Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

CRADLE OF FEAR is a shot-on-video horror anthology film from cinema bad boy Alex Chandon, and starring Dani Filth from the heavy metal band CRADLE OF FILTH. Filth is clearly no actor and thankfully limited to appearing in the nonsensical wraparound story, so at least the viewer can watch the four main tales collected here without his presence.This movie was described as a tribute to the likes of the Amicus film ASYLUM, but viewers looking for similarities between the two titles are likely to be sorely disappointed. Because CRADLE OF FEAR is trash of the highest order: incredibly gory trash, it has to be said, but trash nonetheless. Every cast member gives stilted and embarrassing performances, the stories could have been (and probably were) written on the back of beer mats, and everything as a whole is a waste of time.The first tale is about a one night stand that goes horribly wrong. There's ample gore in this one, and some quite extensive nudity from the willing Emily Booth, and that's about it. The second tale is about two robbers who fall out and is merely an exercise in bloodshed. The third story is about a George Michael lookalike who loses his leg and becomes desperate to get another. Eileen Daly strips off for the role and there are some incredibly awful CGI car effects. The final story is about a snuff website and is the longest and most boring of the lot. Anybody who's a fan of the classic British horror anthologies of old, or even American ones like CREEPSHOW and CAT'S EYE, should stick to them...

Kemper (David McEwen) is a convicted killer sitting in an asylum. He has a satanic avenger known as The Man (Filth) on the outside carrying out revenge on those who put him there. This is the wraparound to this four part British anthology film. Mel (Booth) is a Goth girl who picks up The Man at a club. She has sex with him and gives birth to a creature the next morning fatally. The second story has Emma (Emma Rice) and Sophie (Rebecca Eden) breaking into a blind man's home in the dead of night after a large stash of cash they believe is hidden there. They kill the tenant (Al Stokes) and then Sophie back stabs Emma and kills her. She thinks she has gotten away with it until their ghosts return for revenge. The third story is of Nick (Louie Brownsell) who has the lower half of his leg missing. Wanting to be whole for his girlfriend Natalie (Daly) he kills an acquaintance and slices off his leg and has it graphed on to his. This backfires of course. Detective Neilson (Dehn) is investigating all the cases until he finds out Kemper has targeted his son Richard (Stuart Laing) for his last victim. Richard is sucked into a forbidden internet site called 'The Sick Room' where the voyeur can watch and pick how his victim is to be abused. Writer/Director Alex Chandon makes this shot on video sickie look like a bad TV show being broad casted on the net. Yes it's gory and disgusting and stars the lead singer of hardcore band Cradle of Filth but none of this is scary. The stories range from average (the first and second) to poor (the final two). Another problem the film has not including an annoying soundtrack, is that every character in this film is a f***ing A**hole. Thieves, murderers, drug addicts, Satanists, sadists are just some of the personality traits of these characters. Almost every line by all the characters starts with the word F***. There is no one to identify with or want to see come out on top. There are some cheesy digital effects of a car out of control that will make you laugh at how bad it looks. With no scares or suspense to speak of, the filmmakers make this gory bore last two hours on top of it.

Apparently CRADLE OF FEAR was produced as an affectionate homage to the anthology horror films of Amicus . Whilst not being cinematic masterpieces at least the Amicus had a little something that appeals to the guilty pleasure aspect of the audience . Corny stories riddled with plot holes , dead pan acting and karma involving bad things happening to bad people . They're entertaining rubbish . The problem with COF is that it's thoroughly unentertaining rubbish that never threatens to come close to " It's so bad it's good " The production values make Ed Wood look like Ridley Scott in comparison . The film is shot on videotape so you've got something resembling one of those daytime gardening shows . What this does is highlight the often inept dialogue , plotting , gore and acting . Someone gets their house repossed . Cut to doorbell getting rung , man answering door :" We've come to repossess your house " " Oh Okay then " then cuts to the next scene of a For Sale sign being put up in garden . At least in a movie shot on 35 mm film even the most terrible scene is cushioned by production values . Here there's no production values to speak off where means CRADLE OF FEAR becomes an absolute ordeal to sit through and makes me wonder if the people praising the movie might have in fact worked on it ?

Well, I've seen this movie a couple of time... I don't think it's as trash as the title may suggest. It's just Dany Filth play-in' bad with some pals. The best scene remains the one with the cop's kid getting abused in a sadistic show room... Otherwise, the story (stories' better, indeed) are at least originals. But I do prefer the Hellraisers. Pinhead is a better sadistic "madman". I think Dany Filth will improve if he goes on playing.He's an excellent actor, even if I don't like much of his music, perhaps too commercial (I like old school black metal, this can explain my point of view).The second point is the fact that most of the fellows playing here have played at least once in Cradle of Filth's videos...