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The magnificent Vincent Price can be seen in several great Horror omnibuses from the 60s ("Tales of Terror", "Twice Told Tales"), and while the Horror-deity's screen-time is sadly limited in "The Offspring", this 80s feature is yet another highly recommendable omnibus starring Price. The popularity of Horror omnibuses/anthologies (more or less) began with the British 1945 classic "Dead of Night" and had its heyday in the 60s with films such as the aforementioned Vincent Price classics or the great Mario Bava's masterpiece "I Tre Volti Della Paura" ("Black Sabbath"/"The Three Faces of Fear", 1963, my choice for the greatest Horror omnibus out there), and 70s. The British Company Amicus even specialized in only doing Horror omnibuses, which resulted in such wonderful flicks as "The House That Dripped Blood" (1970) or "Torture Garden" (1967). A thing most of these anthologies have in common is that the separate tales they tell usually differ in quality, with one or two (depending on how many tales per film are told) usually standing out from the others. This cannot really be said about "From a Whisper to a Scream" as each of the tales is quite creepy and atmospheric and about equally memorable, and the question which is the best lies in the personal taste of the viewer.

The film, which is entirely set in the small town of Oldfield, Tennessee, starts with the execution of a female serial killer (cult siren Martine Beswick). When reporter Beth Chandler (Susan Tyrell), who witnessed the execution, pays a visit to the convict's sinister uncle Julian White (Vincent Price), he tells her that the town of Oldfield has always been evil, which he exemplifies by telling her four macabre stories.

All four stories are macabre, morbid and delightfully creepy. The first one (starring Clu Gulager) is a weird, quite explicit and very creepy tale deals with delicate psycho-sexual topics. The second chapter, a haunting tale about a lowlife crook who stumbles upon the secret of eternal life, is more elaborate and maybe even creepier than the first one. The third tale is about a traveling circus and voodoo, and as everyone who knows anything about Horror knows, circus folks are amongst the creepiest creatures one will ever stumble upon. Rosalind Cash is fantastic as a diabolical voodoo witch. Another creepiest species present in Horror cinema have always been... creepy children, and the fourth and final tale is another proof that kids can be more terrifying than anything. Set in the final days of the Civil War, the fourth story tells the tale of a bunch of brutal and ruthless soldiers, who happen to find an equal in a town full of orphans....

My main complaint about "From a Whisper to a Scream" is the fact that icon Vincent Price, who happens to be my favorite actor of all time, has too little screen-time. He merely serves as a narrator and sadly doesn't appear in any of the stories. Otherwise, the film actually surpassed my expectations. While it isn't the best Horror anthology ever made, the tension and creepiness doesn't stop and each tale macabre and highly entertaining. The film is gory, and its sense of humor is very morbid. Apart from Price, notable cast members include former Bond-girl, cave-babe and 'Sister Hyde' Martine Beswick, as well as Lawrence Tierney.

This was only the second film by director Jeff Burr ("Texas Chainsaw Massacre III"), and for that one must say he did an amazing job. "The Offspring" is a surprisingly good and highly entertaining 80s Horror omnibus, the only disappointment being that Vincent Price has too little screen time. Highly recommended.

From a Whisper to a Scream (1987)

*** (out of 4)

After the execution of a serial killer, a reporter goes to a small Tennessee historian (Vincent Price) who tells her four stories dealing with a small town's history.

The first story centers on a man (Clu Culager) who takes care of his severely ill sister but it leads to murder. The second story has a white trash man (Terry Kiser) getting shot and running into the woods where he ends up under the care of an elderly black man (Harry Caesar) who knows voodoo. The third story deals with a carnival side show where the glass eater falls in love with someone outside the troupe, which doesn't sit well with the owner. The fourth and final story is set during the Civil War where an evil Union soldier (Cameron MItchell) ends up in a house of horrors led by children.

This film is also known as THE OFFSPRING but no matter which title you want to call it the film itself is actually pretty darn good. Director Jeff Burr will always be remembered for the disastrous studio tampering of LEATHERFACE: Texas CHAINSAW MASSACRE III. This film here is certainly a real gem among the type of horror films that were being released during this period. It perfectly captures the anthology films of the 1960s but adds a touch of violence and gore that was so popular during the 80s. While none of the four tales are excellent, each of them are at least entertaining and make for a fun movie.

Again, none of the four stories are wonderful and all four are rather predictable but they are fun. The first one has a very weird incest vibe that runs through it but it also offers up some memorable gore as well as a very good performance from Culager. The second story is familiar voodoo material but the two performances are quite good and the final twist is wonderfully sinister. The third story with "going against the circus" is again predictable but the ending is just perfect. Once again the gore effects from Rob Burman really pack a nice little punch. Finally, the Civil War sequence gives us a terrific performance from Mitchell and the story itself is the most original and once again it adds some nice twists.

Of course, one of the biggest draws are the wrap around events that feature Vincent Price. While he basically just sits and talks, it's great fun seeing the actor in good form. You'll also want to look quickly for Laurence Tierney, Martine Beswicke and Angelo Rossitto who some will remember from Al Adamson's Dracula VS FRANKENSTEIN. Director Burr does a nice job with the low-budget and he certainly makes the film look very professional on such a budget. The film really does a nice job at building up the atmosphere of the anthology and all four films really work well together. FROM A WHISPER TO A SCREAM is certainly a good little gem.

Unlike most anthology films which follow the tongue in cheek EC Comics approach, From A Whisper To A Scream dares to go dark and bleak with the material and it's an unforgettable experience for it. Yes, there are several "just desserts" twists at the end of some of these stories that feel right out of the pages of Tales From the Crypt, but its tone feels different and more serious as if it's EC Comics as filtered through Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It has a hell of a great cast, too.

Horror anthology about a cursed small town, beset by multiple grotesque murders over its history. The first is one of the best: A lovelorn elderly man charged with his equally elderly sister, who suffers from dementia. In clumsy pursuit of a to-die-for coworker, he, instead, turns the tables and kills her, with wild repercussions I won't reveal, other than it involves a Cousin-of-Chucky doll. Most impressive is the motif of the old man picking at a block of ice for his sister's bath, hacking it over and over, every stab expressing an ever growing, never-ending sense of frustration, futility and disgust. The second is a Hammeresque Freak Show, hosting a rogue's gallery of characters straight out of Todd Browning. All do their parts very well, but the Gypsy Queen Directress--She Who Will Be Obeyed--reigned Supreme for me. And there is a splatter-lovers' fest that will make said lovers festive! Third is about a man who has found the secret to eternal life through voodoo A gift that is his to have and his to give, for good or evil, and for the crook on the lam he took in, and who then betrayed him, the gift was a long life of tortured horror.. The final being almost a movie unto itself about how war breaks down all social conventions and the most fundamental human values, set in a settlement of Confederate orphan children, all adults having been casualties of war, who band together in a version of "Lord of the Flies" social order. Despite word that the war was over, a group of renegade Union soldiers still want to rape and pillage wantonly, in pursuit of which they stumble upon the children's settlement, and are immediately set upon by the not-so-innocent babes, who subject the men to such gruesome tortures, I'm sure, if they could think through the excruciating pain and horror, they'd wish they had gone home at the armistice. This sequence in particular, so much lit so beautifully by ritualistic firelight, effectively contrasted with the drab, grey monotony of smoky, feeble daylight, but art direction, cinematography, stellar throughout. Hosted by Vincent Price in his typically revered avuncular elder role.

Following his niece's execution, a librarian recalls several horror stories of the town's past to a skeptical reporter.

The Good Stor(ies): Story 1-Madly in love with his boss, a grocery store clerk attempts to court her only to find his advances spurned to the point that he kills her. Attempting to hide the crime, he eventually finds that not only has he gotten away with it but his passion burns beyond the grave. This here wasn't all that bad of an effort. As it revels nicely in the utter dementia of his obsession and what he wants to do to her from the beginning, this one sets the revenge to come later on quite nicely as this generates some solid moments throughout here. The final revelation is a bit predictable and there's a few too many plot-points to go through but it has enough fun that there's plenty to like here.

Story 2-When his past catches up to him, a wounded fugitive in the Louisiana bayou comes across a voodoo healer who restores his health. Overcome by greed, he demands to know its secrets which begins to spiral out of his control and gets more than he bargained for. This was undoubtedly the highlight of the series with a lot to like about it. The simple story and the predictable setup give this a truly appropriate anthology feel that gets worked over nicely by the setting here. The bayou atmosphere and use of voodoo provide more to like by giving it a dirty, grimy feel in the sweat-filled shack that they spend the majority of the time at, and along with plenty of fun voodoo-related tortures that give this some wholly chilling moments.

Story 4-Attempting to find refuge, a platoon of soldiers in the Civil War stumble upon a deserted town in the countryside inhabited only by orphaned children. Taken captive by the hostile group, they are forced to partake in a series of grisly games that grow excessively more dangerous. This was a fun if overall slightly flawed effort. While it has plenty of stellar atmosphere in the old- school village with the Civil War time-period and the gory kills in the segment are quite graphic, overall the segment feels too familiar and cliché which does render the surprise rather obvious. The fast pace works here, so it does end this on a high note.

The Bad Stor(ies): Story 3-Working as a freak in a carnival, a glass-eater falls in love with a regular visitor which upsets the tyrannical queen who runs the show. When he defies her to be with his beloved, he finds the powers of her vengeance far more cruel to bear to keep them apart. This was quite a bland and overall uneventful entry. This one doesn't have much at all going on which tends to make this uneventful due to the romance throughout here, and it doesn't feature much of anything until the ending. This is the saving grace as the gruesome and gory happenings are a real showstopper, but overall not much else happens in this one.

Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, Full Nudity and violence-against-children.