Directed by Alex Ross Perry, Casper Kelly, Paco Plaza, Anna Zlokovic, Bryan M. Ferguson, R.H. Norman, Michelle Pitt-Norman
Written By: Alex Ross Perry, Casper Kelly, Paco Plaza, Anna Zlokovic, Bryan M. Ferguson, R.H. Norman, Michelle Pitt-Norman and Alberto Martini (UT SUPRA SIC INFRA)
Cinematography: Adrian Hernandez, Robert Kolodny, Owen Laird, Daniel Marks, Sean McDaniel, Powell Robinson
Editor: Robert Kolodny, Bryan M. Ferguson, R.H. Norman, Alex Familian, David Gallart, Dylan Hoang, Sean Mark Lamb Lewis, Phil Samson
Cast: Rick Baker, David Haydn, Samantha Cochran, Natalia Montgomery Fernandez, Elena Musser, Maria Romanillos, Almundra Amor, Ismael Martinez, Riley Nottingham, Lawson Greyson, Jenna Hoffman, Sami Nye, Stephen Gurewitz, Carl William Garrison, Jeff Harms, Noah Diamond, Sarah Nicklin
A collection of Halloween-themed videotapes unleashes a series of twisted, blood-soaked tales, turning trick-or-treat into a struggle for survival.
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It’s that time of year where this horror anthology comes up with a new collection. Which is a nice tradition. As usually each collection every year has a theme to it usually expressed in the title. This one is similar and revolves around stories that take place in or around Halloween, though unlike some of the former entries, it’s not so much about a group finding all these random tapes and watching them or being presented to them This year‘s anthology has a background story and then just plays each short film in between the main background story. One can admit this is a yearly guilty pleasure whose quality is a roller coaster yet still enjoyable. Even though after last years entries. One was wondering was it on its last leg and run out of steam.
Still think it should be like the ABC’S OF DEATH and allow new or struggling filmmakers a chance to submit their own entries and use maybe one of two of them as segments each year. After either being voted on by fans or the producers.
Though truthfully, this year’s anthology should have the subtitle forget those kids as this year the anthology seems to have more of a presence of children. In most of the stories and none are not sacred cows. They are is open to violence and unfortunately death as any of the adult characters.
Even though each anthology is cruel in its own way for some odd reason this year, feel a little more disturbing again maybe it’s because children can be easily as victims as anyone but also there is one short in particular that is not only uncomfortable but again so warped.
Writer/Director Alex Ross Perry’s Entry KID PRINT was the one I was looking forward to the most and it is unforgettable, Maybe because unlike the rest of them, it doesn’t really deal with fantasy or made up monsters. It’s a little too realistic and seems like it could really happen which is why it’s a memorable and all the more powerful even though at first it starts off seemingly normal and not that special but by the end, it has totally transformed itself as like the plot it starts off so innocently and so simple, and then catches you off guard with a heaviness that you never saw coming. Which is not surprising, considering it’s done by the director from the an anthology whose work I know the most. Alex Ross Perry, who is a journeyman independent director who is not known to do genre films. Usually this seems to be his first and definitely his first official Horror film. Which seems to be an experiment and exercise while using his usual filmmaking technique of realistic stories, and a love a film, the equipment in the filmmaking techniques.
This story is Based around Kidprint was a free service offered by Blockbuster Video in the mid-1990s. Participating stores had a kiosk that children stood in front of that showed their height, and staff would use a VHS camera to record a short video of them speaking basic information about themselves. Parents would take home the tapes to use for ID purposes incase their child went missing.
Another reason why this entry is so different is Because at heart most horror stories seem to be about revenge. Setting things right in whoever’s eyes no matter what. Even if there are extremes and plenty of innocents damaged and killed along the way. When it comes to this short it ends with an injustice that doesn’t seem like it will ever get righted and in many ways. As it should have never happened and has plenty of mistakes, mishaps, wrong turns and lack of communication that ultimately leads to tragedies that by the end seem like they will continue. Which makes it all the more disturbing.
The film is messy more emotionally with where it goes that it almost feels like a snuff film. As most of the films live up to the title more shot with home video cameras and from point of view shots commonly.
The other stories/segments are the wraparound segments of DIET PHANTASMA. Written & Directed by Bryan M. Ferguson. Which gets repetitive, as we watch a control group taste test a new soda with ghastly results. Where each segment shows how uncaring the executive watching the results is behind it and the creative ways in which the volunteers are killed or slaughtered after drinking the soda, by the soda.
It seems to want to be an Anti-capitalist message and dark comedic satire, but the point or ultimate jokes comes off disappointing that we went through all of that to get to this punchline. Which isn’t weak but isn’t that strong either. Though it does help tie together not only the Halloween theme inspiration but also it’s indented to HALLOWEEN 3
The film starts of with COOCHIE COOCHIE COO written & Directed BY Anna Zlokovic. Which as usual for the franchise ends up being the most disgusting and nasty entry of the film. Here more gore wise. The film is based around two female teenagers facing their last Halloween together, who decide to go trick-or-treating and are enticed by a mysterious house and the promise of free candy. Where once they enter, they can’t seem to escape. Not only that but are chased by various seeming demented adult babies and a breast feeding phantom.
The next segment is UT SUPRA SIC INFRA directed By Paco Plaza (Director and mastermind behind the REC film franchise) which gives the film some international flavor. Which at least I can say this franchise usually provides. this is the only tale to have a co-writer not directing. This ends up being the weakest of all the segments. The most disappointing. As it has its moments and the filmmaking is great, but the story feels familiar and like we’ve seen it before. It has interesting dressing but lacks depth or reason. Where it feels like more thought was given to the look then the actual idea. As by the end nothing is truly explained and it seems to just lay there. As it comes across as a rather basic gory ghost story
Then we have the segment FUN SIZE Written & Directed by Casper Kelly. That plays more like a demented fantasy. Where a group of friends take more then one piece of candy from a random table of candy none have ever heard of, breaking the rules they are taken and transported to a warehouse factory. Where they find out horrifically how the candy is made. As they try to revise they are haunted and hunted by the candy’s playful mascot and his assistant. This one seems to more lean into cruel gore and torture with a more playful macabre attitude.
Wish this shirt had more of a point other than the consequences of breaking the rules. which is the set up but then that’s it other than the carnage.
The previously mentioned KIDPRINT plays next.
Then the final extended tale HOME HAUNT written & Directed by R.H. Norman & Michelle Pitt-Norman. Which revolves around a man and his family obsesssed with Halloween who host a haunted house every year for the neighborhood. Looking to impress his son who is finding this embarrassing he ends up taking a record from an antique store that is off limits and the record seeks to make his attraction come to life and transport his family and all of his customers to a personal hell. That they try to escape from. This starts off fun until it just turns more mean spirited, but next to FUN SIZE the most comedic and so called fun segments. Which might be why they feel a bit similar. This has a meta money as most of these films have practical special effects and this film has legendary special effects artist Rick baker as a cast member.
This anthology makes it through another year, but at least it leaves behind better memories than recent past entries.
Grade: B-
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