The next wicked-cool offering from Showtime's smash-hit TV series casts a blood-red spotlight on Stuart Gordon - a name horror fans have inextricably linked with that of the 20th century's premier dark fantasist, H.P. Lovecraft... that is, ever since Gordon, the founder of Chicago's prestigious Organic theater, decided to leave behind the works of David Mamet and make a movie in which a screaming naked woman receives forced cunnilingus from a decapitated head.

If the previous sentence contains anything you find offensive, then you'd best abandon this review altogether and go see a movie starring Jennifer Aniston as a successful advertising executive with no time for love. Or, you could skip those high ticket prices and achieve the same effect by immersing your head in a paper bag filled with your own feces.

But I digress.

Although at first glance this comes across as a meld of Gordon's early-period HPL adaptation FROM BEYOND and his more recent DAGON, this is nevertheless a uniquely subtle take on the material - subtle for Gordon, anyway, who never hesitates to up the sex-and-gore quotient for maximum impact. Relying on dark, moody sets and eerie lighting - including several inventive in-camera effects - Gordon has created a compelling work that's veritably dripping with classy Gothic atmosphere... with the occasional tits and dead babies thrown in for spice.

Updating to present-day Arkham - but adhering closely to the source material - Gordon's adaptation stars DAGON star Ezra Godden as Walter Gilman, a graduate student in Physics (at old Miskatonic U, natch) who seeks affordable accommodations at the title abode - a crumbling, centuries-old structure overseen by a portly, grease-stained landlord (Jay Brazeau) and occupied, it seems, by only two other tenants: an eccentric old man (Campbell Lane) given to ritual self-abuse, and a sweet, sad single mother (Chelah Horsdal) with a cute baby boy.

No sooner has our protagonist settled in with his laptop and a pile of books on string theory when he is alarmed by the screams of his pretty neighbor, whose child is under attack by a large and particularly tenacious rat. After winning her over by chasing the offending rodent away, Walter learns a few things about their ominous residence: first, he is told by the old man that the place once housed a notorious demoness who sacrificed babies in order to attain eternal life; second, he discovers that the furry little invader is actually a demonic creature with tiny human features. (I recall a few of those back in my own college days. Dated one, I think.)

In one of the episode's most effective moments, Walter has a perfectly Lovecraftian epiphany: while studying some of his computer models of inter-dimensional junctions, he realizes that one corner of his room matches the diagrams exactly. Before long, he stumbles upon an actual gateway to the world beyond - and eventually falls directly into the clutches of the witch, who plans on manipulating him into performing her next sacrifice... and it doesn't take a rocket scientist (although he is one) to figure out which little tyke is next on the roster.

The events to follow are quintessential Lovecraft - and pretty damn good work from Gordon as well. Walls glow, crumbling skeletons literally pop out of the woodwork, blood spills by the gallons, and madness is imminent for our beleaguered hero. We even get a sinister, blood-soaked sex scene, in which Horsdal (or her double, if she has one) shows off a devilishly hot hindquarters that's literally to die for. If you think anyone's going to get out of this thing unscathed, you need to read more of this guy's stuff... or at least see some of Gordon's movies. You'll lose that rosy outlook quick.

Anchor Bay's presentation of this episode - the second in the series as well as the second DVD release - compliments Gordon's artistry nicely with a solid 1.77:1 anamorphic transfer that retains the muted backgrounds and vast dark voids against which Gordon unleashes the odd burst of surreal, day-glo color from the world beyond. The Dolby 5.1 and 2.0 audio tracks are strong and make great use of eerie ambient effects that steadily increase in intensity as the claustrophobic horror closes in.

As with the John Carpenter installment, Anchor Bay have provided a wealth of supplements that fill out the disc to more than double the episode's runtime. The high point once again is the "Working with a Master" segment, which provides an overview of Gordon's career from his groundbreaking work with the Organic Theater, through his Empire Pictures period (which began with his legendary RE-ANIMATOR and continued with FROM BEYOND and the underrated DOLLS), and his return to Lovecraft turf with the critically-acclaimed DAGON (though the excellent KING OF THE ANTS scarcely gets a mention). It's a balanced and thoughtful career retrospective, strengthened by interviews with Gordon acting alumni Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton (who both look terrific), the always cool Ken Foree, creative collaborator Dennis Paoli (who co-wrote the episode with Gordon) and the director's wife and regular player Carolyn, who coyly reveals that the notorious goremeister is himself so squeamish that he once nearly fainted while watching his own footage! Now that's what I call dedication to one's craft.

The separate on-set interview segment with Gordon is somewhat less satisfying (rehashing much of the same footage as the previous entry), but full of amusing anecdotes. We also get a brief sit-down with the serene but oh-so-cute Horsdal, and an interview with SFX designer Howard Berger, who gives us a peek at the various techniques used to create the creepy rat-boy "Brown Jenkin" (including an animatronic puppet that's not very convincing in direct light). Rounding out the package is the MASTERS OF HORROR trailer gallery, a small set of production stills and a collection of storyboards. DVD-ROM users can download not only the script, but Lovecraft's original story as well, which is cool.

Of course, we also get a commentary from Gordon and his star (whom I hadn't realized, due to his excellent American accent, hails from London), moderated by Anchor Bay producer Perry Martin. Martin keeps things moving, and the group ultimately yield lots of fun tidbits about the project, as well as the rewards and challenges of adapting Lovecraft's work in general.

As one who regarded the first MASTERS OF HORROR season a fairly successful undertaking overall, I consider Gordon's episode to be one of the series' high points. Obviously comfortable not only with being pigeonholed as a horror director but a Lovecraft director, Gordon is clearly in his element in short-form horror, and his love of the material comes through in every diabolic frame. Still, I'm stoked to see him delve further into the genre's literary past when he takes on Poe's "The Black Cat" (with Jeffrey Combs, no less) in Season 2.