DIRECTING MASTERS SET FOR SECOND SEASON OF SHOWTIME'S MASTERS OF HORROR

Brad Anderson, Ernest Dickerson, Tom Holland Join Returning Helmers Dario Argento, John Carpenter, Joe Dante, Mick Garris, Stuart Gordon, Tobe Hooper and John Landis For Season Two

Los Angeles, CA, June 14, 2006 - A stellar lineup of directors has been confirmed for the second season of Showtime's critically-acclaimed anthology series Masters of Horror. Thirteen new one-hour episodes will debut this October on SHOWTIME.

Taking the directorial reins this season are Brad Anderson (Session Nine, The Machinist), Ernest Dickerson (Bones, Demon Knight), and Tom Holland (Fright Night, Child's Play). Returning for a second outing are directors Dario Argento (Suspira, Terror at the Opera), John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing), Joe Dante (The Howling, Gremlins), Mick Garris (Riding the Bullet, The Stand), Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator), Tobe Hooper (Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Poltergeist) and John Landis (American Werewolf in London). MASTERS OF HORROR grew out of an informal bi-monthly dinner attended by many of the horror genre's most highly regarded directors. The critically-acclaimed first season marked the first time that these prominent directors had joined forces to produce a series of new original horror films for television. Director Mick Garris transformed their collective desire to work together into reality, and will once again serve as the series Showrunner.

Stars include Sean Patrick Flanery (The Boondock Saints, The Dead Zone), Ron Perlman (Hellboy), Meat Loaf (Fight Club), Michael Ironside (Scanners, Total Recall), Marisa Coughlan (Boston Legal, Teaching Mrs. Tingle), George Wendt (Cheers), John Saxon (From Dusk till Dawn, A Nightmare on Elm Street), Ted Raimi (Spider-Man), Meredith Monroe (Dawson's Creek) and Matt Keeslar (Waiting for Guffman, Art School Confidential).

The following episodes have been confirmed:

Family, directed by John Landis and written by Brent Hanley, tells the story of a young married couple (Meredith Monroe and Matt Keeslar) that moves into a new home in a new city and finds out that their neighbor (George Wendt) is not what he seems.

Pelts, directed by Dario Argento, teleplay by Matt Venne, is an erotic tale about stolen raccoon pelts that violently turn against those that covet them in this Giallo-style adaptation of F. Paul Wilson's short story. Meatloaf and John Saxon star.

The Damned Thing, directed by Tobe Hooper, inspired by Ambrose Bierce's classic short-story and written by Richard Christian Matheson, is the apocalyptic tale of a monstrous force that devastates Sheriff Kevin Reddle's family and his small Texas town. Sean Patrick Flanery, Marisa Coughlan and Ted Raimi star.

Pro-Life, directed by John Carpenter, written by Drew McWeeny & Scott Swan, tells the story of a young girl trapped inside a clinic, who discovers the only thing more dangerous than her pursuers is the demonic secret that she carries within her. Ron Perlman, Mark Feuerstein, Emannuelle Vaugiere and Caitlin Wachs star.

The V Word, a vampire film directed by Ernest Dickerson and written by Mick Garris, reveals the punishment visited upon two teenage boys who make the very poor decision to break into a mortuary. Michael Ironside, Arjay Smith and Brandon Nadon star.

Sounds Like, directed by Brad Anderson, who also wrote the teleplay adapted from a short-story by Mike O'Driscoll, tells the story of Larry Pearce - an ordinary man blessed with a gift of extraordinary supernatural hearing that drives him to the brink of insanity and forces him to take violent action to silence the horrific cacophony in his head.

The Screwfly Solution, directed by Joe Dante, teleplay by Sam Hamm and adapted from the Raccoona Sheldon short-story, is about a nightmare virus infecting our nation, transforming men into psychotic killers who attack every woman who crosses their paths.

Valerie On The Stairs, directed and written by Mick Garris from a Clive Barker original screen story, tells the tale of a novelist who discovers there are fates worse than literary anonymity in this sexually-charged tale of terror.

We Scream For Ice Cream, directed by Tom Holland from David J. Schow's adaptation of John Farris' short-story, depicts a local ice cream man who, in this case, is turning sweet-toothed children against their parents.

The Black Cat, directed by Stuart Gordon and written by Dennis Paoli & Stuart Gordon, has the great Poe, out of ideas and short on cash, tormented by a black cat that will either destroy his life or inspire him to write one of his most famous stories

The executive producers of Masters of Horror are IDT Entertainment's Steve Brown, Morris Berger and John W. Hyde; Industry Entertainment's Andrew Deane & Keith Addis; and Nice Guy Productions' Mick Garris. Reunion Pictures' Lisa Richardson and Tom Rowe are producers. Industry's Adam Goldworm and Ben Browning are co-producers and will continue to serve as production executives on the series. IDT Entertainment Sales provides worldwide distribution of the series and Anchor Bay Entertainment, IDT Entertainment's home entertainment company, handles DVD and video releases.