This is the latest horror anthology from Shudder done by black writers, directors, and actors. Some of the stories are definitely better than others as expected. Is there a complete dud in the entire film? No. Did I expect something more? Absolutely. The film starts with The Lake, a story about a teacher who seems to have mysterious past. It starts off a little slow, but once it gets going, it can be quite fun. Then we have Brand of Evil, an artist who takes a graphic design work from a mysterious caller offering him generous payment instead of finishing his mural for the local community. I personally like this one as it's less serious and has more comedic tone to it. Bride Before You is the one that's hard to get into. While it has some interesting ideas involving family curse, it doesn't quite stick the landing to me. Fugue State features Tony Todd in it but suffers from the same issue as the previous segment. It's going for campy direction but falls flat. Thankfully, the last two stories are the strongest. While Daddy is predictable, it's still a solid father protecting his child story with some genuine emotional moments. Sundown is a good way to end this film. It's a fun vampire story with good bits of comedy and action. There's no wraparound story which is quite odd. My favorites are Brand of Evil, Daddy, and Sundown. If you're a fan of horror anthologies, this one's definitely worth your time.
Review by CaesarBlockedParent2021-10-29T10:19:36Z
This is the latest horror anthology from Shudder done by black writers, directors, and actors. Some of the stories are definitely better than others as expected. Is there a complete dud in the entire film? No. Did I expect something more? Absolutely. The film starts with The Lake, a story about a teacher who seems to have mysterious past. It starts off a little slow, but once it gets going, it can be quite fun. Then we have Brand of Evil, an artist who takes a graphic design work from a mysterious caller offering him generous payment instead of finishing his mural for the local community. I personally like this one as it's less serious and has more comedic tone to it. Bride Before You is the one that's hard to get into. While it has some interesting ideas involving family curse, it doesn't quite stick the landing to me. Fugue State features Tony Todd in it but suffers from the same issue as the previous segment. It's going for campy direction but falls flat. Thankfully, the last two stories are the strongest. While Daddy is predictable, it's still a solid father protecting his child story with some genuine emotional moments. Sundown is a good way to end this film. It's a fun vampire story with good bits of comedy and action. There's no wraparound story which is quite odd. My favorites are Brand of Evil, Daddy, and Sundown. If you're a fan of horror anthologies, this one's definitely worth your time.