Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

AshUnow This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

ActuallyGlimmer The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Jonah Abbott There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Aaron1375 My favorite of the show still has to be John Carpenter's "Cigarette Burns" as it has a very interesting plot that I kind of wish could have been explored more. This one was rather good too, though it too could have really benefited from an extra ten or fifteen minutes of runtime to explain the story more. A girl is kidnapped and brought to a house where she is eventually left in a basement type area where she meets a boy who is not all that he appears to be. The two others in the house are obviously harboring secrets of the deadly kind and the main girl in the stories time is running out. You get your mystery type situation and a rather good ending too. Just needs more filler, perhaps more information on the parents and stuff like that. However, that can be said about all the movies in this series, they all seem to need a bit more. As for gore there is a bit, no nudity in it though. The performances are pretty good, but it was rather shocking to see how bad Lori Petty looks now. So for a couple of scares and a somewhat incomplete story this one is like almost every "Master's of Horror" episode.

MARIO GAUCI 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.

Paul Andrews Masters of Horror: The Fair Haired Child starts as high school student Tara (Lindsay Pulsipher) is making her way home on her mountain bike through some woods when a van crashes into her & knocks her off her over, although shaken & suffering from some cuts & bruises Tara is relatively unharmed. The driver of the van Anton (William Samples) gets out, drugs her, throws her in the back & drives off. Tara wakes up to find out she is in hospital & a nurse named Judith (Lori Petty) tries to comfort her, however it doesn't take long for Tara to realise she isn't in hospital & has been kidnapped, both Anton & Judith have special plans for Tara who they throw into their basement where she finds a teenage boy named Johnny (Jesse Hadock) trying to hang himself. Tara prevents him from doing so but before the night is out it's a decision she may regret...This Canadian American co-production was episode 9 from season 1 of the hit-and-miss Masters of Horror TV series, directed by William Malone this is a definite hit & is just about as good anything Masters of Horror has done & is one of my very favourite episodes. The script by Matt Greenberg is a no nonsense, no messing straight ahead horror film & a damn fine one at that, this starts off with an attention grabbing kidnap & literally doesn't let up over the rest of it's duration. I guess this has everything you would expect & hope for from a show called Masters of Horror, the script cranks the tension up, it has a pleasing amount of exploitation, it moves along like a rocket & just won't let the audience relax or catch a breather between shocks & it has a great ironic twist ending which I thought rounded things off perfectly. The story is a bit silly at times & we never really see or know what the thing these people were bargaining with was or why Johnny turned into a freaky creature every so often but just about enough is explained so you understand what's going on but at the same time there are a few questions which it leaves you to decide for yourself & it's a nice balance between the two which makes for good viewing.Director Malone does a great job here & this really feels like horror, a dark basement with something nasty inside, thunderstorms, witchcraft ceremonies, some good scares, lots of tension which is cranked up at every opportunity & a great creepy atmosphere to the whole thing. There's some gore although not excessive, there's a severed hand, plenty of blood splatter, some intestines & a cool scene when someone has their head literally crushed up against a window so it explodes into a gooey mess. No nudity in this one though. A mention for the creature that Johnny turns into, he's a creepy little bugger & I certainly wouldn't want to meet him on a dark night & the special make-up effects on it are very good.Technically this looks great & as usual for this series it's well made with top production values, the special effects are excellent as usual & the acting is really good as well.The Fair Haired Child is a top Masters of Horror episode, this was actually the first Masters of Horror episode I ever saw followed by the equally excellent Pelts by Dario Argento from season 2 which are maybe my two favourite episodes of the ones I've seen which may explain why many of the others are so disappointing to me, anyway this is excellent stuff for all you horror fans out there & as good as anything else in this series.

DVD_Connoisseur 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.