"Masters of Horror"
Sounds Like (2006)

Director:

Brad Anderson

Writers:

Brad Anderson (teleplay)
Mike O'Driscoll (short story)

TV Series:

"Masters of Horror" (2005)

Original Air Date:

17 November 2006 (Season 2, Episode 4)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Romance

Plot:

Deeply affected by a personal tragedy, an office drone realizes his sense of hearing has taken on extraordinary capabilities that could drive him mad with insanity.

Plot Keywords:

Hospital | Co Worker | Husband Wife Relationship | Katana Sword | Library

Cast

Chris Bauer	...	Larry Pearce
Laura Margolis	...	Brenda
Richard Kahan	...	David
Michael Daingerfield	...	Jim
David Pearson	...	Manager (as David Allan Pearson)
David Lovgren	...	Therapist
Matty Finochio	...	Tech
Matthew Burgess	...	Tech 3
Blaine Anderson	...	Tech 2
Linnea Sharples	...	Tech 1
Nicholas Elia	...	Larry's Son
Grant Elliott	...	Doctor
Robert Underwood	...	Father
Jaida Kong	...	Daughter
Nimet Kanji	...	Cashier

Runtime:

58 min

Country:

Canada | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:TV-MA | Italy:VM14 | Australia:MA (2007)

Company:

Reunion Pictures

FINALLY! An Episode That Might Get Even Rod Serling's Approval...

Do you recall the classic Edgar Allan Poe story, "The Tell-Tale Heart?" That masterpiece of madness in which the murderer of an elderly man can swear he hears the beating of his victim's heart beneath the floorboards where he placed the dismembered corpse? The acute presence of that sound, as ominous and inescapable as his guilty conscience, is what set the tone for the whole story.

Now imagine, if you will, applying that level of intensity to every single sound that exists in your life. Lawnmowers that sound like a hundred Sherman tanks...the sound of someone chewing on a stalk of celery at a restaurant table twenty feet across the room, but it sounds like a blizzard of termites taking down Yellowstone National Park all at once.

This is the nightmarish world that Larry Pearce lives in. The supervisor of a customer service call center at a major computer vendor, the horror began for him following the tragic death of his only child. Suddenly, for a man who makes listening his livelihood, being deaf would actually be considered a godsend.

SOUNDS LIKE could arguably be the best episode that MOH has produced thus far; one of the best at a minimum. For too long, like so many other fans of the series, I've held out for an episode that can be smart, gory and terrifying all at once, and I believe this is finally it. In fact, there is relatively little gore (especially for an MOH episode) until the climax of what is a horrific, yet ultimately sad and tragic tale.

I've heard of the director, Brad Anderson, but I've never seen the two films he's best known for, THE MACHINIST or SESSION 9. Now after seeing this episode, I will definitely have to check out the rest of his work. With SOUNDS LIKE, he has produced a shockingly original piece of work that equals anything that the other MOH alums came up with when they were at their absolute peak.

I also can't say enough good things about Chris Bauer's performance as the tortured, doomed Larry. I had seen him briefly in a few scenes from the acclaimed cable series THE WIRE, but because I'm not a regular viewer of that show, I had no idea what Chris was capable of until now. He paints such a vivid portrait of a man on a downward spiral of madness and despair, you can't help but wonder where his inspiration comes from. Your heart goes out to the poor guy, even as your stomach churns at some of the horrific things his rapidly disintegrating mind makes him do. One of the best performances you will see on this show in Season Two, period.

And befitting the show's subject matter, sound design is key, and director Anderson and his creative team make the most of it. You might never think of 'listening' the same way again after this.

If I had to knit-pick at all, it's that it goes on a little long even at just under an hour. As a thirty-minute short, this would've been nothing less than sheer brilliance. But even at the hour length, I doubt there will be any more MOH episodes this well-done.

I look forward to seeing more new work coming from both Anderson and Bauer, and will not hesitate recommending to anyone curious about this series, that they watch SOUNDS LIKE first, before seeing any other MOH episode - and that includes anything in Season One.

I don't know what Rod Serling would think if he were still with us, but I would bet that he'd give this his seal of approval, cursing himself all the way for not coming up with this idea for THE TWILIGHT ZONE or NIGHT GALLERY.