A different way of telling a story

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Blistering performances.

I have to admit that i'm slightly biased when it comes to horror anthologies. Being 9 years old and arguing with my nana at Jumbo Video because I was only allowed to rent 2 VHS movies at a time, Anthologies were always a win/win for me. To a 9 year old me, 4 short stories spread between 2 videos made 8 shorter videos essentially. So it came down to being a good mathematical choice. It also showed me from an early age that 15-30 mins were more than enough time to scare the living daylights out of someone. As well as more than enough time to establish a basic plot and likable characters. Anthologies and horror movies that centered around short stories quickly became my favourite type of movie. With that in mind, I tend to get way too excited when watching/reviewing anykind of the aforementioned movies.This movie was relatively unknown to me when I sat down to start watching it. I found this little gem while doing some research on Udo Kier for another article that I was writing and noticed it in his Acting creds. Upon further research, it seemed to have somewhat of a cult following and a love/hate relationship with people (as do most anthologies however). I found this film to be quite good. With that being said, let me dive right in.The Theatre Bizarre is comprised of 6 stories. 6 highly effective, stomach churning stories. Not your "average" horror stories by any means either. "The Mother Of Toads" sees a travelling couple crossing paths with a witch. "I Love You" deals with a lover pushed to his absolute breaking point. "Wet Dreams" is a warning for all abusive boyfriends ( with an absolutely amazing cameo by the one and only Tom Savini ). "The Accident" has a people witnessing just that. "Vision Stains" has a woman getting her fix in the most unthinkable of ways. "Sweets" is a warning that addiction is not always what it seems. These 6 stories frame the story that takes place in between segments, with Udo Kier playing the "cryptkeeper" if you will and leads into each tale of terror. This isn't an anthology for the faint of heart. Some of the topics include: infanticide, infidelity (with a giant frog no less), addiction and fetishes. The scares start off with Enola Penney (Virginia Newcombe) who seems obsessed with a decrepit old theatre across the street. After seemingly being beckoned inside, she sees a puppet on stage (Udo Kier) who begins to weave his twisted tales of lovecraftian vaginas (yes you read that correctly) and giant witch frogs that want to mate. Although some of the subject matter seems to be quite twisted and doesn't take itself to seriously, I guarantee there is at least 1 story in this movie that will stick with you long after the credits have stopped rolling.A little bit darker than your average tales of horror in the sense it's not good vs. evil, with good always coming out on top. Mostly, if not all, of these tales have an extremely bleak ending or dark sense of justice.This is another one of those movies best enjoyed with friends just for the sheer visuals portrayed in a few of the stories. "Wet Dreams" will definitely have you and your friends laughing out loud and "The mother of toads" is another one that causes either pure revulsion or gales of laughter.All in all a great escape into some horror that doesn't cause you to think too hard or follow a convoluted plot.Stay scared my friends.

This takes me back to horror anthologies like the ones Peter Cushing or Boris Karloff were in. I liked all the stories here. Each had its own tone. A lot of people did not like Richard Stanley's Mother of Toads but I felt it had an occult vibe I enjoyed. Dust Devil is one of my favorite movies, so I might be biased. Other stories like Sweets and Wet Dreams had a lot of gross yet visual appeal. The Accident is almost a zen-like peon to childhood horror and the reality of death. Others like I Love You and the one about the killer who injects herself with eyeball juice from her victims to see their memories are very dramatic and intellectual more than gross. If you want more cerebral horror with mystery that has decent acting, good music and lovely cinematography, then check this one out.

I briefly tasted the extravagance of "The Theatre Bizarre" nearly one year ago, during a modest genre festival in country. Halfway the second segment, however, there were some technical issues and everybody got reimbursed and had to leave the theater. It took me until now to re-watch the whole thing, but my expectations were quite high because I remembered quite a number of good things from my abruptly ended first viewing. "The Theatre Bizarre" is an anthology, and the one element that immediately determines whether or not an anthology is worthwhile is the wraparound story! This film features one of best wraparound stories, with some of the grimmest and most macabre scenery ever seen. A timid young girl is lured to the sinister and seemingly abandoned Grand Guignol Theater across the street of her apartment, where she's "friendly" welcomed by a marionette version of cult legend Udo Kier and numerous other grisly dummies. As the presented stories pass by, both Udo and the girl undergo a nightmarish metamorphosis. The wraparound is courtesy of Jeremy Kasten, the underrated director of one of the better horror remakes of the decade, namely "The Wizard of Gore". As usually the case with horror omnibus movies, some of segments are good, some of the segments are bad and some of the segments are just too plain weird and flamboyant to judge properly. Unfortunately none of the six tales qualifies as truly outstanding, but at least the segments "I love you", "Vision Stains" and "The Accident" rate as well above average. They are diverse stories with either original basic concepts or uniquely tense moments. "I love you" is a prototypic mini psycho-thriller, but benefices from the ravishing Suzan Anbeh and her monologues that will make every male viewer cringe. "Vision Stains" is about a woman who kills homeless/troubled women and injects their eyeball-fluids in her own veins to live their memories… Until she witness things she didn't want to witness. This little plot is inventive and genuinely horrific, but it could have used a better climax. "The Accident" is somewhat of an alien segment, as it's more of a melodrama instead of a horror story, but it features a wonderfully grim atmosphere and a couple of harrowing moments. The other three tales vary from mediocre to inferior. The first segment "Mother of Toads" is very H.P Lovecraft like, with creepy monsters and nasty make-up effects, but writer/director Richard Stanley totally forgot to tell a story. Tom Savini's "Wet Dreams" contains a few solid moments, but the plot is derivative and rather nonsensical. The final chapter "Sweets", somewhat a crossover between "La Grande Bouffe" and "Delicatessen", tries very hard to be artsy and controversial, but it's actually just ridiculous and preposterous. Recommended viewing for experienced and open-minded horror fanatics.

Horror anthologies were extinct I believe after Creepshow 2 so that was 1987. 20 years later the best little horror anthology was brought to us that was filmed four blocks from where I am typing this review. Yes I am talking about Trick or Treat filmed right here in Vancouver. This show just kicked ass and it has influenced filmmakers to jump back on board this horror sub-genre. I have to say the results have been pleasant and it is no different with this little stygian film. A couple of the stories were forgettable but if you hone in on " I love you " " Vision Stains " and " Sweets " well lets just say you will be darkly moved. In fact the lead actress from " sweets " stole the show and this particular segment reminded me of that creepy film from 1989 Society. Remember that one guys wow. Udo Kier is his usual ostentatious self as the host which is tantamount to the crypt-keeper. All in all a great effort but not for the faint of heart especially with " Sweets " Enjoy!!!!