Spoiler-lite. First things first, "Tom Holland's Twisted Tales" was not a TV series, but rather a web series of shorts which were made for FearNet. The budget is virtually non-existent and the acting ranges from really good (genre actors Angela Bettis, Danielle Harris, Ray Wise, James Duvall) to really bad (most everyone else, with a handful of exceptions). They were each shot in a matter of days (the longest, the 34 minute "Pizza Guy," had a 4-day shoot) and they're all really rough around the edges. If you're anticipating glossy made-for-cable production values, you will be sorely disappointed -- think 1988 straight-to-video horror and you've got an idea of what you're in for. That out of the way...
The now-70 year old writer/director Holland is a guy who really knows the horror genre but, like all anthology shows, it's sort of a mixed bag. The obvious standout is "Shockwave," the story of a group of friends who turn against each other to ensure their own survival at the end of the world. Despite the predictable ending, it's got the glossiest look and best acting of the bunch. "Fred and His GPS," "To Hell With You," "Boom" and "Cached" are all well crafted little tales that move at a fairly swift pace and have some nice performances. "Pizza Guy," the story of a girl who summons the devil only to have a mysterious pizza delivery guy arrive at the door, is much more involving than it probably has any right to be. Set in 1988 with a group of green actors who weren't even born until later, it's a taut little psychological thriller where you aren't sure if the (Jeff Spicoli wannabe) pizza dude's really the devil or the girl's insane.
The remaining three episodes are badly hampered by their budget. "Mongo's Magick Mirror" features the always-wonderful Ray Wise as the keeper of a magic portal to another world; it's worthwhile for Wise's performance, but the CGI often verges on painful. "Bite" has an interesting premise (a new drug turns its users into werewolves) but the cheapness of the production equaled poorly simulated carnage which thoroughly taints the entire affair. Finally there's "Vampire's Dance," a blatant homage to Holland's earlier "Fright Night," which takes place at a dance club populated by vampires and is more than a bit inscrutable.
Despite budgetary limitations and some predictable twists, this little horror anthology is a fun ride, though it's certainly nothing groundbreaking. And in an era when anthologies are a thing of the past, I'd love to see the "Untold Tales" leap from the pages of kindle and onto the computer/TV screen. With DVDs now available on Walmart shelves, perhaps they'll inflate the budget and give us a second season.
The now-70 year old writer/director Holland is a guy who really knows the horror genre but, like all anthology shows, it's sort of a mixed bag. The obvious standout is "Shockwave," the story of a group of friends who turn against each other to ensure their own survival at the end of the world. Despite the predictable ending, it's got the glossiest look and best acting of the bunch. "Fred and His GPS," "To Hell With You," "Boom" and "Cached" are all well crafted little tales that move at a fairly swift pace and have some nice performances. "Pizza Guy," the story of a girl who summons the devil only to have a mysterious pizza delivery guy arrive at the door, is much more involving than it probably has any right to be. Set in 1988 with a group of green actors who weren't even born until later, it's a taut little psychological thriller where you aren't sure if the (Jeff Spicoli wannabe) pizza dude's really the devil or the girl's insane.
The remaining three episodes are badly hampered by their budget. "Mongo's Magick Mirror" features the always-wonderful Ray Wise as the keeper of a magic portal to another world; it's worthwhile for Wise's performance, but the CGI often verges on painful. "Bite" has an interesting premise (a new drug turns its users into werewolves) but the cheapness of the production equaled poorly simulated carnage which thoroughly taints the entire affair. Finally there's "Vampire's Dance," a blatant homage to Holland's earlier "Fright Night," which takes place at a dance club populated by vampires and is more than a bit inscrutable.
Despite budgetary limitations and some predictable twists, this little horror anthology is a fun ride, though it's certainly nothing groundbreaking. And in an era when anthologies are a thing of the past, I'd love to see the "Untold Tales" leap from the pages of kindle and onto the computer/TV screen. With DVDs now available on Walmart shelves, perhaps they'll inflate the budget and give us a second season.