Director: Michael Hoffman Jr. and Jason Daly
Year: 2003
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Anthology
Plot:
On the run from the law, the deranged story-teller working at a used-car lot finds his talents put to use telling a buyer about the various models he's interested in.
Review:
Charlie's Demons-Traveling to his therapists' office, a troubled man joins a group session in a run-down cabin out in the woods before finally getting aggravated about the whole affair. As a strange series of events begins plaguing the group, they soon realize that someone or something might be hunting them down and must try to get away alive. This one had a ton of potential and really could've been a fun indie slasher effort but falls slightly short of the mark. The whole setup of the patients out in the isolated cabin and being picked off with the creepy groundskeeper and the doctor in charge of the whole session which has a lot to like with the way it starts knocking everyone off in the later half. The problem is the simplistic setup that doesn't make any sense and the lengthy wrap-up that really takes a lot of the suspense out of the story. This one really could've been a lot more fun than it is.
Dennis Frye vs. The Zombies-Working in a convenience store, a lowly worker tries to make a relationship work with his new girlfriend only to have his high-school bully continually interrupt his attempts. When he accidentally unleashes a zombie plague through the store, he tries to protect her anyway he can. This was a rather enjoyable and highly goofy entry. There's a lot of fun to be had with their slightly overlong courtship which has some silly moments, and the idea of the zombie apocalypse being carried out only through the means of a gas station is quite appropriately played for laughs more than anything. It plays the loosest connection to the concept of the anthology which makes it quite an odd placement here but overall manages to be one of the more entertaining.
7:23-Stuck in the middle of the road, a lone traveler braving the elements finds himself forced into staying the night at a seemingly deserted hotel run by a creepy manager. Waking up in the morning to find his car missing and no means of transportation out, he slowly comes to realize what's really staying at the hotel with him. Frankly, this one really doesn't have much going for it. There's so little happening here with the focus either on him driving along the desert or wandering the halls of the hotel that this one feels insanely dull by comparison with an overlong running time building up a boring atmosphere. There's no real suspense about the situation and it doesn't generate any kind of action at all even with a few creepy images thrown in to pass this off as a horror entry. Beyond that, this one doesn't really work and has an even more tenuous grip on the concept of the anthology.
With several problems including being a little overlong due to a lengthy setup, some weak segments and no real grasp on it's conceptual theme, this one is a pretty weak follow-up to the decent original. Recommended only to those who prefer this kind of low-budget indie horror or a fan of the original installment as this won't be useful in winning fans over who haven't seen the first one.
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