Director:
various
Studio/Production Company:
various
Genre:
Horror
Length:
Feature
Website:
http://www.thehorrorvault.net
Score:
3/5
While it is always nice to see someone utilizing the old school anthology format, this tactic comes with inherent issues. Very rarely are all of the films being anthologized of equal quality and presenting them side by side often only serves to accentuate the differences between them. So, audiences approaching “The Horror Vault”, a collection of nine international shorts, should not be surprised to find that some of the films are better than others.
The program begins with a nod to “Grindhouse”, presenting two ridiculously cheesy faux trailers, “The Executionator” and “Satan Claws” that are almost funny enough to hope that someone might try to expand them into features one day. The first episode of the proper program is “When John Met Julia” yet another stunning testament to the questionable activity of giving rides to strangers. Writer-Director Kim Sonderholm mounts a handsome production, sets the tone, does everything right but still winds up with a wildly “been there, done that” short film.
Most anthologies try to mix up the better films with the lesser films, leading the audience to slip into an optimistic mentality that seems to follow the rule, “if this one isn’t very good, the next one might be good.” In the case of “The Horror Vault”, the high point comes in episode number two, the one truly remarkable entry in the collection, “Delusion” by Mark Machillo which, beyond being a rich, engrossing story, is a marvel of production. The film, about a psycho in high society during the 40’s or ‘50’s, is exquisitely rendered in dazzling black and white and actually looks and sounds like it was shot during that period.
Another film, “Dead To The World” is an interesting, oddly compelling take on the Ted Bundy story without any consistent attention to period detail or facts of the case, in addition to taking an unmotivated visual/technical approach to the story.
After that film, things just sort of run out of steam and the quality of the remaining six films ranges from so-so to just okay.
The word on the street or online, anyway, that “The Horror Vault 2” is already hurtling towards release later this year and hopefully the mix will be more consistently high quality.
various
Studio/Production Company:
various
Genre:
Horror
Length:
Feature
Website:
http://www.thehorrorvault.net
Score:
3/5
While it is always nice to see someone utilizing the old school anthology format, this tactic comes with inherent issues. Very rarely are all of the films being anthologized of equal quality and presenting them side by side often only serves to accentuate the differences between them. So, audiences approaching “The Horror Vault”, a collection of nine international shorts, should not be surprised to find that some of the films are better than others.
The program begins with a nod to “Grindhouse”, presenting two ridiculously cheesy faux trailers, “The Executionator” and “Satan Claws” that are almost funny enough to hope that someone might try to expand them into features one day. The first episode of the proper program is “When John Met Julia” yet another stunning testament to the questionable activity of giving rides to strangers. Writer-Director Kim Sonderholm mounts a handsome production, sets the tone, does everything right but still winds up with a wildly “been there, done that” short film.
Most anthologies try to mix up the better films with the lesser films, leading the audience to slip into an optimistic mentality that seems to follow the rule, “if this one isn’t very good, the next one might be good.” In the case of “The Horror Vault”, the high point comes in episode number two, the one truly remarkable entry in the collection, “Delusion” by Mark Machillo which, beyond being a rich, engrossing story, is a marvel of production. The film, about a psycho in high society during the 40’s or ‘50’s, is exquisitely rendered in dazzling black and white and actually looks and sounds like it was shot during that period.
Another film, “Dead To The World” is an interesting, oddly compelling take on the Ted Bundy story without any consistent attention to period detail or facts of the case, in addition to taking an unmotivated visual/technical approach to the story.
After that film, things just sort of run out of steam and the quality of the remaining six films ranges from so-so to just okay.
The word on the street or online, anyway, that “The Horror Vault 2” is already hurtling towards release later this year and hopefully the mix will be more consistently high quality.