Director: Peter Duffell
Year: 1971
Country: United Kingdom
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Anthology
Plot:
Tracking down a missing film star, an inspector finds that the last reported sighting was in a large mansion in the countryside. During the course of looking through the house, he is told four different stories about past residents of the house.
Review:
Method for Murder-Moving into the mysterious manor to get some peace and quiet while he pens his latest masterwork, a horror novelist and his wife are thrilled with the story, which centers around a serial strangler. After a series of strange accidents and experiences in the house, he begins to believe that the creation may have come to life and is haunting him and his wife. Probably one of the better entries in the film, it's easily the creepiest. The atmosphere here is what sets it apart. The scenes with the fictional character are genuinely creepy, the mystery surrounding him is really effective, and there's always a classic creep-out moment. The classic moment is the kill in the psychiatrist's office, which is an all-time high for creepiness. The build-up to it, with the creaking sounds, quick flashes of a mysterious being, and the thunder and lightning in the background, works well in this one's favor and really makes this one quite worthwhile all on its own.
Waxwork-Tortured by memories of his lost love, two friends both become infatuated with a statue of a woman in a Wax Museum. As the statue takes over their lives, they discover a shocking secret about the museum that haunts both of them. There's a clever premise here, and it does provide an excuse to spend time in a wax museum, which is always creepy. This is no exception, and it looks eerie, which is enhanced by the fluorescent lighting on the sculptures. A dream sequence provides a great moment of suspense, but what ultimately kills this one is the slow pace. It takes a long time for events to unfold, and most of the time is spent on exposition. It also builds up to a shock ending that can be seen coming from a mile away. Those really lower this one a bit. Had the twist been changed, it would've scored higher as the rest is acceptable.
Sweets for the Sweet-Moving into a new house, a widower hires a former school teacher for his young daughter while he's away on business. As she gradually begins to unravel a dark secret from her past, he becomes more vehement in his denials, and when she learns the true nature of what has happened, it's far more shocking than what she could've thought possible. With the creepiest outright plot and the biggest twist of the story, this is quite a pleasant entry. The mystery of the family is wonderfully played out, with small amounts of clues piled up here and there, and the final revelation is downright nerve-wracking. That part alone is the main reason why this one works, and Lee doesn't harm it either. Taking a little too long to get to the twist might be an issue, but this isn't all that damaging.
The Cloak-A veteran horror film actor becomes upset at the lack of realism on the set of his new film, causing him to go off and buy a new vampire cloak from a specialty store. The cloak soon turns him into a vampire, going crazy with co-stars on set and other vampiric acts at home. Unconvinced the cloak is the cause, he does everything he can to prove it's just in his imagination. This has a pretty decent premise, and there is plenty of opportunity for some decent scares, but what sinks it is several factors. First, it's just too goofy for its own good. The plot twist at the end is a perfect example, where it's so overdone that it's not really a shock at all and just comes across as plain silly. There are so few scenes of scares or attempted scares that it's just a bore to sit through. It's easily the weakest one in the film.
Overview: ****/5
A really decent Anthology entry in the series, this comes off rather well as a strong, solid anthology which works as either a standalone entry or as part of the other anthologies in the series. Those with an appreciation for the era of genre fare, who enjoyed the other entries in the series, or who are fans of the creative crew will have the most to like here, while most others out there should heed caution.
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