Originally slated for director George Romero, this adaptation of Clive Barker's short story, Haeckel's Tale, wound up on John McNaughton's plate instead. Considering McNaughton's involvement in the horror genre is limited to the excellent Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer and the goofy The Borrowers, he might seem an odd choice to wear the 'Masters Of Horror' hat, but the problem with this production turns out to be Mick Garris' script, and not McNaugton's surprisingly strong direction.

The story begins when a scientist named Ernst Haeckel (Derek Cecil) fails in his attempt to reanimate the dead. After hearing stories of a man who can raise the dead from a grave robber, Haeckel soon winds up meeting Montesquino (John Polito), a necromancer who claims he can successfully bring the dead back to life. Heackel doesn't believe that Montesquino's abilities are anything more than cheap parlor tricks which he uses to prey upon the guillable or those who want to believe. Soon, when Heackel learns that his father is on his death bed, he decides to make the trek back to his home town to spend a few last moments with him. Along the way, he grows tired and he decides to sleep next to a rundown old cemetery until a kind old farmer named Wolfram (Tom McBeath) takes him in for the night. Heackel soon meets, and falls for, Wolframs gorgeous (and much younger) wife, Elise (Leela Savasta), who Wolfram, during a drunken confession, says can never be satisfied by an old man such as he.

As the night goes on, Haeckel learns that there's something very odd afoot in this household, and when Montesquino shows up, it doesn't take him long to realize that his suspicions are correct. What he learns, however, is far more sinister than simply a con-artist duping a young woman desperate for the return of her deceased first husband. Heackel will soon learn the truth about Montesquino's abilities and about Elise's strange behavior.

Haeckel's Tale, as a narrative at least, is very unusual in its structure. The movie plays around with a few different side stories and doesn't really decide where it's going until about the half way point. That being said, the ending does have a decent pay off, so if getting there is a bit of a chore at least you know that it's a slow trip worth taking. The picture also benefits from really strong visuals. Setting the movie during Victorian times opens things up to criticism in terms of the look and the style that is captured here but thankfully the set design and the costumes all feel very authentic. Much of the movie looks like it could have been directed by Terance Fisher or Roy Ward Baker so comparing it to an old Hammer movie is completely appropriate as the picture is dripping with atmosphere.

The movie also really benefits from some very strong acting. While Polito comes dangerously close to camp in a few spots he doesn't go quite that far and he makes for a believable enough character contrasting nicely with Derek Cecil's very dry turn in the lead. Tom McBeath is sympathetic enough to work while Leela Savasta is not only gorgeous but she also succeeds in bringing a necessary air of sadness to her part.

Why then does Heackel's Tale not score higher? Quite simply, it's the script. While it's true that people talked differently years ago, much of the dialogue sounds quite forced. It should also be noted that a lot of the conflict between Heackel and Wolfram towards the end of the movie comes across as unnecessary and rather forced. There are also a few logic gaps in the plot that are to be expected to a certain extent (this is a movie about raising the dead after all) but which still hurt the final product a little bit. The opening and closing bookends that have been added to Barker's story by Mick Garris cheapen the picture substantially and they do feel like they're there for the sole purpose of padding out the running time. It's a shame that this is the case, as Haeckel's Tale does have enough going for it to make it worth a look – it's just that there was a fair bit of untapped potential here that wasn't exploited for as much as it was worth and one can't help but feel that this should have been better than it was.