Horror Noire

I was a little bit hesitant when I sat down to watch the 2021 horror anthology titled "Horror Noire", as horror anthologies usually tends to be dubious most of the time. But still, as I hadn't already seen this one, I sat down to watch it.

And as I had not even heard about it, I didn't know what to expect, aside from it being a horror anthology.

Well, sure "Horror Noire" was watchable, but the segments were of varied levels of enjoyment and entertainment, much as expected since it is an anthology after all.

The first segment was titled "The Lake" and actually had some potential to it, but ultimately it drowned out in a rubbish ending. A shame really, because this segment was off to a great start.

The second segment was titled "Brand of Evil" and that one was actually my personal favorite of the stories told in "Horror Noire". Why? Well, simply because the storyline was the most interesting and compelling.

Moving on to the third segment, which was titled "Bride Before You". Now this one was interesting and had a great atmosphere to it, perhaps the most atmospheric of all the segments. The build up of tension was good, but I just wish that we were allowed to see what was causing all the noise in the house.

The fourth segment was titled "Fugue State", and while it actually had Tony Todd on the cast list, it was just not an interesting segment. It was actually the least interesting of all the segments.

"Daddy" is the title of the fifth segment, and it was a swing and a miss in terms of entertaining me. The storyline was just not well-constructed and offered little of anything actually.

And finally "Sundown" is the sixth and final segment in "Horror Noire". It was fair enough, as it was nicely paced, but it was just a bit too generic in terms of originality. This segment, however, had Peter Stomare on the cast list, which was a nice touch.

Ultimately then "Horror Noire" was a mediocre horror anthology, and it didn't manage to stand out amidst other horror anthologies. And it is not one that I will be returning to watch a second time.

My rating of "Horror Noire" lands on a five out of ten stars.

The stories were mediocre, even for an anthology styled film. I think many of the actors could do so much more given better scripts. I hope to see more of them. I've been a fan of Lenora Crichlow since she starred in Being Human (British series). Ditch the writers, keep the cast.

I've given it an score of 6, based on the average of what I rated each segment.

The first story, The Lake I think was by far the best one. And it set a strong tone, but I think a majority of the stories that followed were a let down. I think all the stories boasted great ideas, but for me, the execution of them fell short in places.

Brand of Evil again was a good idea, but came across a little silly.

Bride Before You I don't fully get. Would have liked a little more clarity on that one.

The story Fugue State felt a bit comical, and I don't think it should have been. That could have been darker. I don't feel like the main actress in that story pulled it off very well.

Daddy was next strong one after The Lake. I thought the main actor was really good in it, but again, like Bride Before You, it could have elaborated on a little bit.

Sundown was ok. It was an obvious comedy, but didn't really hit all the comedic notes for me.

Individual scores:

The Lake - 7/10 Brand of Evil - 6/10 Bride Before You - 5/10 Fugue State - 4 Daddy - 7/10 Sundown - 5/10.

Unlike other reviewers, I thoroughly enjoyed every story in this horror anthology and that's a first. This anthology is NOT for those looking for stories of Black struggle or a deranged maniac chasing corny Black stereotypes through a neighborhood. If you're looking for that, you'd have a better time watching Leprechaun in the Hood.

Each story is based on realistic horrors that Black people in America face everyday like the history of being barred from public spaces, colorism, voting rights, polarizing politics/religious zealotry, and the duality of feeling a like a success and a sellout. Each theme was weaved into a story that seems unrelated until you look closer.

As far as production, overall every story had good direction and there were no glaring sound issues, which can be a problem in a lot of low budget movies. Some sets were bare, but again this was on a low budget. The actors didn't treat it like a low budget and still gave good performances.

The gist of "Horror Noire" is to have brief horror stories wherein African-Americans are the protagonists as opposed to side characters who immediately get killed off. Too bad the movie doesn't amount to much. Only the second segment is interesting.

There was one thing that I noticed, and I wonder if it's just for the movie. The segment about the dad featured a scene where the dad was teaching a high school class focusing on Isaac Bashevis Singer's "Enemies: A Love Story". A girl says that it features a survivor of the Nazis' atrocities on a ship sailing to the US and battling a demon. I've only seen Paul Mazursky's big-screen adaptation of that novel, so I don't know the original story. However, Wikipedia's description of the novel doesn't mention a demon, although of course it could've been condensed. Maybe the idea behind that scene here was that the girl didn't read the whole novel and it was just a way to set up that segment. Either way, that is not what the novel or the movie adaptation are really about.

Anyway, a pretty weak movie.