Highly Overrated But Still Good

an ambitious but ultimately ineffective debut endeavor.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

What an apt title for this rather interesting (not always for the right reasons) anthology horror movie. There are no spoilers in this review, just short sentences on what I think of each short.The Theatre Bizarre begins with a woman who takes a peek into a theatre she stumbles upon. Inside she is greeted by a man who introduces her to a show of short movies: "Wet Dreams", was pretty good. One of my favourite's of the movie. And who doesn't like wet dreams? "I love you" was a bloody addition with a decent plot twist. "The Mother of Toads", was my least favourite. I mean toads? Frog off! "The Accident" was effective in what it was trying to say, but I got bored of watching it's short screen time. "Vision Stains" was the most original of the series and another worth watching. And lastly "Sweets" is as about as bizarre as things could get. There's a lot of awful, awful acting, but some of the stories are decent and worth giving a go. The Theatre Bizarre is a random and gory anthology which will please a few. I'd say check it out because it is SO bizarre.

Theatre Bizarre reminds me of the Grand Guignol, a type of French theatre popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries, which presented short plays of the macabre, the gruesome, and the cruel. The stories presented here are certainly that, including the framework that brings them all together. These are not great works of literature or of cinema, but they are entertaining. They are certainly entertaining for fans of the cruel, gruesome, and gory. The one about the mother telling her daughter about death is out of place here, not being cruel, gruesome, or gory. I guess it has some deeper meaning connecting all the other stories together, but it is lost on me, because the segment is so boring that I lost interest in it. Overall though, it's worth watching late at night with a few friends.

This takes me back to horror anthologies like the ones Peter Cushing or Boris Karloff were in. I liked all the stories here. Each had its own tone. A lot of people did not like Richard Stanley's Mother of Toads but I felt it had an occult vibe I enjoyed. Dust Devil is one of my favorite movies, so I might be biased. Other stories like Sweets and Wet Dreams had a lot of gross yet visual appeal. The Accident is almost a zen-like peon to childhood horror and the reality of death. Others like I Love You and the one about the killer who injects herself with eyeball juice from her victims to see their memories are very dramatic and intellectual more than gross. If you want more cerebral horror with mystery that has decent acting, good music and lovely cinematography, then check this one out.

A six part anthology horror film has an effective wrap around segment Directed by Jeremy Kasten. It tells of a young woman (Virginia Newcomb) who is drawn to a rundown Theatre where a marionette-like man (Udo Keir) introduces the stories. The first is "The Mother of Toads" based on a story by H.P. Lovecraft, this bizarre tale tells of a couple in the outskirts of France who meet an old witch (Catriona Maccoll) who entices Martin (Woodward) with a real copy of the Necronomicon. Not all is what it seems and the cursed witch and her evil powers have a surprise waiting. This is the most atmospheric and scary segment of the entire movie. Directed by Richard Stanley mixes bizarre imagery and some gooey F/X into this standout segment. "I Love You" tells of Axel (Hennicke), a paranoid lover who wants one more chance with his wife (Suzan Anbeh) before he goes off and does something bloody to her. Directed by Buddy Giovinazzo this segment keeps your interest and plays it all for the end twist which is decent and bloody. "Wet Dreams' Directed by Tom Savini tells of Donnie (James Gill) who is having dreams he can't control. This dream within a dream segment has some intense gore scenes including limbs being pulled off on a rack and a good cast but isn't very fulfilling story wise. "The Accident" Directed by Douglas Buck is a serious drama piece told through the eyes of a young girl (Melodie Simard) who witnesses an accident on the road and tries to understand death. An art house segment that is thoughtful, but ultimately out of place in this collection of stories. "Vision Stains" Directed by Karim Hussain tells of a woman (Kaniehtiio) obsessed with other people's memories. She stalks them and kills them and drains their eye fluid and injects it into her own to see their memories and tell their stories. Nasty and not very much fun this is an experimental segment with a weak payoff. The final segment is "Sweets" which is an avant-garde piece by David Gregory that truly marches to its own tune. Greg (Guilford Adams) has been sucked into an unusual relationship with candy and dessert obsessed Estelle (Goranson) who has completely changed him. When the segment starts Estelle is leaving him and the blubbering Greg is desperate which leads to him coming to a dinner party where what is on the menu is truly depraved. The blood soaked and gory ending is an eye popper that caps off this truly bizarre story. It gets high marks for originality but may turn off many mainstream horror fans. This is a new form of anthology movie which has different Directors doing each segment. Like "The ABCs of Death", this makes for a rather unbalanced affair overall. The vision, style and type of story are so varied that no wrap-around story can tie them together. You will end up liking some and not others.