MovieChat Forums > Masters of Horror (2005) Discussion > 'Dreams in the witch house' is just... b...

'Dreams in the witch house' is just... badly written

posted 13 years ago by DriftRS
18 replies | jump to latest

I've been enjoying this up till now, thought it would be one of my favourites, untill a writing decision, so stupid, that it just defies belief.

After his back gets slashed up in a dream, he wakes up, and finds his back is slashed up and bleeding in real life. He then proceeds to assume it was all a dream, and goes back to sleep later on telling himself 'it's just a dream' while wincing from the pain from his mutilated back.

Sure, my back gets mutilated all the time from dreams too. *beep* stupid writing just killed this episode dead. I have a copy of most of Lovecrafts work, haven't read the story this is based on yet, but will do so tonight. If it actually contains stupidity on this level, my thoughts of Lovecraft are going to be lowered a bit.

[–] CannibalCraig 12 years ago

One thing you have to keep in mind about Masters of Horror is that, although the episodes are interesting, the writing sometimes feels very quickly written. As well, about Lovecraft, remember he had a number of stories that had little to no rational explanations to them. Part of what made his stories so fantastic.

Just wondering, have you read the story yet?

I'm just a guy that likes horror flicks.

[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] grrrdevin 12 years ago

I really did not enjoy that episode. It was Satanic and evil!

In a horror anthology series? No way!

"I've been living on toxic waste for years, and I'm fine. Just ask my other heads!"

[–] DisturbedPixie 12 years ago

I have to say I hated it too, but not because it was satanic... OoOoOoo (would be an nice to see satanists portrayed in a fair way for once)

I was just overall disgusted with how it played out. I'm a horror buff, but nothing about that story excited me or mesmerized me or made me squeal. It was just sickening, and not in the funny way.

Though I have to say, stories that involve Satan rarely get my blood flowing. I think Satan is a silly mythological character, because he wastes way too much time on pointless endeavors. If he is so powerful that he causes so much pain in humanity, he could go into war with God again, but he is such a wuss, he wont do it.

This is how a I feel about the Pro-Life ending too. Big Baby.

[–] grrrdevin 11 years ago

Your last point about Satan is why it was a regrettable move for the episode to omit the "Black Man of the witch-cults" who was the Satan-like presence in the story. Turns out he's actually an alien god and an emissary of other, bigger alien gods. Much cooler than fairy-tale Satan.

"I've been living on toxic waste for years, and I'm fine. Just ask my other heads!"

[–] Navaros 9 years ago

was the Satan-like presence in the story. Turns out he's actually an alien god and an emissary of other, bigger alien gods. Much cooler than fairy-tale Satan.

I guarantee that satan is way more powerful than the the character you mentioned and all of the alien gods he represents put together.

[–] grrrdevin 9 years ago

Nah. The Outer Gods and their cults have existed long before the concept of Satan evolved in the progress of human civilization.

[–] Navaros 9 years ago

would be an nice to see satanists portrayed in a fair way for once

What would that involve? Showing the evil idiots die,, meet satan their master in Hell, and then have him laugh at their idiocy for worshiping him, as he tortures them while they burn forever? A scene like that being excluded from most depictions of satanists is usually the only thing that currently stops those depictions from being fair.

Satan is a silly mythological character,

Nope, he is real as evidenced in the nonfictional historical account of the Bible.

he is so powerful that he causes so much pain in humanity, he could go into war with God again, but he is such a wuss, he wont do it.

You have some errors in those statements mixed in with some correct points. Yes, satan is a wuss, and yes he won't attack God again. But, you are incorrect when you say "he could" go to war with God again. No, he couldn't. If he did, he'd be defeated exactly like he was the first time, so his whole attack would be pointless.

When you say "he causes so much pain in humanity," that part is correct. But you err when you conflate man's vulnerability to satan with a vulnerability that you imagine God has to satan. God has no vulnerability to satan.

[–] benemlaw 12 years ago

Damn! you never heard of suspension of disbelief? Ok well, maybe Walter thought he scrathced himself up really bad while he was sleepwalking. All he would have to do is reach around and dig his nails in really hard, anyone could do that. I mean he couldn't see that the scratches were in an intricate shape since it was on his back. People have done way more messed up things to themselves during sleepwalking than deep scratches. If anything, I found it way more medically ridiculous that he was still able to move his upper body so easily. Cuts like the ones he had in his back would make moving your torso around pure agony.

[–] Oddark123 12 years ago

I find it all the more odd "suspension of disbelief" has to be a term. It's fiction people. DO you need to sit there and analyze every single element of a story as a natural thing to do? I feel like some people just put up their own mental blocks to just make sure they can never have fun with anything for some stupid reason like "this isn't believable" or what have you.

Gamefaqs has a far worse population than IMDB

[–] Navaros 9 years ago

All he would have to do is reach around and dig his nails in really hard, anyone could do that

That's not true at all.

A> He wouldn't be able to reach that far...unless perhaps he was secretly the Mr. Fantastic rubber man from the Fantastic Four.

B> Similarly, if he was reaching around, wouldn't be able to make long gouges in straight lines...again, unless he was secretly Mr. Fantastic.

C> There is no possible way that his nails could do the kind of extreme deep damage his back sustained...unless he was the secretly the Wolfman...but the episode isn't alleging that he is. He's just supposed to be a normal man, and no normal man's nails could do that kind of damage.

[–] MrsBuckyBarnes 9 years ago

Damn! you never heard of suspension of disbelief?

sure; i mean this was a story about a space/time travelling witch so suspension of disbelief is definitely required. with a story like this though i would expect the writer to counterbalance the fantastic plot elements by having the characters behave in a manner that at least makes sense. so, if you suspect that you have been sleepwalking, and you wake up with the odd bruise, then you could certainly dismiss that as something that occurred during the walk, but not those deep, criss-cross gouges in the back that are exactly the same as the injuries you obtained in your dream.

i also agree with the poster who said walter should have sought medical attention because those looked like some pretty serious injuries.

in the final scenes, how did walter get to the baby in the real world anyway? surely his mother would not let the boy out of her sight after walter's remarks and actions?

ps: why did the old man kill himself?

[–] Danimal_77 11 years ago

A key to watching horror movies is that you almost ALWAYS need to have a high level of suspension of disbelief in order to enjoy them. There are few horror movies that are successful in being completely logical, rational, and pragmatic. Sounds like you're just being overly sensitive and critical thinking you're watching a serious and dramatic movie, based on historical events. It's a horror movie. The people always stay in the house when it's haunted. By your logic, that would be "bad writing", etc..

[–] WarpedRecord 11 years ago

By my logic, dialogue that doesn't ring true constitutes bad writing, and just as this film would build suspense, someone would say something that made me chuckle or cringe and took me out of the story, which was initially compelling. I don't think this was one of the better entries in the series. 5/10 stars from me.

[–] spaceagegal 9 years ago

I'm just surprised they ...

... killed the baby.

You don't see that happen often.

Usually there is a last minute rescue.

[–] Navaros 9 years ago

The people always stay in the house when it's haunted. By your logic, that would be "bad writing", etc..

Bad writing is bad writing, period. It makes no difference if many works have the exact same type of bad writing in common: it's still bad writing.

[–] calcaneus67 9 years ago

maybe it wasn't bad writing. It could be the character was so frightened he went into denial which is actually quite common for people facing their own mortality.

[–] Navaros 9 years ago

goes back to sleep later on telling himself 'it's just a dream' while wincing from the pain from his mutilated back.

Sure, my back gets mutilated all the time from dreams too.

He assumed he had been sleepwalking and somehow messed up his back that way.

Although it still doesn't make sense how he could have acquired very deep gouges in his back that precisely resemble slash patterns while sleepwalking. Nothing he possibly could have done while sleepwalking would result in those kind of gouges, unless one resorts to ludicrous explanations, like perhaps he stumbled over and then was attacked by the Wolfman.

In other words, the writing isn't quite as stupid as your OP puts it, but it is still extremely stupid. Good job pointing out the glaring writing problem.

It's also ludicrous that he didn't immediately seek medical attention for his extremely mutilated back, as any normal person would in that situation.