I have been following the directorial career of John Williams keenly. As such, I was eager to sample his latest offering 'Tales of the Creeping Death'. Clearly influenced by the Hammer and Amicus horror anthologies of the 60's and 70's (a sub-genre I used to love as a child), Williams conjures up four diverse stories, plus the obligatory wraparound story.
The wraparound story sets the mood very well. Goose (Michael Socha), is a hitman hired by wheelchair bound eccentric Harold (Andrew Readman). His contract is not to kill someone, but to ensure that Harold stays alive until 3 o'clock on the night in question, with no further explanation provided (up until the film's chilling conclusion that is). To pass the time, Harold proceeds to tell Goose the aforementioned four stories. The wraparound proves an effective narrative devise, and ties it up quite nicely at the end (a satisfied nod and "aaaaah" from this reviewer on first viewing). Also of note, the chemistry between the two works really well throughout.
Taking place on Halloween, the first story follows the zombie costumed Billy (Billy Cook) as he finds himself unexpectedly attending a black tie party with a couple friends, only to quickly discover that all is not what it seems. For my money, this stands out as the best story of the four, and features some fantastic, and very convincing, make up effects from Special Make Up Artist Gary Pollard.
The second story provides a snapshot into the life of Kev (Dean Ackerman). Dean plays his character so well (standout performance in the film in my opinion). It is hard not to smile as you see him going about his business, making friends, and organising events for his Super Smooth Gang. Ricky Tomlinson guest stars as Dad, and gives a typical, but very enjoyable performance in the limited screen time he has (you know what you get with Ricky). What the story lacks in chills, it certainly makes up for in laughs. Very funny, but still well worth its inclusion in a horror anthology film.
Story three is a tale about three work colleagues on a team building exercise in a rural hotel in Wales. Following a detour on route (a local cave network tourist attraction), they are subjected to a series of strange occurancies, leading to the hotel being deserted upon their arrival. As the story reaches its conclusion there are clear nods in the direction of a certain well known film from the late 70's, but it remains interesting and well executed non-the-less. That being said, it probably didn't grab me quite as much as the other three offerings.
The fourth story depicts the aftermath of the brutal murder of the parents of bingo caller Shane (Darren McAree) by an unseen creature. This story again showcases the talents of Gary Pollard, who provided the awesome creature design, and copious amounts of gore in the frenetic conclusion. Enjoyable romp to end on.
Overall, a very enjoyable entry into John Williams' catalogue. Well worth a look.
