Strange Tales from Appalachia

Based on the title, I was expecting a film about actual events that happened in Appalachia. However, this was not the case. The tales were pure fiction - they could have occurred anywhere. The only ties to Appalachia are the filmmakers are from Tennessee and it was filmed in Tennessee. This would be like calling every film shot in Hollywood "Tales from Hollywood". However, as to the Tales themselves: the first one was good with a nice twist ending, the second was stupid, and the last one was interesting.

The production value is definitely on the higher end for this anthology, with every aspect landing in the heights of amateur. Three very different stories are presented, each with its own strengths and weaknesses, but the collection feels balanced overall.

Each of the vignettes tells it's story well without overstaying its welcome. The scripting and acting really complement each other here and lend themselves to a higher quality of story-telling. There is definitely strong cohesiveness that keeps the stories tightly knit, thus building and maintaining more immersive and engaging experiences. Each tale features a twist ending that may or may not be predictable. The tales portrayed, I wouldn't classify as horror flicks so much as thrillers.

It was a smart play to not only keep to practical effects, but to also limit the use of those practical effects. This shows a certain level of confidence in the ability of the directing and acting to tell the story. That said, it may draw attention to moments where the acting isn't as strong.

The sound design and sound effects are also solid in their efforts to build and maintain atmosphere without becoming too overbearing.

The camera work is pretty sharp as well: stable, focused shots, no issues with saturation, etc..

Below are brief Plot Summaries:

Pretty Girl: Three campers sitting by the fire one night are caught off guard when a naked girl stumbles into their camp. 7/10

Man vs Ghost When the "Ghost Man," a ghost hunter and TV star, invites his sister to film for him, sinister forces begin to converge upon them. 6/10

Third Tale: A somewhat despondent man undergoes a metamorphosis when he wakes up in a room with no way out. 5/10.