Valerie on the Stairs (2006)

Wow! Such a good movie.

not as good as all the hype

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

I find it distressing that people are so in need of having EVERYTHING explained to them. I had absolutely no difficulty whatever following Valerie and processing what was going on. Granted, I had it figured out about halfway in, but the ride was still OK. One has to remember, there are time restrictions and rating restrictions involved in making made-for-TV productions. I'm sure the story as written was far darker than what was able to be put on screen. Insofar as the comments regarding Barker's writing, I must take issue with this. I believe the person who made them is far too young or naive to "get" the writing, and I doubt that there has been much of the material this person has read. A great deal of Barker's work, particularly the earlier work, is some of the darkest and hardest hitting work in the field...AND THE MOST ADULT. It goes places many people do not wish to go and is EXTREMELY visceral. It goes to the deepest hidden fantasies & brings them to the surface. (Example: Hellraiser--the original, not the follow-ups). Based upon the manner in which this was approached, I do not think this person "got" it at all, and with the typical American short attention span and inability to think for themselves, finds no joy in having to actually think for 2 minutes. This is why Most popular American film is trash..infantile plots, continual explaining, consistent "happy" endings & everything all tied up in a freakin' bow at the end. Any time one is forced to perhaps think, perhaps speculate...Oh, No, my brain will explode...Granted, it was a shallow representation of Barker's work at best...again...restraints of the industry.

This isn't well-regarded on the IMDb, but I personally liked it well enough. While the plot (based, as were the recently-viewed "Candyman" films, on a story by Clive Barker) features several well-worn elements, the mix proves intriguing and reasonably compelling: failed author, eccentric household, ghostly damsel-in-distress, literary characters coming to life, etc.Even if there were only two noted performers – the ever-reliable (and quirky) Christopher Lloyd and the Candyman himself, Tony Todd (once again, playing a figure of mystery and menace, a rather effectively made-up demon) – the rest of the cast does well enough by their roles as well, especially the hero and heroine (the entrancing Clare Grant) and the two older women in the boarding-house.As was the case with the two previous "Masters Of Horror" episodes I've watched – both, incidentally, helmed by Dario Argento – this too confirms that TV has finally achieved maturity (with its graphic display of sexuality and violence, and the tackling of subjects previously considered taboo, in this case, a dash of lesbianism). In fact, not being into modern TV series at all, I'd only previously encountered such explicitness – where, however, it was mostly gratuitous and even off-putting – in ROME (2005)...

Masters of Horror: Valerie on the Stairs starts as wannabe author Rob Hainsey (Tyron Leitso) pitches up outside Highberger House, a place for unpublished authors to stay & write. Rob is welcomed by the owner Nancy Bloom (Nicola Lipman) & is given a small room from which he can work in peace, however things turn creepy very quickly. At first there is constant loud knocking on Ray's door but when he answers it no-one is to be seen anywhere until he finally sees a young woman named Valerie (Clare Grant) sitting on the top of a flight of stairs but as Ray approaches her she disappears into the shadows & behind a brick wall. After several more encounters with the mysterious Valerie Ray becomes convinced that she is a ghost, however things aren't quite that simple...This Canadian American co-production was episode 8 from season 2 of Masters of Horror, written & directed by Mick Garris who is also the shows permanent executive producer I quite liked Valerie on the Stairs although it's not the best episode I've seen. The script was apparently based on a short story by Clive Barker (why hasn't he made a Masters of Horror episode yet & while I'm thinking about it where's David Cronenberg's entry?) & starts out as a fairly effective ghost story but turns into something else completely by the end, in typical Barker style it turns into a story about twisted imagination, demons & torture. I have to mention the strange ending which literally comes from nowhere, I have to say I really liked it although I have to admit I didn't really understand it or what it represented but what the hell it just looked cool & felt right somehow. At less than an hour it moves along at a great pace so becoming bored shouldn't be a problem & it manages to sustain it's stories change in direction pretty well. On the negative said the ending felt rushed & the demon guy dies too easily.Director Garris does a good job & there's a nice bleak atmosphere running through Valerie on the Stairs, there's not much colour to it & Garris like to place his camera at the foot of narrow stairs looking up or at the end of a long cramped corridor which gives a nice claustrophobic feel. As a a whole this episode of Masters of Horror reminds of the film I, Madman (1989) which has a similar theme & basic idea. There's some nice gore as usual, someone has their spine ripped out through their mouth, someone has their breasts slashed open with a fountain of spurting blood the result & someone has a chunk bitten out of their neck. The special effects are top notch as always & the demon guy looks impressive.Techncially it's well made with good production values & to it's credit it doesn't look like a cheap TV show. The acting is pretty good, the 'name' actor in this episode is Christopher Lloyd who puts in a good shift, Tony Todd also makes a appearance under layers of latex so you may not recognise him straight away.Valerie on the Stairs is a decent Masters of Horror episode, it's not the best one I've seen but it's far from the worst. I reckon it's worth a watch but I think most self respecting horror fans will anyway regardless of what anyone says.

Not a very good entry in the Second Season of the Masters of horror season.I am a huge Clive Barker fan but really don't see his creative imagination at work in this drivel of a story about a unemployed & unpublished writer staying in a hotel that is for a group of writers to live in until their published. He starts to see some naked girl named Valerie who is pulled away each time by a demonic being(played by Tony "Candyman"Todd).Turns out their characters that were written by 3 of the tenants & the Beast doesn't want to be written away or written that he is killed as he loves owning Valerie & doesn't want things to change. And is the main character guy really himself or is he a character from the story? Just not your usual awesome Clive Barker work. What? Out of all of his amazing stories this was what they picked? This reeks of Mick Garris's work & only his.Maybe Clive just produced & Mick thought more people would be interested if he added Clive's name to the project as this is supposed to be Masters of Horror. It has a few good gore scenes but that doesn't redeem this piece of crap. If they don't better this horror anthology series,I personally don't see it coming back for a 3rd season. And that sucks as cable can do so much that network TV can't. * out of *****