#17 - Body Bags (1993)

Body Bags (1993)

(dir. John Carpenter and Tobe Hooper)

Despite the fact that John Carpenter is one of my favorite directors of all time, I've never gotten around to watching this one. I guess I didn't realize how much of the film was his. Not only did he direct two out of the three segments here - he also stars as the "host" of the framing story. I'm not sure I've ever seen him act beyond little cameos, so it's great to watch his super hammy Crypt Keeper-esque performance. It's basically nothing but rapid fire puns and goofy jokes, and it looks like he is having fun in the role. This movie also features several big names in horror acting in minor roles, including Wes Craven, Roger Corman, and Sam Raimi.

The first segment, called "The Gas Station" and directed by Carpenter, is pretty solid and probably the best one out of the three. It's about a young woman working her first overnight shift at a gas station on a night when a serial killer has escaped from a nearby mental hospital. The basic premise isn't particularly original, but it's tense and well directed and ends in an over-the-top and satisfying way. It's also set near Haddonfield, Illinois, in a neat little reference for Halloween fans - however Michael Myers is unfortunately nowhere to be seen.

The second, a comedy called "Hair" that is also directed by Carpenter, is about a man who is panicking about going bald and resorts to a mysterious new treatment to get his hair back. It works, and he soon has a full head of luxurious hair - hair that won't stop growing and possibly has a mind of its own. This was my least favorite segment, although it does have some solid gags and some fun creature effects.

The third, directed by Tobe Hooper and starring Mark Hamill, is called "Eye" and is about a baseball player who receives an eye transplant. He starts seeing disturbing things and begins acting violently towards his wife. You can probably guess why - variations on the "someone gets the body parts of a murderer and becomes a murderer themselves" idea have been made and remade for nearly as long as movies have existed. Hooper does a pretty good job with it, although I don't think he was nearly as good of a director as Carpenter.

Overall this is a fun anthology in the vein of Creepshow and I think most horror fans would enjoy it.