Product Description

Film is magic. And in the right hands, it can be a weapon. For on-the-ropes movie programmer Kirby Sweetman (Norman Reedus of THE BOONDOCK SAINTS and BLADE II), the holy grail of cinema is LE FIN ABSOLUE DU MONDE, a legendary lost movie whose sole showing was rumored to have driven its audience to a homicidal frenzy. But as Kirby gets closer to the truth about the film, he’s sucked into a private hell of grisly hallucinations and brutal acts of violence. Now the only surviving print of the film is within his grasp… and the most horrific screening of all is about to begin. Udo Kier (SUSPIRIA,THE KINGDOM) co-stars in this gore-drenched mind-blower written by Drew McWeeny & Scott Swan, and directed by horror legend John Carpenter, the creator of THE THING,THE FOG, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK,THEY LIVE and HALLOWEEN.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23877 in DVD
• Brand: STARZ HOME ENTERTAINMENT
• Released on: 2006-03-28
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
• Formats: Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 59 minutes

Amazon.com
John Carpenter's installment in the Masters of Horror cable-TV anthology series looks at the ominous, underground mystique surrounding a notorious 1970s horror classic (now there's something Carpenter should know about). Cigarette Burns tracks the search for said opus, Le Fin Absolue du Monde, by the owner of a repertory theater (Norman Reedus) on behalf of a highly decadent millionaire collector (a role made for Udo Kier). The film, supposedly destroyed after it caused a riot at its only screening, causes viewers to turn into homicidal, cannibalistic maniacs. Even as Reedus gets on the trail of the lone existing print--listening to an interview with the director, looking at production stills--he begins to fall under its supernatural sway. Alas, the same can't be said for Cigarette Burns itself; the stuff about horror aficionados is good, but the production is slapdash, the dialogue stiff, and Reedus's performance incompetent. The basic idea, while a little film-schoolish, has some intrigue, and the notion of a film critic (supposedly a follower of Pauline Kael, no less) driven to write millions of words about this one barely-seen movie is amusingly sinister. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews

Creepy, surreal, gory, original, outstanding.
This is actually the very first work from John Carpenter since "The Thing" to scare me at all. I was eleven when "The Thing" blew me away with its gore, violence, and creepy horror, but ever since then it seemed as though his films were getting more and more cheesy. Even "In the Mouth of Madness" which I enjoyed for its Lovecraft-style themes and mood was more surreal than scary. "Cigarette Burns" is both surreal and scary, with dark underlying religious tones. There is the running undercurrent during the story of the fear of the unknown, or the unearthed secret and/or creation that should remain hidden for the sake of all mankind. Themes that are undeniably Lovecraft. I actually did not have a problem with the acting at all, I was simply too enthralled with the mystery and eventual horrifying climax to even notice. The heart of the mystery is incredibly original and thought-provoking, the journey absolutely worth taking. With so many bad horror films coming out these days it is incredibly refreshing to see a true Master of Horror show these young twerps just how it should be done. Even if it is just a short film. Excellent.

Film theory & spurting arteries... what more can one ask?
An entertaining and fairly compelling story by first time writers Drew McWeeny (aka the movie/DVD reviewer known as "Moriarty" on the "Ain't It Cool" web site) and Scott Swan is brought home by veteran horror director John Carpenter. All horror fans will likely find something here to enjoy, though it will be especially fun for "film geek" types who obsessively follow favorite directors and can recount the names and plots of the most obscure movies faster than they can remember the names of certain cousins.

Admittedly, two or three things could have been done better in this quickly-filmed production (for example, it should have been more of a slow, dramatic reveal when we learn that a film critic has filled reams and reams of paper with one endless review of the mysterious, infamous horror movie everyone is searching for), but overall the story unfolds well, measured and methodical when it needs to be and weird and crazy when those things are needed.

I also liked the nice balance been artiness and good old storytelling craftsmanship in the final piece. "Cigarette Burns" keeps things mysterious and, well, artful by not over-explaining every little question that naturally occurs to the viewer, but it explains enough and keeps the narrative "normal" enough that, despite the mysteries and unanswered questions at the conclusion, we still feel like we were given a satisfying, coherent story. Just be warned that ultimately it's a blood-soaked satisfying, coherent story you'll be getting.

And if the creepy, gory main feature isn't enough for you, this modestly priced DVD also gives you a generous set of extras. I especially enjoyed the two DVD commentaries, one by the director and one by the writers. Taken together, the commentaries give viewers a detailed and comprehensive look at the dynamic, energetic collaborative process between the writers, actors, and director that resulted in this edgy little horror film.

So, in the end, I'd give the actual short film (it clocks in at a shade under an hour) a solid three stars, and the generous DVD package as a whole a well-earned five stars. That averages out to the four-star rating I'm giving the whole thing overall. And that should be more than enough incentive to pony up the few bucks they're asking for this surprisingly entertaining DVD offering.

Maybe the Best Episode of Season 1
Masters of Horror is, at best, an uneven series, but this one is definitely a standout. It's similar to Carpenter's "In the Mouth of Madness," but with a lot more scares and some really nasty violence. It may not have worked so well if it were a full-length movie, but for a one-hour episode, it's brilliant. I gotta say, the series as a whole is a little disappointing, as some of them aren't horror at all, but comedies or political satires with some gore thrown in, which doesn't make them bad, necessarily, they're just not "horror" like the title would suggest. The good news is that Cigarette Burns is a real horror show, and it's the best thing John Carpenter's done in at least a decade. CHECK IT OUT!!