I want to keep this review as brief as possible to prevent spoilers which is often hard to do with these compilation "Creepshow" style movies as the stories are really quite short and simple. A young lady enters a creepy theatre, it's dark and the only other audience members appear to be manikins. Stage lights flicker on and we are introduced to our host for the evening, as the young lady settles in her seat a marionette man (Udo Kier) pops up on the stage to tell the young woman 6 creepy tales.
1. Mother of Toads - A man travelling with his girlfriend is more interested in researching strange places for his work than spending time relaxing. While exploring a town market the man encounters an old lady who claims to have in her possession the actual Necronomicon. The offer to hold this ancient relic is too tempting to refuse so the man treks to the old ladies forested mountain top estate to the disapproval of his girlfriend. Very fun cool story sporting a healthy dose of Lovecraftian imagery, nudity, gore, and TOADS!!!!
2. I Love You - The drama spikes to an all time high when a woman confesses to her husband that she is leaving him. He picks and prods her to explain why begging for another chance. The more pitiful the man gets the harsher the woman acts, soon the situation deteriorates to a torturous level. There is a blanket of deep sympathy we can feel for both these characters because the situation feels so real, both have made mistakes and there's no real black and white good guy or bad guy the whole thing sits in a grey area. Fantastic chemistry between the actors, we're happy to be voyeurs on the situation, a fly on the wall so to speak.
3. Wet dreams - Directed by and starring Tom Savini wet dreams is the tale of an abusive unfaithful husband who has dug his grave and if he's lucky he might get to lie in it. Wet Dreams hits with a one two punch of plenty of nudity and great gore through this dream turned nightmare. This story gets real fucked up and marked the first but not last time I began to squirm with disgust and excitement at the Bizarre!
4. The Accident - A little girl learns about the harsh realities of death head-on. This story takes the movie in a strange new serious and realistic direction. It's not bad but it's a bit of a downer considering all the fun that's been happening up to this point. The Accident slams on the breaks for the whole feature, although it's good it feels really out of place.
5. Vision Stains - A nameless woman stalks alley's for eye juice of the local drugged up homeless populace. This was a strange story with some pretty disturbing imagery, wasn't the best of the lot, but it only lasted as long as it had to and didn't over stay it's welcome. If eye inflicted violence ain't your bag then this one was definitely made as a love letter to you.
6. Sweets - A woman with a food fetish sits down face to face with the boyfriend she's turned into a glutton. Fucking gross, I can't take that force feeding fetish stuff (especially when I've just eaten a little too much) without turning my stomach in knots, we see lots of grotesque flash backs of this descent into depravity the couple shared. This story is nasty beginning to end, on my full stomach I could barely endure the pleasure. If the rest was appetiser and main course 'Sweets' was the dessert. This was one of my favourites and ended the whole thing off on a great note, I was ready to puke in the best possible way!
If the above descriptions have you intrigued in anyway I highly recommend Theatre Bizarre, you sure as Hell can bet it lives up to it's name. And I just read there will be a sequel!!!!
