I have always been a fan of horror anthologies since I first saw the film Tales From the Crypt so many years ago. One of my favorites have always been Creepshow which was one that mixed some comedy with the horror. What we have today is an anthology that has five films based each on one of the senses. I will be reviewing each chapter on it's own because really that's the only fair way to review this film. Sit back get relaxed and let the autopsy begin!
Smell: Seth recently had his wife leave, he's stuck in a dead end job and seems to be going nowhere. After a mysterious woman shows up on his doorstep to give him a sample bottle of some cologne. Things start to brighten up for him after using the cologne, he gets promoted and women seem to be hanging off him left and right. Trying to work things out with this wife things start to go sour as he gets caught up in his success. Things also start to go wrong everywhere he seems to spray the cologne, first it starts out as a black mark on his wrist then it begins to spread. Is the new found success worth his wife and his body?!
"Smell" Review: This was a pretty cool way to open the anthology. I thought the story started off a little bizarre and kinda comical especially when the mysterious woman shows up at his door. The humor fades quite fast then the story starts to get alot more dark. I really liked how they went with a dark tar or oil looking wounds that he gets from the cologne instead of your typical bloody and puss sores. It gets really cool towards the end when he starts to melt down and especially when the twist is revealed. This was a overall good chapter.
See: Unsatisfied with his own version of reality, an optometrist develops a
machine that can harness the visions of all of his patients. In an
attempt to show his favorite patient’s abusive boyfriend the error of
his ways, the doctor injects a series of viciously brutal images into
his mind, leading to a visceral bloodbath of reality and hallucinations.
"See" Review: This chapter of the anthology is more creepy than it is scary. The fact that it has an optometrist messing with people and stealing memories from them and making them into eye drops to use later on is creepy. Just think if you just did something that could be embarassing and then he steals your memories and now he is viewing what you did. I personally would feel violated if or when I found out. In the end though I actually liked that it went the more creepy route because it in ways makes you feel uneasy. The only bad thing is that I could see what was going to happen from a mile away. Which did not ruin the story for me. In the end this is a decent chapter.
Touch: After a car accident leaves him stranded in the middle of nowhere, a
12-year-old blind boy stumbles into the stomping grounds of a sadistic
serial killer. Using his memory and strong sense of touch, he must
navigate through the unfamiliar territory as the killer quickly closes
in.
"Touch" Review: This chapter is directed by Emily Hagins who was the focus of a documentary "Zombie Girl". I have seen her in that documentary as well as her first film "Pathogen" and even her film "My Sucky Teen Romance". Both of which I thought was good in their own ways. Now we have a chapter of this anthology from her and I must say she did a damn good job. Unlike her other work this one is very suspenseful and and had me on the edge of my seat. The pacing is great and for the most part the characters are good. Now the only problem I had was the actor they used for the killer, he also played as the boyfriend in the "See" film. He just doesn't work well in this role mainly due to his delivery of lines seeming too stiff. It could be the writing. Nonetheless this is still a good chapter filled with suspense.
Taste: A street-smart hacker is brought in for a job interview with a
mysterious corporation. He soon learns that the company is led by a
man-eater who has impeccable taste…and doesn’t take “no” for an answer.
"Taste" Review: This story in our array of senses is the most over the top of the bunch! First it has two characters from the two first stories and then it has the most sadistic boss ever. Lets just say if you are ever offered a job at a place that will not exactly tell you what they do I suggest you say yes and take it. This one is the shortest of the bunch, but it is the most insane and definitely the bloodiest. I wish there would of been more to it and I also wish it could of been a tad longer. Of the five it has the coolest story of the bunch.
Listen: While researching an urban legend about a song that’s long been thought
lost, a group of friends piece together all the existing recordings of
it, bringing it back to life for the first time in decades. Before long,
they discover the bone-chilling truth of what happens to anyone who
listens to it and why it was buried for so long.
"Listen" Review: This last one goes the "found footage" route and most the time I would be more like blah, but in this case I was up for it. Personally I think this one would of been cool as one of the stories in one of the V/H/S films. It has one of stories that starts out seeming like some innocent search for something that seems to be an urban legend and then turns out to be real and it sends the characters into madness as they dig deeper. I really like how it is a slow burner because it works it's way up to a damn good ending. Also I wanted to mention that there is a character mentioned at the end of "Taste" that is in this story. Overall this is my favorite story of the five and it's also the strongest of the bunch.
Overall this is a really cool anthology that I think most horror fans will get a kick out of. It has plenty of gore and some really good storytelling. If you like anthologies like V/H/S then I think you will enjoy this one! The only thing I found to be missing was a good wrap around story, but in ways they made up for it by interweaving characters throughout.
I give this film a 4 out of 5 scalpels!
-Daniel "Damnation" Lee
Director: Nick Everhart (Smell), Miko Hughes (See), Emily Hagins (Touch), Eric England (Taste), Jesse Holland &
Lead Actor/Actress: V/A
Genre: Horror
Blu-ray Release Year: 2013
Theatrical Release Year: 2013
Time Length: 88 mins.
Rating: Unrated
Region Code: A
Release Company: Shout! Factory/Scream Factory
Website:
www.shoutfactory.com
ADDITIONAL SCREENSHOTS:
I have always been a fan of horror anthologies since I first saw the film Tales From the Crypt so many years ago. One of my favorites have always been Creepshow which was one that mixed some comedy with the horror. What we have today is an anthology that has five films based each on one of the senses. I will be reviewing each chapter on it's own because really that's the only fair way to review this film. Sit back get relaxed and let the autopsy begin!
