Tales of Halloween is an anthology horror film that takes place in the spookiest time of the year. These overlapping tales leap from one to the next, giving the audience plenty of homages and tastes of every kind of subgenre that there is. These are stories that horror fans will love, not because it makes them hide behind the sofa, wondering who let the boogie man in, but because this film is quite simply a love letter to the genre – like The Cabin In The Woods
The stories in this film are too varied to go into, but fans of any subgenre will find something that they identify with. Slashers, possessed children, demons, aliens, this film has it all and then some. It’s not filled with stars, a few notable faces to some will pop up but otherwise the cast is mostly unknown. This isn’t an issue, good horrors don’t have to rely on big names to make their success, and it’s all down to the movie.
While each segment of the film was slightly different, it isn’t obvious that the film is an anthology by multiple directors, ranging from very independent filmmakers to some bigger names such as Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers, The Descent). Though, this isn’t an issue or a port of call for the film to be dependent on. Some of the best segments in this film were directed by unknown artists, so it’s not as if it is a line-up that is saved with big names, it’s always hitting hard, just with some big names involved.
The only thing that stops Tales of Halloween from being a truly great horror film is one simple but extremely important thing. It’s not very scary. The film is unique in many ways, but unless you’re scared by gore and blood, you’ll hardly be phased by the monsters in this film. It doesn’t stop it from being an enjoyable film, but people who go to see this movie purely to be scared will leave disappointed.
Tales of Halloween is a homage to a genre that is still kicking. It walks the line between The Twilight Zone and Goosebumps, tales that are unique and uncomfortable, but never quite walking into the eerie feeling that fans search for when they press play on the title screen.
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