Like most horror anthologies, Tales of Halloween features a few stories that are stronger than the others, yet not a single one in this 2015 offering missed the mark completely. Containing ten segments (each by a different director) set on Halloween night, Tales of Halloween has it all; ghosts, witches, serial killers, aliens, and even a psychotic pumpkin!
Tying the various sequences together is the great Adrienne Barbeau, playing a radio DJ (an obvious tribute to Stevie Wayne, the character she portrayed in John Carpenter’s The Fog).
Among the more memorable segments are The Night Billy Raised Hell (with Barry Bostwick delivering a hilarious performance as a reclusive old man with a mean streak), The Weak and the Wicked (the most serious of the bunch, about a trio of bullies getting their just desserts), Friday the 31st (a satire of the Friday the 13th movies that takes things one step further), and Bad Seed (a killer pumpkin saga directed by Neil Marshall, who also helmed Dog Soldiers and The Descent).
Throw in a handful of fun cameos (Lin Shaye, Caroline Williams, Barbara Crampton, and director John Landis, just to name a few) and you have a horror / comedy you’ll be itching to watch every time October rolls around.
Rating: 9 out of 10
