Lore

I gave this anthology an extra star for Richard Brake alone, maybe the best character actor in horror...and the most underrated. If you want proof, go to YouTube and check out his Doomhead monologue, from 31--another case of Richard Brake being the only good thing in a mediocre/bad movie. This is standard mid-size town horror festival anthology. Acting isn't terrible but the only believable, only menacing character is...Richard Brake's character, of course. Four young people meet Brake's character in the woods--no I don't know his character's name--for a "once in a lifetime experience".

Basically, they're taking turns telling scary stories around the fire. First segment isn't bad; a little predictable, but the acting was okay. Second segment was kind of pointless. The third segment was okay, I like the black humor and the nod to folk horror (obvious nod to Kill List) and the last should appeal to slasher fans...not my favorite subgenre, but I know I'm in the minority.

He biggest problem with the film is that Brake is so believable when the other characters were pretty much very unbelievable young adults (why the hell would you follow and extra-creepy Brake into the woods for an unnamed "once in a lifetime experience"?).

Filmmakers, I'm begging you--give this man the horror movie he deserves. He is effortlessly sinister in that uneasy still way that is far more realistic and far scarier than some screaming maniac. He's the only thing worth watching in 31. He was the scariest character in Barbarian. He was funny-creepy in Mandy. But for the most part, I find myself watching unworthy movies just to see Richard Brake. As far as this movie goes? It's not awful. Not even that bad, by Tubi standards...but it isn't nearly good enough to waste a perfectly good Richard Brake.

This got fave reviews mainly from Frighfest sycophants (Kim Newman) but not even the wonderfully creepy Richard Brake (wasted) can save this ' been there, done that' horror.

None of the stories seemed fresh, the first story had a decent monster (similar to Split Second), the last had a decent set up with a masked killer in a cinema but they all seemed tediously unscary.

Like a group of college students let loose with cameras and no script as well as no knowledge of previous portmanteau horrors.

The end makes no sense and what could have been better use made of Mr Brake is a wasted opportunity.

Top clash anthology from some great up and coming British filmmakers.

Bookmarked by the excellent Richard Brake, that menacing smile works perfectly, we could have a new Crypt Keeper on our hands. There's certainly plenty of room to develop from this well paced hour and a half.

Four completely different stories, some better than others but not a dud one in the bunch. The first two being pretty dark and the second two much more lighthearted.

The time flew by, I'm off to research the directors, can't wait to see more of their work.

This movie should tick horror fans boxes, I really hope it finds an audience.

Watched at Dead and SudBuried 2023.

I wasn't expecting a lot out of this since most anthologies I've seen are a mixed bag of good & bad short stories. The setup was good & the stories around the campfire gave me 'Are You Afraid of the Dark' vibes.

I've never seen Richard Brake before, but his performance was great. His few lines were well spoken & his facial expressions really gave him the proper creep factor. I wish he'd had a bigger role.

The other actors did fine. They were able to make their roles as friends gone camping believable.

The stories told were ok to pretty good. My favorite is the movie theater one. That one had the best acting & best antagonist in my opinion.

The frame story leaves much to be desired. The synopsis is misleading since the consequences are vaguely shown in a blink & you'll miss it scene & whatever happened to the story tellers is left to your imagination.

SCORE: Frame Story - 4 Tales - 6 Overall - 5 Recommend - Watch on Tubi if you're interested. If you miss it being free I suggest a cheap rental, like $2 max.

This was a movie that I got the chance to see thanks to Amelia from Strike Media. She sent over the screener along with the press release. Seeing that this featured Richard Brake was something that worked in its favor. I also saw that this was an anthology film, which I tend to be a fan of when they're done right. I was curious if this would fall into that.

Synopsis: four friends arrange a ghostly excursion. Their guide asks them to each tell the scariest story they have ever heard, but little do they know, those stories would have major consequences for them and others.

We start this out with a group of friends from the synopsis that are going on this hiking trip. There is Dan (Miles Mitchell), Mark (Dean Bone), Donna (Sally Collett) and Sally (Samantha Neale). They meet their guide, Darwin (Brake). He informs them that the others canceled that morning, so it is just this group. They find a clearing where they'll camp for the night. It is here that Darwin produces little wooden totems for them to burn while they tell stories. Each one gives theirs in turn, starting with Mark.

It is from here that I'll briefly introduce their stories. First is 'Shadows'. It tells about Daniel (Andrew Lee Potts) who gets chased into a warehouse by two big guys. They claim that Daniel owes them money. Inside this building, there could be something much darker and scarier. There could also be a more logical explanation as well.

Dan then tells the next story which is 'The Hidden Woman'. Hannah (Jennifer K Preston) and her son, Charlie (Theo Preston), go to a relative's house that passed away. They are there to settle the estate and decide if they want to live in this house or to sell it. She finds an old phonograph in the basement. It is from here that the spirit of their relative could be haunting them.

It then goes over to Donna for our next tale called 'Cross Your Heart'. This has a married couple of Cath (Katie Sheridan) and Steve (Rufus Hound) at a cheap hotel on their anniversary. He wants their marriage to be more adventurous, which means here 'swinging' with Luna (Alana Wallace) and her husband. They get much more than they bargained for as it doesn't seem like sex is what is in store, as this couple might be in a cult.

Then the last story, which Darwin and her friends need to convince her to tell, falls to Sally. It is called 'The Keychain Man'. We saw a trio going to see a movie. Gareth (Finbar Healy) waits on them. He's a giant of a man and something goes wrong with the computer. He calls his boss over, Mr. Robinson (Davey Hopper). This isn't the first time this has happened and Gareth is berated. People can only take so much punishment before they snap.

This then ends with our wraparound story as this group's stories might not be completely fiction.

That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I want to start is on the most surface level here and say that I'm glad we don't have a huge team behind this. There are three directors and four writers. All the stories have a similar enough tone while having different subject matter. None of them feel out of place, which is good. Plus, we have a wraparound story which is what I prefer when it comes to my anthology films. Since these are all done by the same team, I'm going to talk about story wise what I like about each story but come back together for the other aspects. I should say here that for the most part, we are getting generic themes and ideas, but it still works well enough.

Let me start with 'Shadows'. What we have here is an interesting story. We get up to speed quickly and this shadow creature we see is great. I do think this will rub people the wrong way with the reveal. I did predict it when we got to a certain point. It still was solid.

Then over to the 'Hidden Woman', I thought the set up here works. Getting Hannah and Charlie to the house makes sense. What I like is that they're not bound to it. They stay there to get a feel for it and will decide what to do. Using this phonograph to start the haunting was solid. What works best here is something they do with this ballet dancer. That got under my skin. What is funny as well is that they call out Dan as to how it could be true.

"Cross Your Heart' spoke to me with the cult aspect to it. This is another one that I predicted what was going to happen when something happened. What I love about it though is that this reveal works well as 'revenge' story. There were also things that were brought up early that played back into the climax for it that made me smile. Not necessarily doing anything new, but still effective.

Ending out with 'The Keychain Man', I'm a sucker for setting a movie in a theater like this. Not only that, but you are going back to the old school slasher style work as well. Even though I'm not the biggest fan of that subgenre, when it is done right, you have me on board. I also like that were following a group of movie buffs. There is also levity with another movie goer and a younger employee. Where it takes thing also helped.

I'll say though that the biggest disappointment for me was the wraparound. I like what they do with why they're telling stories. Darwin is creepy and this group of friends feel like they know each other. There are just things as this plays out that fully didn't make sense. I think I understand who Darwin is. His warning is something that came back to me. I just don't fully get what they're trying to do and we need just a bit more to drive that home for me.

Let's discuss the acting then. I'll go vague here due to the number of actors over all the stories. I'll say that Brake is great in his role. It is more of a cameo, but it works. Potts fit in his role as the lead of 'Shadows'. The two guys with him and the security guard he meets work as well.

Credit to whoever is playing the creature. It does appear that the actors in 'Hidden Woman' are mother and son. That does make sense. There is a natural feel to them, plus Theo comes off as a creepy kid well. Sheridan and Hound do seem like a couple with issues. Wallace is attractive so she fits the character of Luna. Steven Blades, Christopher Mulvan and Sammy T. Dobson are good as the trio for 'The Keychain Man'. Healy also brings good size for Gareth. I've already said that the group for the wraparound also feel like old friends. In general, the acting is good with no issues.

All that is left then is filmmaking. I'd say that overall, the cinematography was good. What they did with the framing helps here. I like the atmosphere this builds. None of the stories feel out of place, which is something that can ruin an anthology. I'm glad that they went practical with as many of the effects as they could. There were times where I'm guessing that it was CGI. Not enough to truly notice. They go brutal with deaths, which made me smile. Other than that, the soundtrack fit was needed.

In conclusion, this is a solid anthology film. What I think helps here is that we have the same creative team behind it. That helps keep a similar feel across the shorts so none of them feel out of place. I like the variety of stories that we get. That also helps. The acting is good across the board. I'd say that this is well-made. The practical effects, cinematography and framing lead the way. This is one that I rather enjoyed my time with and would recommend giving this a watch if you get the chance. It is out on VOD now.

My Rating: 8 out of 10.