Throughout the month of August, I’ll be discussing anthology films, sharing reviews and recommendations. If you have any anthology recommendations, please contact me on Twitter. You can look through my Letterboxd list of anthology films I enjoy and those I want to watch.
Currently, there’s no shortage of horror anthology films on streaming sites. This is something I realized when I looked for movies to watch throughout the month. The trouble is that many are not very good. Or, at least how I would define “good.” I prefer the less corny anthologies. So, I’ve come up with four horror anthology films that I watched in August and found enjoyable. I didn’t put V/H/S/ on this list, even though I love it (and all 3 films in the series are free to stream), because I wanted to focus on films that a casual horror fan might not have seen, and also ones that were new to me.
Like all other “currently streaming” posts on my site, there will come a time when these films are no longer on the particular service. So please make sure to confirm that the film is still available, and if not, at least the post will serve as a recommendation for future watching. But as of 8/29/2020, all films listed are still available to stream.
The House That Dripped Blood
An anthology of four horror stories revolving around a mysterious rental house in the U.K.
Where to Watch: Prime, Tubi, Shudder
One of two films on my list that happened to be written by Robert Bloch, the author of Psycho. Excellent from start to finish, but the Sweets to the Sweet segment starring Christopher Lee was probably my favorite. I love an evil kid in a horror movie!
Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors
Aboard a British train, mysterious fortune teller Dr. Schreck uses tarot cards to read the futures of five fellow passengers.
Where to Watch: Tubi, Popcorn Flix
I loved this! Yep, another British horror on the list starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. Cushing plays Dr. Terror, who uses his tarot cards to reveal the fate of each man in his train car. Let’s just say he puts that Death card to use! Despite there being five stories plus the wraparound, I never found the film slow or bogged down. Instead, I was engaged with the stories and wanted to know what the cards would reveal. Lee’s segment, Creeping Hand, as well as his character, was probably my favorite, in which he plays a pretentious art critic. Plus Donald Sutherland is in the film!
Asylum
In order to secure a job at a mental institution, a young psychiatrist must interview four patients inside the asylum.
Where to Watch: Prime, Tubi
Asylum and the previous two films on the list were all made by Amicus Productions. Robert Bloch wrote the script for this one as well, and of course Peter Cushing stars. There’s not a bad segment here, and not even the dated special effects ruin the fun. As much as I love the little killer mannequin come to life in Mannequins of Horror (see pic below, right), my favorite segment was The Weird Tailor, which I found atmospheric and creepy.
Screamtime
A trilogy of three improbable stories of horror and the supernatural are combined into this low budget thriller: “That’s the Way to Do It,” “Dreamhouse,,” and “Do You Believe in Fairies?”
Where to Watch: Prime
I did not intend to only list British horror, but that’s what happened. This film was a random pick for me, and I was pleasantly surprised by it overall. Particularly so by the Dreamhouse segment, which was satisfyingly bloody with an appropriate nightmare-ish quality to it. I have to admit that prior to watching, I thought the film may be a low-budget mess. I found it fun despite its budget limitations. My friend Paul wrote a fantastic review of Screamtime, which you can check out here.
All photos courtesy of IMDB.com
I link to Letterboxd throughout. If you’re on Letterboxd, feel free to add me; I log all the films I watch.
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