Of course I had never heard about the 2023 horror anthology "Fables for the Witching Hour: Vol. 1" prior to stumbling upon it and sitting down to watch it. Suffice to say that with the movie's cover, then I wasn't really expecting a whole lot from writer Minh Collins, nor was the 3.9 rating here on IMDb helping to give me any hopes.
And just by the wraparound segment alone, which is titled "Night at the Office" and directed by Minh Collins, then it was painstakingly obvious that this was not going to be an impressive viewing experience. It just reeked of low-budget to the high Heavens. In fact, the wraparound segment felt like something that belonged in an adult movie.
The first segment in the anthology is titled "The Ghost of Marilyn", directed by Ahi Black. It was a pretty straightforward storyline, albeit a rather mundane and uneventful one as well. And it was just so difficult to take the guy with the hand, the blindfold and his stupid sounds serious, much less perceive him as being scary. "The Ghost of Marilyn" was a very forgettable segment.
"It's Sunny Outside", directed by Michael Robert Kessler, the second segment, was a strange story, to say the least. But at least there was a bit of enjoyment to be found in the confusion and chaos that was this second segment. But it was a somewhat forgettable storyline, but at least it stood out among the blandness that is "Fables for the Witching Hour: Vol. 1".
And the third segment in the anthology was titled "See My Voice", directed by Idelia Mars. This segment had some interesting shots and visuals to it, which was a much welcomed thing. But the storyline was tedious and not even remotely scary. A shame, because the visuals had potential.
The fourth segment was titled "503" and directed by Francis Han. The storyline in this segment was rather bland and not particularly thrilling.
The fifth and final segment was titled "The Blue Room" was directed by Fernando Tosetti. The storyline here was not outstanding, just like most of the rest of the anthology. There was a hilarious reference to the "Alien" and "Aliens" movies, with Eve asking David, the main character, if he wanted to play 'Level 426 on Nostromo'.
Of course I wasn't familiar with a single actress or actor on the cast list, and that is something that actually does sit well with me, as I enjoy watching new talents and unfamiliar faces on the screen. The acting performances in "Fables for the Witching Hour: Vol. 1" were wooden, rigid and just not overly impressive.
The production and editing of "Fables for the Witching Hour: Vol. 1" felt amateurish.
If you enjoy horror anthologies, then you shouldn't really waste 82 minutes on watching "Fables for the Witching Hour: Vol. 1". It just simply isn't worth the time, money or effort.
While I generally don't enjoy horror anthologies, I have to say that "Fables for the Witching Hour: Vol. 1" was extraordinarily boring to sit through. The various segments feel incomplete, random and utterly pointless actually. Which makes sitting through this anthology quite a struggle.
Some of us suffered through this, so you don't have to. You're very welcome!
My rating of "Fables for the Witching Hour: Vol. 1" lands on a very generous two out of ten stars. And this is one such instance where you hope never to see a sequel.
