Haeckel's Tale
"Haeckel's Tale" is the twelfth episode of the first season of the Showtime television series Masters of Horror, based on a story by Clive Barker and directed by John McNaughton. It first aired on the 27th January 2006.
The episode features an original score by The Residents, which the group have released separately on a number of compilations of their soundtrack work.
Synopsis
The story mainly concerns Ernst Haeckel (Derek Cecil), who is trying to follow in the footsteps of Victor Frankenstein, but is unsuccessful with his attempts to create life. He learns of Montesquino, a necromancer, but believes that the man is a charlatan. Learning of his father's ill condition, he travels and encounters Walter Wolfram (Tom McBeath) and his wife Elise (Leela Savasta). Haeckel is oddly drawn to Elise and vice versa. Wolfram seems undisturbed by the attraction but when unearthly shrieks echo outside, Elise is drawn to them. Haeckel also notices that Elise is caring for a baby.
Elise finally goes outside and the despondent Wolfram notes that he can't satisfy his wife, although he has sold everything he has to take care of her. Haeckel goes after Elise and follows the shrieks to a nearby necropolis. There he discovers that Elise is having sexual consort with her dead husband and the other resurrected corpses. Wolfram has paid Montesquino to raise the dead so that they can satisfy Elise. When Wolfram tries to take her home, the corpses kill him. Haeckel confronts Montesquino and demands that he make it stop. The necromancer says that he cannot, and an angry Haeckel shoots him as he tries to escape. The dying Montesquino shoves Haeckel into a tombstone, knocking him out.
The next morning, Haeckel wakes up and returns to the cabin, where he finds Elise nursing the baby: a corpse-child, the son of her "true" husband. The baby rips out Haeckel's throat. The next scene takes place again at the necropolis, except it is the dead Haeckel with whom Elise now has sex.
Soundtrack
To score the film, The Residents composed a 25 minute 10 part instrumental suite, with only two named parts 'The Graveyard' (Part 5), and Credits (Part 10). The main theme for the score was include on their 2006 compilation Best Left Unspoken... Volume One, followed by two other excerpts from the score found on the 2009 compilation Ten Little Piggies.
The full suite was released through The Residents' Robot Selling Device website as part of a compilation album entitled Film and Video Series - Volume 2, which also featured the Strange Culture soundtrack. The first volume of The Film and Video Series was a 1991 CD containing Whatever Happened To Vileness Fats & excerpts from The Census Taker. Volume 2 would be reissued in 2015 as a two-disc set through Klanggalerie, now featuring The Rivers of Hades.
Haeckel's Tale (Ten Film Cues)
Track listing
- Haeckel's Tale Cue 1 (0:28)
- Haeckel's Tale Cue 2 (2:16)
- Haeckel's Tale Cue 3 (1:33)
- Haeckel's Tale Cue 4 (1:06)
- Haeckel's Tale Cue 5 (The Graveyard) (9:19)
- Haeckel's Tale Cue 6 (1:30)
- Haeckel's Tale Cue 7 (1:04)
- Haeckel's Tale Cue 8 (3:29)
- Haeckel's Tale Cue 9 (1:58)
- Haeckel's Tale Cue 10 (Credits) (1:21)