Like all anthologies, it's a mixed bag. While I started off being a little disappointed by this one, by the end, I liked it much more.
What I liked is also a weakness that will frustrate many viewers. Most of the stories don't resolve everything you would like. There needs to be a certain amount of interpretation to finish off the stories. I feel this way when I read short stories. Usually the author likes to pack a punch into a single paragraph, and I need to read it several times to decipher what exactly has been revealed - or implied.
In the case of this movie, I actually liked this effect, and it may have been because the format made that approach make sense. We only see what the person shooting it created. We don't get to rely on third parties to offer explanations, or exposition to fill in the backstory.
I'll probably give plenty of spoilers, since these stories are very short, and most of the plot points are either obvious, or things that develop in the first couple minutes of a story.
The framing story is called Tape 56. A handful of thuggish meatheads are commissioned to break into someone's house, and steal a particular VHS tape. They don't know anything about the content, but the house seems to be mostly empty, except for a single room with a bunch of TVs, VCRs, and a dead guy sitting in a recliner. There's an ending to this frame, much like most anthologies. It isn't especially satisfying, but it's appropriate.
The first story is called Amateur Night. Three guys go out to a bar to pick up some girls, with the intention of filming their encounter. One of the girls passes out after they get to a motel room, the other one is really bizarre. I found the ending a little confusing, but there seems to be some speculation that the story involves a succubus. I don't think that's right. This story is decent, but it seems a little too obvious. There's a similar story in Trick 'R Treat, which was handled much better.
The second story is directed by Ti West, who also did The Innkeepers, which I obviously really love. This one is called Second Honeymoon. Like most of his work, it moves very slowly, and deliberately. The story is good, and I could imagine it being an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents or something like that. The ending isn't the spectacular twist that some have played it out to be, but it's certainly appropriate, and doesn't seem like a stretch.
The third story has a poor reputation, but there was something I really liked about it. Titled Tuesday the 17th, it starts off like most "dead teens in the woods" movies. There's a reasonable twist about halfway through, and I actually like the idea of expanding that premise into an entire movie. We're left with a lot of questions about the killer in this. IMDB lists that part as being "The Glitch" and the wiki page for the movie describes him as "a red-faced silhouette obscured by tracking errors." The killer seems strangely invincible, which isn't an approach that I like.
The next one is The Sick Thing That Happened to Emily When She Was Younger. This one is an excellent story, which somehow makes me think of Richard Matheson's short stories. The story has much more enjoyable photography, since it's portrayed as a series of Skype chats. The girl thinks that her apartment is haunted. I can't explain a lot of this story without detailing the entire thing, but I watched this segment twice, once in the movie, and once with Cathy. It's creepy, it's got a touch of gore, and the effect is fantastic. When the story ends, we are left with more questions. My one complaint is that this story doesn't make sense to appear on a VHS tape. Why would someone transfer a collection of Skype chats to a VHS tape?
The last story is titled 10/31/98. This one is a good, energetic one to end the movie on. A group of friends attend a Halloween party, but they find that no one seems to be in the house. After searching around for awhile, they find an exorcism - or something - being done in the attic. They decide to try to rescue the girl, and as they try to escape, the house seems to come to life. The effects in this sequence are fantastic. The arms coming out of the wall are seamless, and the audience is left just as confused as the main characters. The ending is a bit bleak, but it seems appropriate.
So, obviously I'm very happy with this anthology. I'm not sure if I'll buy it yet. It isn't as artistically pleasing as Trick 'R Treat is, but I wonder if my fondness for this one will grow over time. My enthusiasm for anthologies usually grows.
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