Tales of Halloween

Tales of Halloween

In this horror anthology, a small town faces Halloween in a way that few others do, as it seems the entire town goes crazy.  There's ten short films directed by eleven of the best and up-and-coming horror directors out there, and all tied together through the soothing voice of a radio DJ, played by Adrienne Barbeau - in a classic homage to her DJ character from the classic "The Fog."

"Sweet Tooth" centers on a child and his babysitter and her boyfriend, who warn the kid not to eat all his candy and to share it with Timmy, a murderous spirit of a child who craves candy on Halloween.  It's a slick, fun, delightfully gory entry and a great way to start off the anthology - A-.

"The Night Billy Raised Hell" tells the story of young Billy, who is bullied into egging his neighbor's house, unaware of who really lives inside.  It's an extremely humorous short that takes the "trick" in trick-or-treat a bit too far.  Plus there's a hilarious cameo by Adrienne Curry as herself - A-.

"Trick" centers around two couples who hand out candy for Halloween, but find themselves the target of little hellions.  At first it seems that they're marked for no reason, but the truth comes out later.  It's a creepy entry that does very well with the gore and shows the darker side of the human psyche - A-.

"The Weak and the Wicked" centers around three hoodlums who do far more than just egg houses on Halloween, and target a young man who has a special guardian angel on his side.  It's an alright addition, nothing great, but the makeup effects were pretty amazing - B.

"Grim Grinning Ghost" is the shortest of the shorts, and features a woman walking home alone being chased by an evil spirit.  Horror icon Lin Shaye has a cameo and the ending is pretty spooky - B+.

"Ding Dong" is by far the oddest entry, and seems to tell a more updated version of Hansel and Gretel, but it really doesn't make sense.  Although it does star Pollyanna McIntosh, fresh off her role as Jadis from "The Walking Dead," so that was neat - C+.

"This Means War" tells a deeper story than first imagined.  On the outside it's a simple story of two neighbors feuding over their Halloween decorations, but there's a deeper meaning dealing with old school Halloween versus new school, and which side would win out.  It's pretty entertaining, and full of dark humor - A-.

"Friday the 31st" finds a hapless woman running for her life from a Jason-style killer, which is only the beginning in this totally offbeat addition.  It's wonderfully delightful, gives a different look into the slasher genre, and includes the cutest - yet deadliest - alien ever - A.

"The Ransom of Rusty Rex" focuses on two kidnappers who abduct a rich man's son and demands a ransom - until they find out they didn't kidnap the man's son, but something much darker.  It's a humorous tale that features two horror standouts - Samuel Witwer (of "Being Human" fame) and Jose Pablo Cantillo (Martinez from "The Walking Dead") - A.

"Bad Seed" finds the town frightened by a sentient, killer pumpkin who's tired of being carved every year.  It's a spectacular story filled with surprisingly decent effects and a special nod to a classic horror movie that any horror fan will recognize - A. 

The Summary:
Blending dark humor, terrific gore and all the joys of Halloween, "Tales of Halloween" is a great anthology series that should be enjoyed every Halloween.

The Score: A-