Synopsis: Steven Weber of Wings fame stars in his big comeback role as a cop who saves a young woman, Jenifer, from being beheaded by a crazy man in the woods, only to discover that Jenifer is hideously deformed. Weber takes Jenifer in to care for her and subsequently lets her ruin his life. After Jenifer eats the family cat, his wife and kid leave. He sees this as a perferct opportunity to start sleeping with the deformed and retarded girl. Things continue to go down the tubes as he ends up a homeless drunk, trying desperately to rid himself of her.
My take: Based on a cool 10 page comic from the 70’s (see it here), turning Jenifer into an hour long piece is a bit of a stretch and it shows. The story is a bit thin in the middle, despite starting off pretty intense. Weber’s horrible lust for Jenifer is inexplicable, but the circular format to the episode is cool (Weber ends up trying to kill Jenifer by the end, only to be stopped by a hunter). Weber himself is responsible for the script, which may explain its weaknesses. Dario Argento directs this MOH installment and shows he is still struggling to recapture the success of his classic giallo days. I saw nothing in this episode that bore Argento’s once-distinctive mark, which is a shame since the MOH directors are given almost complete freedom to do what they want.
Favorite scene: The opening sequence where he saves Jenifer - once again, very intense and frightening.
Body Count: 3 + one cat
1 1/2 out of 4 Zombie Faces
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