Masters of Horror – “Right to Die” [directed by Rob Schmidt]

(2006) ***1/2

While bickering, married couple Cliff and Abbey are involved in a terrific car accident. Cliff walks away unscathed but Abbey isn’t so lucky. Suffering from third degree burns from head to toe, it is unlikely that she will survive her wounds and, moreover, Cliff insists that she would not want to live way. Cliff efforts to pull the plug are stymied when Abbey’s mother enters the picture with claims that his motivation stems from the sizable inheritance he will receive upon Abbey’s demise. Cliff’s problems mount when the media have a field day demonizing him (think Terry Schiavo).



When Abbey briefly flat-lines and her spirit appears threatening unspeakable revenge, Cliff has a change of heart and rally’s to keep her on life support. Earlier in the film Cliff noted to his lawyer that Abbey is a “spiteful person” and her angry spiritual appearance served to remind him that it would be in his best interest to keep her alive.

I loved the idea that the protagonist was given a sneak peek at what life with his deceased wife would be like when she briefly flat-lined! This one idea added some originality to an otherwise tired theme (i.e., the vengeful ghost thing, the Hellraiser thing, etc). Director Ron Schmidt, whose only other horror effort was the forgettable “Wrong Turn”, contributes an excellent installment to the Master of Horror series. He does tend to use imagery and ideas from films such as One Missed Call, but his original spin on the material makes up for the, er, homage. Horror aside, the skin graft scenes will be enough to make you wretch.