A look at 9 classic and contemporary horror movie anthologies that chill the blood
There’s nothing like a good horror omnibus, those dark, deep, delicious multi-story features that pack in massive casts and frissons into their running times.
The golden age of the horror anthology was certainly the 1970s (though 1945’s Dead of Night still stands as the grandfather of the sub-genre), with an endless spate of “more bang for your buck” portmanteu’s spewing out of drive-ins and hard tops around the world. That popularity cycled down eventually – as most trends do – in the 1980s and audiences lost interest, mostly due to the home video and pay-TV boom giving people access to as many feature films as they wanted for reasonable prices, leaving little patience or demand for “short films.”
And that’s what anthologies are, really. Collections of short films, connected by some sort of thread or narrative glue. Perhaps this is why, in recent years, we’ve seen an influx of anthology films coming from the filmmaking fringes (Southbound, Tales of Halloween, Late Night Double Feature). In this media soaked age, attention spans are smaller and so are wallets. People want as much “stuff” as they can get and indie producers know this and exploit the economics of that accordingly.
In honor of this recent anthology influx, we’re digging up 9 of our favorite multi-tale spine-shakers that have stood – and will stand – the test of time.
Tell us your favorite horror anthologies in the comments below…
Anthology Horror
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Tales of Terror (1962)
Roger Corman's third Richard Matheson-scripted Poe film is a lush, Gothic and wildly fun trilogy of tales starring Vincent Price. The best story is the centerpiece, a comedic take on "The Black Cat" with a dose of "The Cask of Amontillado" laced within, in which a loutish Peter Lorre faces off against his win-drinking rival, played by a gloriously mugging Price. A classic piece of Corman camp and a fine anthology.
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Black Sabbath (1963)
Italian director Mario Bava's visionary (even Bava's lesser titles fall under the V-word category) anthology is packed to the peak with portent and shivery Gothic frissons. The Boris Karloff (who also hosts the wraparound) segment "The Wurdulak" is scary, but the quasi-zombie story "A Drop of Water" is shattering.
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Asylum (1972)
When it comes to classic anthology horror, the name Amicus has considerable weight. The British studio was known for their omnibus horror and Asylum is one of their best. In it, a doctor (Robert Powell) interviews for a position at a looming mental institution lorded over by a wheelchair bound psychiatrist (Patrick Magee). As he meets some of the more dangerous patients, each of their tales is re-enacted and are in fact adaptations of Robert (Psycho) Bloch stories. Hammer vet Roy Ward Baker directs with good taste and the film boasts a cast that includes Peter Cushing, Herbert Lom and Barry Morse. Grand fun.
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Tales from the Crypt (1972)
The original and best authorized attempt to bring the pulp shock of EC comics to screen, this amazing Amicus classic still packs a putrid punch. An all-star cast including Sir Ralph Richardson, Joan Collins, Patrick Magee and Peter Cushing and lurid direction by Freddie Francis help make the movie memorable and the film is relentlessly morbid.
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Tales that Witness Madness (1973)
Although directed by the great Freddie Francis and shuffled within the wave of Amicus anthologies, Tales that Witness Madness is not an Amicus film. A trashy, sleazy romp with standout faves including "Mr. Tiger" (a graphic quote on Bradbury's "The Veldt") and Mel, in which Joan Collins is jealous of her husband's love affair...with a tree. Underrated and rarely discussed, Madness delivers the goods.
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Trilogy of Terror (1975)
TV horror master Dan (Dark Shadows) Curtis' immortal anthology sees the late, great Karen Black essaying three roles in three very different stories, penned by William Nolan and based on stories by Richard Matheson. The first two are servicable, but the last - an adaptation of Matheson's "Prey" - is a masterclass in suspense and pre-dates the myriad "doll horror" movies to come. Watching Black face-off against that malevolent Zuni fetish doll is ludicrous and scary.
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Creepshow (1982)
George A. Romero and Stephen King's maniacal salute to EC Comics is still the gold standard by which all Grand Guignol anthologies must be measured. 5 nasty, campy and stylishly cruel tales of vengeance and terrible twists of fate framed by the inky horror comic book pages that inspired the entire enterprise. A perfect horror film and not a dud story in the pack.
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Nightmares (1983)
Originally intended for the small screen, Joseph Sargent's lively and slick '80s omnibus is best remembered for the Emilio Estevez, arcade-horror story "The Bishop of Battle". But all of the tales have merit (especially the ridiculous and awesome "Night of the Rat") and the entire film is tons of fun.
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Southbound (2015)
Ingenious contemporary anthology horror film featuring a wealth of deftly connected tales centered around the highway to hell. Macabre, funny, violent and gory, this is full-throttle entertainment.
