Tales from the Other Side – Tidy Anthology
Director: Scotty Baker, Jamaal Burden, Jacob Cooney, Lucas Heyne, Pablo Macho Maysonet IV, Frank Merle, Kern Saxton
Writer: Scotty Baker, Gordon Bressack, James Cullen Bressack, Jamaal Burden, Jacob Cooney, Pablo Macho Maysonet IV, Zack Ward (Screenplay)
Starring: Roslyn Gentle, James Duval, Vernon Wells, Brandon Thane Wilson, Michael Broderick, Chelsea Vale, Mike Silva, Blayke Rose, Nick Principle
Plot: Three kids sought out to have the most legendary Halloween night ever. Their Trick-or-treat adventure brings them to the home of the local town legend “Scary Mary”. Legends say that she is a woman of pure evil, but one thing is for certain – She knows just the right spooky tales to give these three kids the scare of their life. Sharing six unique stories that will lead the children down a mysterious path to the unexpected.
Runtime: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Thoughts on Tales from the Other Side
Scary Mary (D. Pablo Macho Maysonet IV) – Scary Mary follows sibling trick or treaters with youngest being left to enjoy the night in a smaller group, Nancy, Tina and Rod stumble upon the town’s house with the biggest scariest history, the Scary Mary (Gentle) home. Mary invites the youngster into her home, where she tells the scary stories. This will serve as the arcing side to the stories we dive into. Scary Mary does work very well as the overarching part of the film, giving us little hints of what is to come along the way. 4/5.
Flicker (D. Scotty Baker) – Flicker starts as Carter (Wilson) is attending the funeral of his high school friend, when he gets approached by the abrupt William (Wells) to offer him a role as the editor for the funeral videos for life celebrations. The catch for this job is that Carter must work through the night, on site in the funeral home, only for the haunting throwing Carter into a spiral of paranoia. Flicker does up the scare factor, with some excellent ideas being put together, only it does end up getting cut too short. 3/5.
Krampus Vs Elf (D. Jamaal Burden) – Krampus Vs Elf follows a family being told the story about Krampus and Elf fighting, with puppets fighting off. This is easily the weakest of the series, too short, poorly shot and could easily not have been involved in the film. 1/5.
Petrified Booy (D. Jamaal Burden) – Petrified Boy sees a lawn yard sale seeing a group of youngsters looking to buy the mysterious item, the Petrified Boy, where they learn the horrific story behind the item and what the Ringleader used to show off the disfigured boy as his circus act, where he created a massive reputation around country, until disaster happens, seeing the circus burn down, with the stories being create as to why Petrified Boy became such a popular item in folklore. Petrified Boy is more of a story, circling around a what if in the history of an event, rather than bringing anything to light. 2/5.
Crystal Ball (D. Jacob Cooney) – Crystal Ball follows a young couple Abby (Vale) and Jonas (Nightmare) who find themselves in a fortune tellers’ tent, looking to have their fortune read as a chance of adventure. This will see the pair steal the crystal ball, taking it home, seeing Abby start to believe she is seeing things around the home, putting the two through an even bigger nightmare situation, which will test their already weaken relationship. Crystal Ball does go in a very good direction, one that could once again have been longer in the future. 3/5.
Blood Red (D. Frank Merle) – Blood Red follows an aspiring artist Terry (Johnson) who finds himself meeting one of his idols wives Ruby (LaCohie) who makes him an offer he has no way of winning from, as he learns that his previous work has caused him a reputation in this world. Blood Red is more of a thriller, that doesn’t get to have the impact it could easily have. 2/5.
Either/or (D. Lucas Heyne & Kern Saxton) – Either/or follows an asylum resident Elijah (Duval) who believes that God is testing him, with the other residents, with Elijah believing he needs to help the world see God once again, as his doctor Arywitz (Cornelisse) as she looks to find the answers behind his claim. Either/or will balance the discussion of religion and mental health, showing how people will be torn into many different beliefs through the eyes of Elijah. 3/5.
Final Thoughts – Tales from the Other Side is a tight anthology that needed more time to let the stories grow.
