Final Women

"The best thing about horror anthologies is that each story is short, so if you get bored, fed up, or mildly suicidal, just remember it'll be over soon." - Last Chance Lance, Rue Morgue magazine The above quote perfectly applies to Monsterland , a diverse horror anthology, produced by Dread Central . One of this anthology's best assets is the brevity of many of the shorts. Monsterland is as uneven as any anthology, but at least the shorts that don't work end before they have a chance to sour the overall taste of the film. As for the best segments, the first one up is The Grey Matter. Starring Ebon Moss-Bachrach ( Girls , The Punisher ) as a working stiff who finds his life changed after his brain is invaded by a charismatic parasite who helps him land a date with his dream girl. This one is funny, gross, and, dare I say it, charming. It's one of the longest segments, at almost 20 minutes, but it's also probably my favorite. Other standouts include...

Minutes Past Midnight is a collection of short films presented, in part, by Rue Morgue, a magazine this reviewer holds in esteem above all others, so naturally, I had to check it out. As with any anthology (book or film), some segments stand about above the others. There were, however, two segments that particularly stood out to me. The first is director, James Moran's British romantic comedy, "Crazy for You," starring Arthur Darvill ( Doctor Who 's Rory) as a serial killer, driven to crime by the sight of polka dots thanks to a childhood tragedy, who falls in love with a charming young lady played by Hannah Tointon ( The Inbetweeners , The Childre n) who, unfortunately, loves polka dots. This is a charming story, beautifully shot and featuring two incredibly likable leads. Moran also co-wrote one of my all time favorite horror movies, Severance , and I would love to see what he could do directing a feature. My other favorite is the following short, Kevin Mc...

Upon hearing that there is now a Mexico Barbaro 2, I thought it might be a good idea if I finally got around to seeing the first one, which has been sitting at the top of my to-watch queue for a while. Like most anthologies, this one turned out to be a mixed bag, but I was overall impressed with the grotesque beauty of many of the segments. Tzompantli Laurette Flores At first I thought that this opening segment might be some sort of wrap around, mostly due to the vagueness of its plot. And due to an aimlessness of the early part of this story, I still feel it might not have been the best choice for the opening segment of the film. Still, it's far from the weakest entry, and it's brutal, gory ending is an effectively abrupt and visceral sucker punch in the gut. Jaral de Berrio Edgar Into The second segment of Mexico Barbaro is easily one of the most beautifully shot, and I was captivated by it's surreal, fairytale feel and dreamlike atmosphere. The s...

XX is an intriguing horror anthology film, directed completely by women, featuring four stories focusing on female characters facing horror both domestic and supernatural. The segments are framed by some beautifully grotesque stop motion animation created by Sophia Carrillo.  A haunted Natalie Brown in The Box The first segment, The Box is directed by Jovanka Vuckovic, former editor of my favorite horror magazine, Rue Morgue . In it, Susan (Natalie Brown from Channel Zero and The Strain ) and her husband become concerned when their son begins starving himself to death after seeing something (we never find out what) in a gift box held by an old man on the subway. Eventually their daughter begins refusing to eat as well, and then Susan's husband begins starving himself too, leaving Susan alone and searching for answers as to what has happened to her family. Melanie Lynskey is at her wit's end in The Birthday Party The second segment, The Birthday Party , is a ...