Anthology horror is one of the hardest genres in horror to nail, but Ryan Spindell delivers a perfect mixture that relishes in its own nasty story-telling, just right for Halloween around the corner…..
WOW!
Word of mouth has been spreading among horror fans about just how good The Mortuary Collection is and now its dropped on Shudder for all to see, I must be honest and say, believe the hype.
Anthology horror is becoming quite popular again over the last few years with a few managing to deliver the goods, while others failing by offering limp storylines to go with its idea. The relaunch of CREEPSHOW as a TV Show has added to the growing trend, but director Ryan Spindell has created a benchmark here for all to follow.
The last time we had an anthology tale set in the morgue was with John Carpenter and his cult 90’s hit Body Bags and its a perfect setting to bring the tales to life, added with an Adams Family type Victorian house as a setting and the deep vocal tones of Clancy Brown, who plays Montgomery Dark the mortician who is seeking assistance in the work place which attracts the interest of Sam (Caitlin Custer).
Its here that while showing Sam around the place that with each dead body, he tells the story in how they got there, resulting with a rare instance in anthology of the narrative wonderfully flowing as the main story arc and that it does not interfere with the numerous tales.
To be honest, the first tale Medicine Cabinet starring Christine Kilmer is the weakest and yet the shortest of the tales, its a silly piece that may have you doubting what’s to come, but the fact that having been told the story, Sam also questions its stupidity, we realise the film itself is self aware of what its offering and we are already starting to get onboard.
The second story Unprotected features Jake (Jacob Elordi) and Sandra (Ema Horvath) and is the perfect short into why everyone who decides to have sex, should wear a condom.
Till Death is the most morbid of them all and yet also the one dipped most in the most blackest of macabre as we see a man (Barak Hardley) struggling to care for his terminally ill wife (Sarah Hay) with the results both terrifying and hilarious at the same time.
The final film, The Babysitter Murders which is a nice nod to the Halloween franchise, is my favourite of the entire film and is worth the watch just for this segment. A babysitter watching a scary movie while news reports show of a an escaped mental patient on the loose, may offer horror clichés, but its wonderfully done and contains a fantastic sting and gruesome last image that leads us to the eventual finale of the film itself.
Everything about The Mortuary Collection works and its to the credit to Spindell that he has created such an impressive bit of work. The sweeping landscape of the town and the eerie feeling, makes you feel like you are in Stephen King’s Castle Rock and as the film ends on a quite lovely horrific note and wraps up the woven storyline, there is hope we can once more return to this new found land of horror and for this horror fan, it will be a most welcome horrible…treat!
Hacked 2 Pieces 