Cigarette Burns
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Episode 8

Cigarette Burns

Cigarette Burns

2005
Horror
TV Episode
59m
Movie programmer Kirby Sweetman goes on a search for the holy grail of horror cinema, "Le Fin Absolue du Monde," for an eccentric collector who offers a handsome paycheck. The film, which translates to the Absolute End of the World, transforms its viewers into insane, homicidal cannibals with a taste for brutal violence. As Kirby digs up clues and searches for the film's only known print, he ventures into the grisly world of the horrifying and the macabre. (imdb)

Directed by:

John Carpenter
John-Carpenter
91 total credits
Not only a director, but also writer, editor and composer for his films, John Carpenter has worked in numerous film genres in his 4 decade carreer, but he is most commonly associated with horror and science fiction. His biggest success is Halloween, the movie that made the serial killer Michael Myers a cult character for horror fans.

Writers:

Drew McWeeny
Drew-McWeeny
1 total credit
Credits include: Cigarette Burns and Pro-Life
,
Rebecca Swan
Rebecca-Swan
6 total credits
Credits include: Cigarette Burns, Pro-Life, Extremity and Maskhead

Starring:

Udo Kier
Udo-Kier
134 total credits
Udo Kie is a German actor, known primarily for his work in horror and exploitation movies. Udo Kier began his acting career as a protégé of film director Rainer Werner Fassbinder. He has starred in many vampire movies, such as Blood for Dracula, produced by Andy Warhol and directed by Paul Morrissey (1974), Blade (1998), Modern Vampire and Shadow of the Vampire (2000), both as vampire and human... (Wikipedia)
,
Norman Reedus
Norman-Reedus
44 total credits
Norman Reedus was born in Hollywood, Florida. He is of Italian, English, Scottish and Irish descent. He is an accomplished photographer with several books of his photography published and continues to do art shows in galleries all around the world every year. His first novel was published in 2022 and was on the New York Times best seller list as well as the Los Angeles Times best seller list titled "The Ravaged". Reedus has a production company named Bigbaldhead, Inc. With his producing partner
,
Gwynyth Walsh
Gwynyth-Walsh
21 total credits
Credits include: The Crush, Cigarette Burns, Flight 93, Blue Monkey and Troglodyte
,
Colin Foo
Colin-Foo
5 total credits
Credits include: Cigarette Burns, They Wait, Broken Saints, Live Feed and Long Life, Happiness & Prosperity
,
Douglas Arthurs
Douglas-Arthurs
4 total credits
Credits include: Cigarette Burns, Tortured, Deadlocked: Escape from Zone 14 and Beyond Suspicion
,
Christian Bocher
Christian-Bocher
3 total credits
Credits include: Cigarette Burns, The Base and The Gun
,
Chris Britton
Chris-Britton
9 total credits
Credits include: Death Note, Cigarette Burns, Nightwatching, Thor: Tales of Asgard and Whispers
,
Julius Chapple
Julius-Chapple
1 total credit
Credits include: Cigarette Burns
,
Rikki Gagne
Rikki-Gagne
2 total credits
Credits include: Cigarette Burns and Dead Hooker in a Trunk
,
Gary Hetherington
Gary-Hetherington
4 total credits
Credits include: Cigarette Burns, Squeeze, The Race of His Life and Route 666
,
Zara Taylor
Zara-Taylor
3 total credits
Credits include: Cigarette Burns, Dante's Cove and Past Tense

Genre:

Horror

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Cigarette Burns

2005
Horror
TV Episode
59m
Your probable score

Ratings & Reviews

Compact view
Compact view
Average Percentile: 56.83%
15 Jul 2012
78
83rd
A must see for every horror/underground film obsessive who spends hours on weird little forums and secret torrent sites trying to track down the perfect obscure treasure, THIS is your life as a horror movie. Balls-out grotesque visuals plus a creepy, darkly funny script, by far one of Carpenter's tightest works and miles ahead of all the dumb-as-fuck remakes and Eli Roth shit that makes it to theatres nowdays.
07 Mar 2013
93
97th
Disturbing horror about audiences vs films, filled with an amazing build-up and, maybe, the most mesmerizing and bloody finale of Carpenter's career. Like in In the mouth of madness, there is an obsession with what's on screen and what's not -- or what's fiction and what's real --, but here the insanity is that what was supposed to be a lie is actually a true story -- put on film produced by the devil --, something that gets under your skin because it truly happened -- an angel losing his wings.
29 Jan 2012
83
81st
Carpenter stole the show during the first run of "Masters of Horror." He's still got it! Maybe skip "The Ward" though.
23 Mar 2007
85
86th
An amazing short film which shows just what an uncaged John Carpenter is capable of. Scary, tragic, unsettling. It manages it's 60 minutes very well, and leaves the viewer completely fulfilled, if a little shell shocked.
31 May 2017
63
59th
An interesting idea for a movie that's been tried before but like this film it never truly succeeds with what it tries for. This plays out like an extended episode of Tales from the Crypt. Not great but well done for a TV production.
05 Mar 2011
90
90th
Ohkay; thing is here (according to his Horror Hound and Rue Morgue interviews), this wasn't supposed to be a 'horror' film. It's a thriller. And as such, in a dark, drag-you-along sort of way; it really works well. Not to mention the age-old snuff story.
10 Nov 2010
80
68th
Now this is more like it. Definitely a "film" with problems, but, quite honestly, I can't resist the sheer deliciousness of the premise. Don't all us horror fans dream of one day discovering THE ULTIMATE HORROR MOVIE? I totally want to write the script for _Le Fin Absolue du Monde_ now, but I'd have difficulty pitching it as a worthwhile investment to producers
24 Feb 2010
42
9th
Makes a terrible mistake in the end by actually showing viewers The Film. After all the buildup, nothing they show you can be as terrifying as what you imagine. Carpenter of all people should know that.
05 Nov 2009
3
32nd
This series has such terrible acting / writing / effects / pretty much everything. There's always something redeemable [in this case - Udo Kier's small part and the gore moments] but I'm really getting tired of MoH.
18 Jul 2009
80
83rd
The idea is clever and more-or-less original and it's chewed on with plenty of gore, stylish editing and stylized performances. I also like how this movie is very short. Too many movies test your patience by being very long but this movie cuts that crap by being less than one hour long.
29 Jun 2009
66
44th
There are moments of greatness in here, and Carpenter shows his prowess in holding back just enough to adequately build to a surprisingly gory finish. Problem is, some elements of the film are SO contrived it hurts. The premise is its strongest suit, but could have been explored to better effect in a feature-length: I like the fictional film mix of Gance's 'La Fin du Monde', 'Begotten' and Pasolini's 'Salo' as the basis to explore the true effect of cinema on its audience.
18 May 2009
84
62nd
This should've been made into a feature-length film. Some fairly disturbing scenes with a wonderfully suspenseful build-up, very reminiscent of his Mouth of Madness and Prince of Darkness films (which he was probably going for) and basically what the film the Ninth Gate should've been. It's a real shame this wasn't taken to the next level.
06 Apr 2009
81
71st
Cigarette Burns just skirts the edge of a being a concept too experimental to really capture the interest of the viewer and/or be truly frightening, but Carpenter keeps it all together and pulls off an interesting little piece of horror cinema here.
12 Jan 2009
90
61st
best episode from the best director. That's it. Also - great Udo , great Kier
28 Dec 2008
40
28th
I found the premise enticing, though it vaguely echoes those of Videodrome and Ringu. Unfortunately, the movie is persistently stupid; every time it starts to get spooky and unsettling, a new surprise in contrived bullshit arrives. Also, for a film about extreme horror films, this is really tame.
26 Jul 2008
75
57th
Carpenter is at the top of his game here, with loads of blood and gore!
16 May 2008
85
84th
Yummy! Persistently mystical and peculiarly unsettling. Carpenter in form!
03 Jun 2007
80
84th
The best of the Masters of Horror series, about a long lost film that reportedly drives anyone who watches it to complete insanity. Udo Kier is one creepy dude.
09 May 2007
73
43rd
This is probably the best of the MOH series I've seen to date.
14 May 2024
100
97th
Look past the cheesy, soapy drama & '90's SFX, and appreciate the core of this story: Art can immortalize Feelings. But (!) what if it immortalizes despair in such a way that audiences cannot even?? Despite its bombastic finale, this is the correct/crucial/logical follow-up to In the Mouth of Madness, and one of the best 'mediations on art' available to film.
22 Dec 2020
60
46th
At the moment this is probably the best episode, it's quite balanced, the mistery element is well developed, characters and dialogues are better than average in the series (though still not great) and the story is interesting on itself. The reference element helps too.
06 Jan 2018
70
65th
Production values are pretty poor here and this had potential to be so much better... but as somebody who's always on the search for the weirdest, most fucked up obscure films I'm easily seduced by the film's theme.
13 Nov 2016
5
73rd
lovecraft's terrors were no less real than a child's, his words splurged desperately onto the page as unfiltered manifestations of those terrors. his prose, shit by many standards, is nevertheless one of the clearest windows you'll find into any artist's mind - to read it is to know every fucked up corner. for all its faults, this dumb ass short is carp's most lovecraftian because it shares that lack of self-awareness or control, making its horrors more gnawing, obsessive, malignant.
20 Feb 2016
4
12th
Star Rating: ★
17 Sep 2015
40
26th
INDIRECT SPOILER ALERT: Check out what does the word "cigarette burn" mean in theater business. Once this meaning is clear we can infer that the cigarette burns shown in the movie are a clever ploy to bring the story back on track when it runs astray. Another appealing feature of the film is its underlying interesting theme related to the holy grail of horror movie and slight build-up of intrigue towards the climax. Rest fails!
25 Jul 2015
70
64th
I'll certainly give Carpenter points for making one of the more interesting MoH efforts. Cigarette Burns is the slightly awkward love child of In the Mouth of Madness and The Ninth Gate. I almost didn't recognise Norman Reedus without the crossbow...
30 Sep 2014
70
42nd
A solid tale of the length a collector will go for that one rare item.
01 Nov 2012
77
26th
Very The Ring-y
08 Nov 2011
70
54th
Really really cool story! Must be seen by all horror fans out there! Loved the acting and pacing. It really made me want to watch the movie that the movie was about: Le Fin Absolue du Monde. Norman Reedus is an underrated actor indeed. This short movie should be remade into a 2 hour movie!
03 Nov 2011
65
20th
Interesting concept and a piece I really wanted to like but it fell a bit flat overall and isn't very memorable. Worth a watch once if you're a Carpenter fan.
31 Jul 2011
68
74th
From the dopey blonde lead, to the naked girl covered in blood, to the cheesy generic font used in the opening credits, to the stereotypical horror flick piano riff, this movie screams Carpenter.
20 Mar 2011
73
44th
One of the better MoHs, though it still isn't too great. It does have a cool concept and some kinda disturbing imagery. Too bad Norman Reedus is an atrocious actor.
16 Dec 2010
85
47th
One of the best horror movies I've seen in a LONG time. The main character is kind of blank and uninteresting, but the concept and the supporting actors are GREAT. If you like John Carpenter and/or horror, see this movie!
28 Apr 2010
60
68th
nice idea, bad execution
21 Apr 2010
73
62nd
Surprisingly unnerving. Carpenter's talent for creating atmosphere overrides the poor acting and low budget. Smothering everything with a building dread, he then pulls triggers like the pro he is. His comment on the power of film may lack the same subtlety, but enough is accomplished to allow it to ring true.
07 Jan 2010
40
14th
Revisting the Masters of Horror part 1. Should have been a great episode, evoking urban legends like Ringu did and the innate ghostliness of cinema, but the script is more concerned with characters continually repeating that "Le Fin Absolue du Monde" is evil rather than letting its presence merely drive the dread and cheap shocks like snuff films. Cigarette Burns begins to collapse into bad drama. Such a disappointing beginning of my viewing especially as a John Carpenter entry.
31 Jan 2009
74
48th
the whole concept has an air about it of minimal action--a guy looking for a movie that causes people to go insane, yeah right, and not only that he doesn't even watch it till the last five minutes. this really cuts back on the horror opportunities of the movie. i have to admit though with all its setbacks carpenter does a good job saving this movie from being terrible, it's definately an acceptable movie, but nothing above.
14 Jun 2008
87
96th
Best MoH movie
18 Jan 2008
80
71st
Freaky journey to the dark side of cinema. Gore and tension goes hand in hand here quite well.
17 Sep 2007
65
49th
pretty good entry

Cast & Info

Directed by:

John Carpenter
John-Carpenter
91 total credits
Not only a director, but also writer, editor and composer for his films, John Carpenter has worked in numerous film genres in his 4 decade carreer, but he is most commonly associated with horror and science fiction. His biggest success is Halloween, the movie that made the serial killer Michael Myers a cult character for horror fans.

Writers:

Drew McWeeny
Drew-McWeeny
1 total credit
Credits include: Cigarette Burns and Pro-Life
,
Rebecca Swan
Rebecca-Swan
6 total credits
Credits include: Cigarette Burns, Pro-Life, Extremity and Maskhead

Starring:

Udo Kier
Udo-Kier
134 total credits
Udo Kie is a German actor, known primarily for his work in horror and exploitation movies. Udo Kier began his acting career as a protégé of film director Rainer Werner Fassbinder. He has starred in many vampire movies, such as Blood for Dracula, produced by Andy Warhol and directed by Paul Morrissey (1974), Blade (1998), Modern Vampire and Shadow of the Vampire (2000), both as vampire and human... (Wikipedia)
,
Norman Reedus
Norman-Reedus
44 total credits
Norman Reedus was born in Hollywood, Florida. He is of Italian, English, Scottish and Irish descent. He is an accomplished photographer with several books of his photography published and continues to do art shows in galleries all around the world every year. His first novel was published in 2022 and was on the New York Times best seller list as well as the Los Angeles Times best seller list titled "The Ravaged". Reedus has a production company named Bigbaldhead, Inc. With his producing partner
,
Gwynyth Walsh
Gwynyth-Walsh
21 total credits
Credits include: The Crush, Cigarette Burns, Flight 93, Blue Monkey and Troglodyte
,
Colin Foo
Colin-Foo
5 total credits
Credits include: Cigarette Burns, They Wait, Broken Saints, Live Feed and Long Life, Happiness & Prosperity
,
Douglas Arthurs
Douglas-Arthurs
4 total credits
Credits include: Cigarette Burns, Tortured, Deadlocked: Escape from Zone 14 and Beyond Suspicion
,
Christian Bocher
Christian-Bocher
3 total credits
Credits include: Cigarette Burns, The Base and The Gun
,
Chris Britton
Chris-Britton
9 total credits
Credits include: Death Note, Cigarette Burns, Nightwatching, Thor: Tales of Asgard and Whispers
,
Julius Chapple
Julius-Chapple
1 total credit
Credits include: Cigarette Burns
,
Rikki Gagne
Rikki-Gagne
2 total credits
Credits include: Cigarette Burns and Dead Hooker in a Trunk
,
Gary Hetherington
Gary-Hetherington
4 total credits
Credits include: Cigarette Burns, Squeeze, The Race of His Life and Route 666
,
Zara Taylor
Zara-Taylor
3 total credits
Credits include: Cigarette Burns, Dante's Cove and Past Tense

Genre:

Horror

Country:

USA

Language:

English
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