I'm a huge John Carpenter fan, and this is the one that got me started on the series long after it left the air. I could go on about him, but when I saw this in the video store for sale used at $3.99 and it was John Carpenter, I had to have for my collection. And I wasn't disappointed.Norman Reedus plays Kirby Sweetman who owns this theater that show old movies, and on the side he tracks down old films for people. You find out that Kirby and his girlfriend borrowed the money from her father to by the theater but they were both heroine addicts. She kills herself and her father won't get out of Kirby's life. Both of them are living with anger and guilt.Bellenger (played marvelously by Udo Kier) hires Kirby to track down this film that if you were to watch it, you go insane. Kirby sees this at first as an opportunity to pay off his girlfriend's father and get him out of his life for good and move on, but the closer he gets to the film the more strange things happen to him.The story reminded a little of 'In the Mouth of Madness', and once working in a movie theater and seeing Timpson working with that splicer it was easy for me to get into the story. Carpenter is at his best here. It's mostly duologue but when it gets moving you really see what this journey is doing to Kirby along the way. Cody Carpenter's score is a chip off the block to his father in a classic Carpenter sort of way. This feels like a John Carpenter movie in every sense. I think that's one reason 'The Ward' missed because it doesn't have that John Carpenter feel. This does!

I will admit I'm bias, I am a fan of almost all of John Carpenter's work. I tend to like some of his most "unpopular" films like Prince Of Darkness and In The Mouth Of Madness, I see the brilliance in them. Having said all that, Cigarette Burns IS a good film, Carpenter fan or not. It has a well written plot, it's creepy, eerie, suspenseful and imaginative. The cast is good, and acting spot on. The film will take you on a nice spooky ride, and you won't be able to wait to see what happens to Kirby next. I won't spoil it, or waste any more of your time. Click the flick already, it's the best of the Masters Of Horror series.

In John Carpenter's Cigarette Burns, rare film collector Bellinger (Udo Kier) hires Kirby (Norman Reedus), the director of a cult movie theatre, to try and locate 'La Fin Absolue du Monde', an ultra-rare film so extreme in content (the desecration and torture of an angel!) that it is rumoured to cause chaos, violence and madness in its audience. Deperate for cash, Kirby agrees to try and find the film, but will he dare to watch it himself?Ahh, the irresistible lure of that elusive cinematic obscurity; the uncontrollable drive to see the ultimate in extreme movie-making: as a collector of the rare, forgotten, forbidden and just plain frightful, I fully understand how easy it is to become obsessed with tracking down those seemingly unattainable titles spoken of in revered tones by like-minded individuals. Director Carpenter also understands: this Masters of Horror episode has been specifically designed to resonate with any obsessive horror film fan who has ever gone against better judgement to watch something they may later wish they hadn't.As Carpenter's central character Kirby gets closer to his prize, continuing despite the obvious risks, viewers will undoubtedly be asking themselves if they would be so bold. It's a fascinating subject masterfully handled by one of the undisputed greats of the genre, who expertly blends his intriguing insight into the human psyche with Lovecraftian themes and intense gore (SFX experts KNB contribute to a very nasty beheading and the delightful sight of a man's intestines being wound through a film projector—strong stuff considering this was made-for-TV) to deliver a satisfyingly intense experience.7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.

Of the Master's of Horror movies I have seen (which there have been a few here and there) this still stands out as one of the more unique ones. Sure there is a bit of "In the Mouth of Madness" in it, but it still left me wanting to know what was going to happen. The master of horror to do this one is the same fellow who did "In the Mouth of Madness" John Carpenter and let me just say that it is pretty much better than any of his recent movies have been. Of course, it also shows me he has still got it and it makes me sad that there really have been no movies from him in a while that I can remember. This film revolves around a man who tries to find older films or rare films. He is hired on by a man to find this movie that sounds ominous and quite frankly is when one considers one of the props of said movie is a strange old looking man that looks as if something like wings have been chopped off his back. The man has to do a lot to find this film, all the while I am wondering what is one said film. It is a bit of a disappointed when they show the film, but then are they really going to be able to show me something that will supposedly make me mad? Still, very interesting and makes me wish John would write something at least one more time for the big screen.