true in it's tradition.I like the use of the seedy basement locale, from how dark, dusty, decrepit it is it really has just this unsettling and claustrophobic sensibility. The suspense is very good, the highlight no doubt is the hide and seek sequence with Tara and the monster, I couldn't help but grip the chair a little as I was constantly hoping Tara would find ways to evade and maintain stealth from the monster's sight. The monster doesn't disappoint, I really like the design it's really creepy looking from the blank white glowing eyes, gray skin, and hollow facial expression it reminded me of The Scream painting which may have been the partial inspiration for the design.The two villains were solid, I like that there was some depth to them so their not totally two dimensional. And we see there sympathetic but only to an extent, it's not an excuse for what they've done. To me I feel they weren't saving their lost son's but dooming his soul. However the worst part was that they've doomed their own souls, as we see their both not the same people they use to be in the past, those guys are gone.However to me what really drive the episode are Tara and Johnny it's somewhat of a "Beauty and the Beast" dynamic (I said sort of). Johnny is a tragic character, despite being a mute throughout most of the tale you know exactly what he's saying through his expressions in emotion. This poor guy is anguished over the monster he's become and what he's been forced to do against his will.I really like the character Tara whom is a sympathetic and also tragic character. Like most protagonists in Fairy Tales she's an underdog as she's obviously a outsider, we see from the beginning she doesn't really fit with the in crowd were most in the class look like they came out of a damn Macy's catalog. You get hints that she has been a target of bullies as well as a little hint of her home life in one scene where she calls her mom, the mom is complaining about her missing pills and not the least bit bothered that her child is missing; so we see her mom is a drug addict and doesn't care about Tara.But what I really like about Tara is she's clearly a person that has a lot to offer the world, that has big dreams or at least a dream. From her sketch of a dragon and an amazon warrior riding that looks like it would be worthy to be up there with the fantasy art of Frank Rasetta. We then here in a conversation with Johnny that sketch is part of a fantasy book series she's trying to create, the story she proposes is ironic since she somewhat in the same predicament.And strangely despite such a dire situation you really see in a way she gets more beautiful because her internal beauty comes out as she is exercising inner strength. From trying to survive, find a way out, but best of all exercising compassion and understanding for Johnny, being his rock. Even Johnny likewise does the same for her, as he is also doing what he can to save her life he seems to demonstrate more strength in character.I really like how both interact which is sweet but you see through it both have formed a deep bond, yeah I know it's a short amount of time but in life and death situations characters shouldn't waste a minute. Both of them are outsiders in a way and have been hurt by forces from the outside, yet we see when both are together they are strong. Which makes it all the more tragic, I constantly hopping what happens won't but there's nothing I can do about it or they can which is what hurts the most.However I wouldn't fret too much, because like in most of the Grimm's Fairy Tales there's sometimes a twist.Rating: 3 and a half stars

This episode is carried by Lori Petty (Judith). Her skinny body and her performance gave her indeed the scary and strange looking mother. And The Fair Haired Child even had a great start with the abducting of Tara (Lindsay Pulsipher). That part really looked creepy and the van hitting her bicycle was really well done. Once Tara is being locked up in the cellar we do have some creeping moments with the creature walking around but the end of this episode was so predictable and laughable that my vote went downhill.Tara being an outcast virgin at school and having no friends is the ideal person to disappear. Once kidnapped Tara is questioned by Judith to be sure she's a virgin. That part is creepy only by the characterisation done by Lori. Once locked in the basement she comes across Johnny (Jesse Haddock) who has a dark secret but also tells Tara that the son of the couple abducting her lost their son in a lake drowning but the made a pact with the devil to arise him by sacrificing 12 youngsters. Tara being the last one I thought that I knew where this was going and I was correct. The last 5 minutes I just couldn't believe they wrote it that way and was a let down for me. The Fair Haired Child surely had potential but failed somehow towards the end. Gore 1/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 3/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5

Frankly, I had left this and SICK GIRL for last from the first "Masters Of Horror" series (though I missed out on Tobe Hooper's DANCE OF THE DEAD) because, not being the work of renowned directors, I did not expect much from them. However, both proved surprisingly rewarding – more so, in fact, than some entries by respected (and long-standing) genre exponents! Anyway, while the plot here is not exactly novel – a middle-aged couple make a pact with the devil to revive their beloved teenage son, the price being the life of 12 others to be carried out over a period of so many years on the occasion of their son's birthday. The initial sequence, revealing the heroine to be out-of-touch with both peers and family, was perhaps unnecessary, but I can see how it accentuated her subsequent feeling of loneliness and her attachment to the mysterious boy she encounters – attempting to commit suicide! – in the basement of the remote country-house to which the girl has been abducted. The back-story of the pact (with typically henpecked and doubtful male but a dedicated and ruthless female, given a masculine look to boot by her short-cropped hair) is depicted via a few stylized scenes; the appearance (and movement) of the monster in which the boy transforms in order to fulfill it, then, comes off as appropriately creepy. The overall tone of the episode is quite grim, but it manages to hold one's interest throughout – eventually contriving an ironic yet strangely moving denouement.

William Malone isn't an obvious choice for "Masters of Horror". His big-screen efforts have been hit-and-miss efforts at best. However, as co-creator of the series, it was an obvious move for him to have a shot at directing an episode."The Fair-Haired Child" is a surprisingly good instalment, although it's far from being the best tale. Malone creates a suitably creepy and dark atmosphere for the proceedings. Great acting from the cast and truly hair-raising effects result in a gripping episode. Walter ("Dr. Satan") Phelan plays a nightmare character and one that will remain in the viewer's memory for a long time.It's always great to see Lori Petty and in this "Masters of Horror" story she delivers a memorably sinister performance as Judith. William Samples is excellent as her on-the-edge husband and "partner-in-crime".It's the young cast members who really carry this piece, though. Lindsay Pulsipher plays the loner, Tara, who is kidnapped and thrown into the basement from hell. Jesse Haddock plays the mysterious Johnny whose fate is soon to become linked with that of fellow prisoner Tara.Recommended viewing. A strong 7 out of 10.