"Masters of Horror" - Season 2 Quiz

Answer: Valerie on the Stairs

"Valerie on the Stairs" was adapted and directed by "Masters of Horror" creator, Mick Garris, and was the eighth to air in the second season. It was the second instance for Mick Garris' direction (his first venture on the show was in season one's "Chocolate", which he also wrote) as well as the second episode to be written by Clive Barker (the first was "Haeckel's Tale" in season one, directed by John McNaughton). "Valerie on the Stairs" follows a man named Rob as he moves into a house for writers to hone their craft and produce good work. What he finds isn't solitude, but a woman named Valerie who waits on the stairs before a demon's arrival. Soon, he comes to realize that the writers in Highberger House have their own secrets to hide about Valerie, and he has his own role to play in Valerie's storybook life.

Answer: Buster

"We All Scream for Ice Cream" was the tenth episode of the anthology's second season and it was directed by Tom Holland, known for his work in the 1985 film, "Fright Night" and the first "Child's Play" movie. Starring Lee Tergesen, the episode follows a man named Layne returning to the town of his youth and discovering that a dark past hasn't quite settled and that he and his old buddies are to suffer the wrath of Buster the Clown, a once-popular ice cream truck driver who suffered a terrible accident. Now, Layne's kids (and others) are walking the streets waiting for the ice cream truck to arrive, and their parents are suffering the consequences. Buster the Clown is played by William Forsythe, known for roles in "The Devil's Rejects" and the 2007 reimagining of "Halloween", both of which were directed by Rob Zombie.

Answer: Ambrose Bierce

"The Damned Thing" was the first episode of the second season and it starred Sean Patrick Flanery, known for his role on "The Dead Zone" TV series. The story followed the town of Cloverdale, in which many of the residents are seemingly on-edge. As time progresses, they erupt in violence brought on by a hidden evil unearthed from a nearby oil rig many years before.

Sheriff Kevin Reddle, whose family was killed as a result nearly thirty years earlier, must face the evil head on with his family, and he realizes that no matter how hard he tries to fight it, the evil may be all too powerful. "The Damned Thing" was directed by Tobe Hooper, who also directed "Dance of the Dead" in the first season of the show, and whose works also include "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Poltergeist".

Answer: Right to Die

The ninth episode of the season, "Right to Die" follows a man named Cliff. Having witnessed his wife burning in a car crash, he is forced to make a decision as to whether or not he pulls the plug on her in the hospital or lets her live in her coma and in immense pain.

As he goes through the days following the crash, he remembers the past few weeks and the revelation that she discovered his infidelities, and eventually he starts to hallucinate horrible things about his wife. Soon, Cliff needs to determine how to please his wife's demands as she speaks to him in a darkly spiritual way. Rob Schmidt directed the 2003 horror film "Wrong Turn" prior to the filming of "Right to Die".

He also reunited with "Wrong Turn" star Eliza Dushku to film "The Alphabet Killer" in 2008.

Answer: True

Although it is debatable, 'The V Word' itself could refer to either vampires or video games, both of which are hot topics of this third episode of the second season. This episode follows two friends who decide to visit the local mortuary and discover that some of the corpses inside won't quite stop moving.

When one of these turns out to be a vampire, one of the boys is bit, and the other quickly succumbs to the conversion. Both struggle under the teachings of a new mentor, but realize that it may be all part of their 'game'. "The V Word" was directed by Ernest Dickerson, who is also known for his work in the 2001 movie, "Bones".

This episode was also written by series creator and contributor, Mick Garris.

Answer: Edgar Allan Poe

Directed by horror veteran, Stuart Gordon, "The Black Cat" was both written by and involving the famous author Edgar Allan Poe. The episode involves Poe, short on cash and struggling to support his sick wife, trying to make ends meet. Soon, the horror of every day envelops him and takes him on a downward spiral through his wife's final days.

The original story does not involve Poe directly, but Gordon's reworking of the story does exclusively. Stuart Gordon directed the first season episode "Dreams in the Witch-House", which was originally written by H. P. Lovecraft.

He also directed numerous movies in the "Re-Animator" franchise and others. Jeffrey Combs, who starred as Edgar Allan Poe in the episode, has worked with Gordon in many of his Lovecraft adaptations in addition to "Masters of Horror".

Answer: Pro-Life

"Pro-Life", the fifth episode of the season, was directed by John Carpenter. Carpenter is also known for "Halloween", "The Thing", and "The Fog" as well as the first season episode, "Cigarette Burns". Ron Perlman is known for playing the character of "Hellboy" as well as the lead character in Larry Fessenden's "The Last Winter". "Pro-Life" is about a young woman who arrives at a backwoods abortion clinic for her unborn child, but when she arrives, the doctors realize that there's something inhuman about the baby.

Her father and brothers are close behind, following her to the clinic and being stopped at the gate. This doesn't stop her father though, since he's been hearing the words of an angel and he is being told to save the baby at all costs.

Answer: True

The director in question is Dario Argento, notable for his work in the Italian horror genre. Prior to his work in "Masters of Horror", Argento directed "Suspiria", "Phenomena", "Inferno", "Opera", and numerous other films.
"Pelts" itself starred Meat Loaf Aday, known for his musical career and cameo in "Rocky Horror Picture Show". "Pelts" was the sixth episode of the season.
"Pelts" stars Meat Loaf as a fur maker who comes across the furs of a mystical creature. When vanity, obsession, and brutal suicide come into play, his character stops at nothing to ensure that he gets what he wants.

Answer: Brad Anderson

"Sounds Like" was the fourth episode of the second season, and while most horror movies have their share of jumpscares and creepy soundtracks, this episode takes the horror of sound to a different level. The episode centers around Larry. Since losing his son recently, Larry has been hearing things with abnormally loud clarity, and it's been making things unbearable. Soon, the smallest things turn up in volume and Larry finds it too hard to cope with the sound. Brad Anderson is known for his work in the films "The Machinist", "Transsiberian" and "Session 9". Brad later went on to direct the second episode of NBC's "Fear Itself" known as "Spooked".

Answer: Dream Cruise

Directed by Norio Tsuruta, "Dream Cruise" is the second Asian-produced horror film of the anthology (the first being Takashi Miike's "Imprint", the final episode of season one). The episode follows Jack, a man troubled by his past on the sea. When Jack is forced to meet one of his clients and his wife on his private yacht, Jack is forced to conquer his fears and the ghosts haunting the boat. Troubles are complicated further when his infidelities with his client's wife are brought back to the surface.
Norio Tsuruta directed "Premonition" and "Ring 0" before directing for "Masters of Horror". "Premonition" was one of the four entries of J-Horror Theatre while "Ring 0" (subtitled "Birthday") was the prequel to the hit film "Ringu".
"Dream Cruise" was also based on a story written by Koji Suzuki for his collection, "Dark Water". Koji Suzuki also wrote the "Ring" trilogy from 1991-1998.