Showtime and Anchor Bay have been releasing the 13 one-hour installments from last year’s Masters of Horror series in sets of two every month or so. This installment is the third set to hit the streets…and the first to really score with both titles.

Lucky McKee’s (May, All Cheerleaders Die) Sick Girl weaves a sticky, comic web of insect infestation and lesbian love. The story revolves around the quirkily named Ida Teeter, played to the nerdy hilt by the incomparable Angela Bettis. Ida is a bored entomologist studying rare insects. She’s also a shy lesbian whose dating life has been dry for quite some time. One day she receives an anonymous package containing a menacing bug she’s never studied before. Soon enough, the nasty pest escapes in her apartment. Meanwhile, Ida meets the doe-eyed Misty, whom she sees everyday outside of her work, loitering and sketching profusely. Misty, who is played by none other than Erin Brown, a.k.a. “adult” horror starlet Misty Mundae, tackles the role of the air-headed nymph with sexy precision. While the two engage in a somewhat tame romantic relationship (sorry Misty fans!), the renegade bug weaves its spell, and before long, everyone gets the shaft, or do they?

McKee infuses the story with lots of satire, and Bettis’ portrayal of the priggish Ida is hilarious, right down to her dorky vocal intonations—like when she tells a waitress “I’m a regular,” that actually sounds like “I’m irregular.” Priceless. The film’s premise is fairly clever, and considering the modest budget the Masters of Horror members are given to work with, the bare-bones special effects are quite, well, effective. There’s more to giggle at than to be truly scared by in Sick Girl, but either way, it’s an hour well spent.

Genius John Landis does not disappoint with Deer Woman. This unique horror tale is again imbued with humor, largely due to its star, Brian Benben (TV’s Dream On). Benben is perfect as Dwight Faraday, the down-on-his luck sap of a cop who’s virtually reached the end of the road, career-wise and in his sorry-assed personal life. One night he gets assigned to a case where a burly trucker was pounded into mincemeat by some sort of dubious creature with hooves. Soon, more men suffer a similar fate, and the only clue supplied is that each was last seen with a beautiful native-American woman. Played by Brazilian supermodel Cinthia Moura, this gal is not only easy on the eyes, but possesses an unsettling charm that makes her character all the more mysterious. When it’s discovered that the victims were all pummeled by what seems to be an enormous deer, officer Faraday and his partner must unravel the mystery before more men are slaughtered. A bartender at a local Indian casino tips them off to the longstanding legend of the Deer Woman, and things begin to fall into place.

Landis is a master of comedy, as evidenced in previous works like Animal House, The Blues Brothers and the comic-horror masterpiece, An American Werewolf in London. So to, he applies his skillful handy work to Deer Woman in similar fashion. As with Sick Girl, you’ll likely not be scared to death by this flick either, but the clever story, steady pace and staggering visuals—including those of Cinthia Moura bare-chested—do not disappoint.

This latest set from the Masters of Horror series provides an excellent combination of its veteran and relative newcomer contributions, and luckily for the viewer, it hits the mark with both. Each DVD includes loads of extras, and some great commentaries. The Landis release also includes a documentary of the filmmaker’s work, which is quite impressive. 

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- Jim Kaz