As All Hallow’s Eve nears why settle for one ghastly story when you can experience three, four, five or ten? Here is our look at the best and some of the worst horror anthologies.
Trilogy of Terror
Chapters
Wraparound
There is no wraparound story for this infamous TV-movie by Dan Curtis which forged a place for itself in horror history with its final act. It also established the phenomenal Karen Black as a leading horror icon. Black stars in all three stories which were written by horror icon Richard Matheson who penned many of the unforgettable Twilight Zone episodes.
Julie
A creepy college student becomes obsessed with a mousy English professor.
Millicent and Therese
Two completely different sisters clash over their psychologist and a lover.
Amelia
An absolute tour-de-force, horror classic has Black buying a wooden aboriginal doll as a gift only to have it come to life and begin stalking her well before Chucky was even conceived.
Overall: It is worth watching just to take in Amelia. Julie is a really sinister story while even though Millicent and Therese highlights Black’s strengths as a actor as she plays both roles, the narrative is paint-by-numbers.
Watch On: FlexFling, Darkside of the Internet
Trilogy of Terror 2
Chapters
Wraparound
Like the original, there is no wraparound. This was a made-for-TV film airing on the USA Network and made in Canada.
The Graveyard Rats
A cheating wife and her lover scheme to collect on her husband’s insurance policy.
Bobby
A mother resurrects her dead son with the predictable outcome.
He Who Kills
The awful sequel to the original and infamous Zuni Fetish Doll segment from Trilogy of Terror. Picking up badly where the original story left off, the doll is taken to a museum where it finds fresh victims.
Overall: Lazy, uninspired and worst of all once the doll is on the loose in He Who Kills, the segment rehashes, duplicates the exact same scenes, plot from the first film.
Watch On: Darkside of the Internet.
Creepshow
Chapters
Wraparound
Stephen King’s actual son Joe appears as a young horror comic fan who is belittled and abused by his father (Tom Atkins).
Father’s Day
Speaking of abusive fathers, a cranky dad gets his revenge from beyond the grave as Ed Harris boogies down.
The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill
Stephen King himself stars as a country bumpkin who discovers a meteor and all the trouble which comes with it.
Something to Tide You Over
Leslie Nielsen in one of his only roles as a dastardly villain targets his cheating wife and her lover (Gaylen Ross and Ted Danson) for revenge.
The Crate
A crate containing a mysterious creature is discovered hidden away at a university.
They’re Creeping Up on You!
Set in the future, E. G. Marshall is a germaphobe who lives in a hermetically-sealed penthouse but something or some things invade his sealed sanctum.
Overall: This collaboration of Stephen King and George Romero is their love letter to the E.C. horror comics they grew up with. You won’t find a better horror anthology.
Watch On: Amazon Prime, Darkside of the Internet.
Asylum
Chapters
Wraparound
A psychologist arrives for his new gig at an insane asylum. As part of his job interview he has to interview the asylum’s worst cases and unravel who is Dr. Starr, the former head of the asylum who went insane.
Frozen Fear
A cheating husband murders his wife only to have her return for her revenge.
The Weird Tailor
A really weird story of a tailor being commissioned to make a special suit for Peter Cushing.
Lucy Comes To Stay
A woman tries to free her best friend from her family’s control.
Mannequins of Horror
An inmate turns out to be a scientific genius who can animate robotic dolls to do his bidding.
Overall: All the stories were written by Robert Bloch of Psycho fame. A solid slate of stories except for the last one.
Watch On: Freevue, Plex, Pluto TV, Tubi.
Twilight Zone: The Movie
Chapters
Wraparound
Two men are on a night-time drive. To pass the time, they play some games including what scares them the most.
Time Out
An out-and-out racist is made to know what it is like to be the subject of such hate. It was written and directed by John Landis.
Kick the Can
A group of seniors find a way to become young again. Directed by Steven Spielberg.
It’s a Good Life
A young boy with special powers wrecks havoc. Directed by Joe Dante.
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet
One of the most famous Twilight Zone stories. It originally starred William Shatner. A man who is afraid of flying thinks he spies a gremlin damaging the plane. This segment was directed by George Miller of Mad Max series fame.
Overall: The film was marred by a helicopter accident which killed actor Vic Morrow and two child actors. The accident resulted in a lawsuit against the filmmakers. Except for the final story, none of the stories are scary or frightening but it is still a decent anthology.
Watch On: Tubi, Amazon.
Cat’s Eye
Chapters
Wraparound
Stephen King returns with yet another anthology film based on his stories. The wraparound also figures into the final story. A stray cat finds its way into all of the tales.
Quitters, Inc.
A smoker signs up with a service that takes quitting smoking very, very seriously.
The Ledge
Another jilted husband gets his revenge by forcing his wife’s lover to walk around his penthouse loft by using the thin ledge outside.
General
A family is plagued by an evil troll who is targeting their young daughter played by Drew Barrymore.
Overall: Like Twilight Zone the stories are fascinating but not all that scary.
Watch On: HBO Max
The Vault of Horror
Chapters
Wraparound
A group of men find themselves in what appears to be a gentleman’s club of sorts in a skyscraper.
Midnight Mess
A brother tracks down his estranged sister to murder her for the family inheritance.
The Neat Job
A wife tires of her neat freak of a husband.
This Trick’ll Kill You
Magicians commit murder to obtain a mysterious trick.
Bargain in Death
An insurance scam goes wrong.
Drawn and Quartered
A painter learns to curse his enemies with his works after visiting Haiti.
Overall: Like its predecessor, Tales from the Crypt, Vault’s segments are very clever and creepy.
Watch On: Darkside of the Internet
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