Tales Of Halloween review
Directors: Darren Lynn Bousman, Axelle Carolyn, Adam Gierasch, Andrew Kasch, Neil Marshall, Lucky McKee, Mike Mendez, Dave Parker, Ryan Schifrin, John Skipp, Paul Solet
Cast: Lyn Shaye, Pollyanna McIntosh, John Landis, Adrienne Barbeau, Greg Grunberg
Certificate: TBD
Running Time: 111 Minutes
Synopsis: Some of horror’s current crop of brilliant directors deliver an anthology series of 10 terrifying tales all set around the most ghoulish time of year.
The horror anthology continues to gather steam. Over the years the likes of VHS, ABCs Of Death, and Trick ‘r Treat have brought back the format that allows many little moments of terror to be presented. It works well for horror, simulating a round of campfire one upmanship. Tales Of Halloween gives 11 directors the chance to weave a tale centred around the holiday. Set in the same town on the same night, a number of disastrous events take place.
With ten stories on offer there’s little surprise that some are better than others. Some directors play it safe with a horror punchline, or simple warning of a mysterious evil, while others have a lot more fun with the form. The best ones are almost straight out comedies. It’s certainly a time when some directors have decided to mix up the genre and experiment a little, but some audiences will not be as accepting of some sequences, no matter how funny they are.
Tales Of Halloween review
The best sequences are as follows: The Night Billy Raised Hell, in which a young boy is taught the true meaning of pranks by a strange old man. It shows an escalation Halloween games on the night of halloween, building up to absolute absurdity. It’s mean and unexpected, but in a very charming way. Ding Dong is the always reliable Lucky Mckee’s segment, and it sees a witch longing for children having to struggle with seeing so many come to her door on all hallows eve. There’s something unexpectedly sweet about this story, and McKee also creates a very original looking witch with little interference from CG. In fact, it’s pretty much two people in a cloak with four bright red arms.
The Ransom Of Rusty Rex sees hapless kidnappers snatch the son of a millionaire, only for the father to be relieved for reasons that soon become apparent. It’s another mean spirited little tale that is more like a cheeky child than an evil one. Finishing the film is Neil Marshall’s Bad Seed, a surprising parody of cop shows, as the town’s police hunt for a killer pumpkin. This includes hilarious moments such as police sketch artist’s impressions of the assailant, and cliched line of dialogue.
Only a couple of segments have gone for straight horror, and their build up, especially Axelle Carolyn’s Grimm Grinning Ghost, works in much the same way as the set-up for a good joke. Only this time the punchline aims for your jumping heart and is more concerned with you shitting yourself.
Tales Of Halloween review
There isn’t a bad segment, or even an easily forgettable one, and since the project has been worked on with everybody collaborating, there is a constant stream of connectivity and consistency. The films look the same in style, have a similar pacing, and all being set in the same town, you’ll see familiar faces from previous shorts just walking around on the way to their own stories. It makes the film come together as a whole.
With tons of fan favourite cameos, a fantastic theme by composer of the Mission Impossible theme, Lalo Schifrin. Tales Of Halloween will most definitely become a yearly tradition for many, but with an ever increasing number of great Halloween films, it doesn’t come close to toppling Trick ‘r Treat as the holiday must. A ghoulish effort with plenty of laughs and a few scares, it reminds us that Halloween is all about the fun.
Tales Of Halloween review by Luke Ryan Baldock, August 2015.
Tales Of Halloween screened at Frightfest 2015. It is released in limited cinemas and on VOD on 16th October.
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