After seeing the new and more mainstream horror anthology THE THEATRE BIZARRE, I was hoping that its much lesser budgeted counterpart from Wild Dogs would be significantly better. And in the end, even with COIN performing better in many areas (not degenerating into gorno territory for one) I can't say that either stands as particularly great.
The movie begins with a promising wraparound of sorts which sets the stage for the rest of the stories. This sequence (aided by an animated short) creates much anticipation and suspense for what follows. Sadly what does follow (despite some great moments) doesn't live up to the film's simple (yet seemingly clever and original) premise.
The first segment in the film (centered around a young mother who is tormented by an eating disorder and killer dolls) is actually one of the better ones. If a bit predictable, this story is a decent enough start to the film. Next we get a tale about a hunting trip that naturally goes wrong. While this segment is full of some great shock and awe moments (and beautiful squibs) it ends in a rather bizarre, head scratching fashion. The other tales include a decent (if simple story) dealing with forces such as possession and revenge and a final segment about a neglectful babysitter.
On the plus side, the film is (second only to THE SCARLET WORM), probably the nicest looking of all Wild Dogs productions and (despite some weird moments perhaps due to budget) is superb on a purely aesthetic level. Aaron Stielstra's score is good as always and is appropriately haunting. Fredianlli proves once again he is a talented director (and excellent cinematographer too) with this film. That said, It's disappointing not to see a steady string of great films straight after the production company's biggest achievement (the aforementioned THE SCARLET WORM). If Fredianelli keeps with the formula of that film (the higher budget, quality of actors and script) Wild Dogs productions will no doubt be a force to be reckoned within the film industry.
