A horror anthology, courtesy of the Polonia Brothers, who shared directing credits with co-star Jon McBride. Van Roth (McBride) shows up on the doorstep of Jerome (Jeff Dylan Graham), a recluse who would be just as happy playing video games for the night. Van Roth's story is that his car broke down, and he needs some place to hang out until his friend comes to pick him up. Jerome reluctantly lets him in. To pass the time, Van Roth tells him four tales of terror.
In the first, Jenny Leighton (Holly Harrington) answers a junk mail ad by showing up at a haunted mansion. Something grisly is outside, and it's after her, and why not? She makes herself right at home by drinking whatever is available and luxuriating in a hot bubble bath. (These both rank as horror-film character no-nos.) As you might expect, things do not end well.
Next up: A couple of interns at a hospital (Brice Kennedy and Kimberlee A. Gibson) are understandably freaked out when a cadaver gets up and starts walking around. Kennedy and Gibson do a good job of milking the laughs in this one, but the punch line is from an old shaggy-dog story that used to get passed around in grade school.
Third on the docket is "Demon Forest", featuring Bob Dennis as a photojournalist who decides to go into the "Black Forest" (although the signage clearly says, "Blackwoods Forest") by himself and snap some photos. (This also ranks as a horror-film character no-no.) Dennis manages to keep a straight face while fending off an assortment of monsters that range from the ridiculous to the grotesque. (The monsters are courtesy of Brett Piper, who created all the special effects.)
Finally, we get to "Christmas in July", which may give you SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT flashbacks, but the ax-wielding Santa Claus is where the similarity ends. A young girl (Courtney Marie) keeps seeing him as he edges closer to the house. When she urges her dad (Mark Polonia) to come see for himself, naturally St. Nick has absconded. The sequence ends with a surprise gift.
The wrap-around sequence reaches its denouement, and the credits mercifully roll. This is another Polonia-Brothers straight-to-video cheapie, directed with myriad close-ups and motionless camera shots. (The action sequence in the hospital at least suggests some movement.) Dennis, Kennedy and Gibson give it a game effort, helping this turkey escape the dreaded 1-out-of-10 rating, with especially strong support from Courtney Marie (Polonia) who manages to engender some sympathy within the construct of a Santa-as-Killer blackout sketch. (My favorite line: "Christmas is six months away: It's July.")
If you find yourself trawling through the bargain bin at Wally World, you'll be happier picking up a used copy of TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE: THE MOVIE, and that's not saying much.
