They're here, to borrow a phrase from the 1982 scare classic Poltergeist. In this case, however, "they" are not ghosts but directors —Poltergeist's Tobe Hooper and 12 frightening colleagues — joining as the Masters of Horror for a 13-film anthology on Showtime.

"We jokingly called ourselves the Masters of Horror," says Mick Garris, who is an executive producer of the series. "There was a group at the next table having a birthday party, and Guillermo del Toro gets up and says, 'The Masters of Horror wish you a happy birthday.' "

A dinner that can include such directors as Hooper, John Carpenter, John Landis and Joe Dante might make a horror fan think of levitating waiters and entrees served with a side of fog, but it's primarily a social gathering, Garris says.

"There's some comparing of notes, but it's really to kind of revel in each other's company. They're a great bunch of really fun people," Garris says. "The interesting thing is the people who write and direct in the world of horror are people who get all that stuff out. There's not much repression there."

The idea of a joint endeavor had bumped around for years, but the project jelled after the dinners started. The films touch on a variety of subgenres: ghost story; suspense thriller; dark, brooding drama; sexually charged horror comedy; a Japanese take on horror from Takashi Miike; and "an unbelievably erotic, twisted, sexual horror tale" from Dario Argento, Garris says.

As the last description suggests, the directors had greater freedom in the areas of sex and violence than they were used to with theatrical releases. "The restrictions tend to be almost nothing. We can really push it," Carpenter says.

The filmmakers faced some other limitations: the one-hour time frame and tight budgets and shooting schedules, at least compared with feature films, he says.

The series also attracted such writers as Richard C. Matheson and Steve Niles, and actors including Steven Weber, Ethan Embry, Henry Thomas and Brian Benben.

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