Two light-fingered movie fans pilfer some horror videocassettes from a Times Square video store and take them to a female friend's apartment to watch. After the films have finished, they fall prey to one of the movie's deadly characters that has mysteriously come to life.
I suspect that the New York wraparound story to this British horror anthology was added as an afterthought to make the movie more marketable in the States. A shame, because it's the only weak part of an otherwise very enjoyable compendium from Michael Armstrong, director of the infamous nasty 'Mark of the Devil', and Stanley Long, the man responsible for the saucy 'Adventures of ' series.
Tale one of three, 'That's The Way To Do It', stars Robin Bailey as ageing Punch and Judy man Jack, whose puppets take priority over his exasperated wife and angry teenage stepson Damien (Jonathon Morris). After Damien sets fire to Jack's puppet booth, a very upset Mr. Punch goes on a killing spree armed with his trusty piece of 2x4. An excellent way to start things going, this story benefits from solid performances and a very creepy puppet that repeatedly screams its nasal catchphrase while it bashes its victims to death.
Story number two is 'Dreamhouse', an excellent little supernatural chiller which creates a genuinely tense atmosphere and delivers an ingenious twist at the end. Yvonne Nicholson plays Susan, who moves into a new home with her husband Tony (Ian Saynor), where she experiences a series of bloody visions that make her believe that the house is haunted. The truth, however, is far more horrifying.
Last up is 'Do You Believe In Fairies?', which sees hard-up motorcyclist Gavin take a part-time job as handyman at a house owned by two apparently senile old women who believe that there are fairies living at the end of their garden. Gavin pays little attention to their silly stories, being more interested in where the old dears stash their money. With a little help from a pair of unscrupulous pals, Gavin breaks into the house at night, only to discover that the owners' fanciful tales are actually true, and that the little people aren't happy about their uninvited guests.
Ignoring the obviously tacked on bookend segments, this mostly forgotten UK horror obscurity is a consistently entertaining effort, one that really deserves a wider audience (a proper release on DVD might help—someone needs to get on to this ASAP!).
I suspect that the New York wraparound story to this British horror anthology was added as an afterthought to make the movie more marketable in the States. A shame, because it's the only weak part of an otherwise very enjoyable compendium from Michael Armstrong, director of the infamous nasty 'Mark of the Devil', and Stanley Long, the man responsible for the saucy 'Adventures of ' series.
Tale one of three, 'That's The Way To Do It', stars Robin Bailey as ageing Punch and Judy man Jack, whose puppets take priority over his exasperated wife and angry teenage stepson Damien (Jonathon Morris). After Damien sets fire to Jack's puppet booth, a very upset Mr. Punch goes on a killing spree armed with his trusty piece of 2x4. An excellent way to start things going, this story benefits from solid performances and a very creepy puppet that repeatedly screams its nasal catchphrase while it bashes its victims to death.
Story number two is 'Dreamhouse', an excellent little supernatural chiller which creates a genuinely tense atmosphere and delivers an ingenious twist at the end. Yvonne Nicholson plays Susan, who moves into a new home with her husband Tony (Ian Saynor), where she experiences a series of bloody visions that make her believe that the house is haunted. The truth, however, is far more horrifying.
Last up is 'Do You Believe In Fairies?', which sees hard-up motorcyclist Gavin take a part-time job as handyman at a house owned by two apparently senile old women who believe that there are fairies living at the end of their garden. Gavin pays little attention to their silly stories, being more interested in where the old dears stash their money. With a little help from a pair of unscrupulous pals, Gavin breaks into the house at night, only to discover that the owners' fanciful tales are actually true, and that the little people aren't happy about their uninvited guests.
Ignoring the obviously tacked on bookend segments, this mostly forgotten UK horror obscurity is a consistently entertaining effort, one that really deserves a wider audience (a proper release on DVD might help—someone needs to get on to this ASAP!).