FranklinEWales

After 18 years Phil Herman has released a follow-up to his classic 2003 release: HorrorTales 666. Joel D. Wynkoop returns as the burglar in the wraparound story. It's a fun EC Comics kind of collection, but be forewarned, it's not for the kiddies. It is, after all distributed by "The Sleaze Box." It does run long at nearly 2 hours, but at times it is absolutely hilarious. Besides the stories themselves, Herman has included a boatload of cameo appearances (including me) from his career. If you're a fan of independent movies, by all means pick this up. If you're a fan of EC Comics, pick this up. If you are looking for a fun view over a six-pack Sunday, pick this up. It's worth the view.

An entertaining little no budget anthology, created by lovers of the genre. The wraparound tale involves a homeless man with "vision" who can touch and item found in the trash, and know its back-story, thus leading us into the next entry. From what I understand each of the participating filmmakers was given a budget of one dollar and a specific item to make a short film that would fit into the themed wraparound. This makes this anthology no budget by choice. A very unique concept that I had never heard of before.

Don't misunderstand me, this is NOT "Creepshow". If you are the type of viewer that needs big studio special effects and A-list actors, this film is not for you. This is a movie purposefully created on a shoestring budget to simply entertain. If you are the type of person who will checkout the CD's and DVD's in the thrift store bin looking for something different and new, you may very well be pleasantly surprised.

I first became aware of "Scary Tales" and Michael Hoffman about four years ago when I was a reviewer of independent movies. This title was so far above the norm when it came to over all production values, story, acting, etc., that I had to contact him. A while back he sent me the sequel ("Scary Tales 2") which I would have rated just as high, if I had still been reviewing independent flicks. Now at last he has found a distributor who is releasing both titles on DVD loaded with extras, and I just got copies in the mail. The story has been upgraded, and filled out, making them even better than before. As a former reviewer who has seen more independent movies than any human being should have to, I have to recommend these two titles to anyone who loves a GREAT anthology in the vein of "Twilight Zone" and "Creepshow". You will not be disappointed.