Recent Reviews
DVD Review: MOH: THE DAMNED THING
By Dave Dreher

Oct 17, 2007, 07:53

For me Tobe Hooper has always been an icon.  Only problem is that his work has run very hot and cold.  When he is on his game, there is no better horror on the planet but when he is off his game, well it can be a bit ugly.

No one and I do mean no one can deny this man his due respect but one can certainly question his choice of material.  You only have to look at this mans resume and you can easily figure out what I am talking about.  With iconic films like THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE and POLTERGEIST to his credit not to mention the mini-series SALEM'S LOT which for me is still the mini-series by which all others are judged, you can only wonder why something like THE MANGLER or CROCODILE ends up on that same list.

Last year his involvement in MASTERS OF HORROR consisted of DANCE OF THE DEAD which for me was one of the low points of that particular season but this time around he constructs a terrifying little story titled THE DAMNED THING.

This folks is Tobe Hooper very much on his game.

Violent, bloody, visceral and unrelenting THE DAMN THING tells the tale of a small town sheriff dealing with an evil that is invading his town.  The film opens as a family is sitting down to their evening meal and dad ends up wigging out and killing mom and chasing his young son around the field outside but before he can kill his son something kills him.

Flash ahead 24 years and that young boy is now the sheriff.  Slowly his town begins to disintegrates around him as violent acts begin taking place, very violent. 

Hooper handles this story with a deft hand.  His characters are simple and very believable and he quickly wraps you into their lives. 

The violence is shockingly realistic and placed very much in mundane, everyday life.  Of particular note is the scene where a dude kills himself by beating his own brains in with a hammer.  You keep waiting for the camera to pull away and it don't.  Hooper lets you witness the entire bloody act and it is filmed in such a way that while disturbing it is also strangely artistic.

The story really amps up as the sheriff discovers the horrible truth about his past and attempts to save his town, his family and himself from THE DAMNED THING.

One of the best hours of this season THE DAMNED THING is a disc that should be proudly displayed in your collection.

As has been the case with all the MOH discs Anchor Bay has done an exceptional job with the presentation.  You can check out the discs special features below:

• Widescreen Presentation
• Audio Commentary with Writer Richard Christian Matheson
• Photo Gallery
• Screenplay (DVD-ROM)
• Texas Terror: The Making of The Damned Thing
• The Damned Thing: Building the Oil Monster
• Tobe Hooper Bio