Jack H. Harris Presents Masters Of Horror!

Jack H. Harris had some success as a filmmaker, but now he moved into his next career as a chap who packaged other flicks for distribution. Harris brought together two different horror productions, one from Argentina and the other domestic. He gives the gives the first film the title Master of Horror (it was originally titled Obras Maestras del Terror or Masterpieces of Terror) and the second Master of Terror. The second film I'll get to in a few moments. 

Master of Horror features a framing sequence with a curious maid who stops to read some Poe stories on a dark and stormy night. "The Case of Mr. Valdemar" Edgar Allan Poe is the source for the first story in which a hypnotist mesmerizes a man on the edge of death. He is able to maintain a strange and gruesome pseudo-life for long after his appointed time. When that time comes things fall apart, so to speak. The second offering is adapted from "The Cask of Amontillado", a tale of revenge involving a festival, and a too prideful and jealous wine owner and the stupid suitor of his handsome wife. He gets the foolish lover drunk and then finds a place for him in his operation. This one has some pretty sexy scenes. The original Argentinian movie had a third story adapted from "The Tell-Tale Hear", but Harris excised that one from his English-dubbed production. The two stories we do get are truncated as well to make a solid one-hour production. You can watch it here. 

The second movie in this double-header of horror was just his previously released 4-D Man under a different title. It's a pretty fascinating poster and that is what motivated Harris. He was all about putting together a product which would draw crowds. This one seems to fill the bill. I haven't seen it, but I suspect an edited version of 1959's 4-D Man might not be an improvement on the somewhat too-long original. 

We get a real treat next time when we look at a movie Harris wrote and directed titled Mother Goose A-Go-Go! 

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