Ah, what can I say? I was rooting for Tobe Hooper, as a longtime fan of the man's work, to hit one out of the park this time around, since his episode "THE DAMNED THING" opens Season Two of MOH. Last season, his entry, "DANCE OF THE DEAD" had its sketchy moments, yet still (at least for me) managed to compel me to stick with it...with a lot of motivation coming from Robert Englund's bravura performance as the "M.C."
I'm sorry to say that this time around, Tobe and writer Richard Christian Matheson fall far short of the mark. And I think a lot of the problem comes from the source material. It's a commendable ambition to attempt to adapt material as classic and timeless as the stories of a well-known author like Ambrose Bierce, but the chilling terror from his stories lies in the brevity and the strong imagery they evoke.
Set basically in the past, via a series of journal-like entries, the original story would've proved problematic to adapt on a limited budget, so I can understand why Matheson brings the scenario into modern times. But given that there's only an hour to tell the tale, no matter what you do with it, there's just not enough time to do the kind of set-up that Hooper has done in the past...getting us all comfy with the characters and their relationships, so that our concern for their welfare magnifies the horror of their grisly fates that much more. Sorry to say that I sensed none of that going on here at all.
The other signature Hooper touches are here: the oppressive sense of oncoming doom, the extreme gore (although it's more literal than psychological here, which dilutes a lot of the shock value), and an atypical ending to the story. But Sean Patrick Flanery, who is usually pretty good, underplays the lead character almost to the point of being catatonic, while the supporting players are all stock characters, (except for Ted Raimi, whose priest seems to be a complete loon from the get-go, so his later rampage comes as no surprise to the audience whatsoever.)
Just like there are certain songs that some singers should never attempt, there are some contemporary American authors whose work shouldn't be adapted by some writers or directors. I wish Tobe and Richard better luck on their next endeavor, since this one really didn't work.
(Honestly...maybe Don Coscarelli should've tried this one, while Hooper and Matheson could've been given a Joe Lansdale story to tackle. Now THAT might hold some great possibilities...)