The Penny Dreadful Picture Show (2013) User Reviews

You're invited to the undead movie party...

[paul_haakonsen · 4/10 · 20 February 2014]

"The Penny Dreadful Picture Show" was essentially a snooze fest wrapped up in an interesting packaging.

This is not really a movie as per se, but more something in the likes of "Creep Show" - an anthology of short stories if you will.

The opening segment of "Slash in the Box" was just downright embarrassing to watch. The story was non-existent and it was just toe-curling to witness.

On to the second segment which is titled "The Morning After", it is a vampire story unlike most others. That being said, then it was lacking conviction, impact and turned out to be just plain.

The last segment is titled "The Slaughter House", and that was actually the best of the entire experience. It was a nice treat to have Sid Haig and Jeffrey Combs appear in this segment. This sort of was like a low budget parody on "House of 1000 Corpses", whether intentional or not, I do not know. It wasn't particularly outstanding, but compared to the other two segments, then this was a bright star.

What made it actually interesting was the intermissions with Penny and the run down movie theater. There was really a nice feeling to this and a lot of details put into this.

The overall experience was less than mediocre. And for an addition to the horror vault, then "The Penny Dreadful Picture Show" was a fairly weak addition.

One of the Best Anthology Films You Are Not Seeing

[mayhem2080 · 4/10 · 27 June 2014]

The penny dreadful picture show I am not a fan of anthology films I barely remember the Creepshow films(82/87/06) and I could barely stand Trick or Treat (07) and the one I loved was a Tales from the Crypt anthology which seemingly was presented as a movie in which a magician had nine lives due to a cat barely seen on HBO as far as I can remember. At first the origins of Penny Dreadful and her cohorts are mysterious and vague but later on in the movie they kind of grow more engulfed but never are fully laid out which is probably a good thing. The first story is a short having to do with a jack in o box and is short of stature but full in effect as it takes a seeming less toy from childhood and make it monstrous but doesn't fully give away where the story may go. The Second Story is of something we see quite often in our pop culture but it takes it back in time to the 70's and tries to present it in a whole new light. It's not revolutionary but a decent premise on how to go about such a topic. The Third story is the gem of the ball and it takes the classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Meets The Strangers and A House of 1,000 Corpses and turns it all on it's head. You think you know about all these stories but you don't know for sure. In the end I found myself pretty delighted for watching such a film but still not absolutely in love. It was something good and decent to watch but it didn't reinvent the genre but it was still fun and worth a watch. I commend these films cause they take actors like Sid Haig (House of 1,000 Corpses/The Devils Rejects/Halloween) and Jefferey Combs (Re-Animator 1&2/The Frighteners)and Barry Ratcliffe (Dorothy and the Witches of OZ and other films) A platform to keep performing their craft where as other productions companies would not have them. In the beginning of watching this film I was prematurely sure it was going to be a colossal waste of time but by the end I was delighted and thought it as a throwback to 70's/80's early horror at least and worth at least a view if any one was so inclined. Eliza Swenson's makeup is fantastic and if you'd like more of her she's fantastic in the mini-series The Witches of Oz which was shortened to the feature film Dorothy and the Witches of Oz and IMDb her and the other actors for more titles.

Beautiful, glorious connecting story...terrible segments

[moonmonday · 5/10 · 21 August 2016]

Out of all the anthology films I've seen, I've never really seen one that I can recall at the moment where I enjoyed the connecting story more than any of the individual segments. That was the case here, where Eliza Swenson's Penny Dreadful really stole the show, with her two fun friends and magnificent theatre.

These three truly make the viewer want to get through it just to see more of them and their antics. They're legitimately charismatic and likable, legitimately fun, and I cannot applaud them and their performances enough; they're superb.

Unfortunately, all of the segments are varying degrees of disappointing, and all in pretty much inexcusable ways. The first is barely existent, and it's disappointing even then. The second has an appealing aesthetic, but it has no reason to adopt such a look, and it ultimately doesn't add anything to the story. The third is just painful and a real chore to get through.

It's a real shame that none of the segments were any good, despite acting that was at least acceptable, interesting direction and aesthetic composition, and solid cinematography. Honestly, the only acceptable part of this film was the connecting story, which is usually nothing but a perfunctory excuse for the segments in almost any other anthology film.

The second segment was the closest it got to being good, but even it really fell apart and took far too long to go nowhere. The aesthetic was breathtaking and the performances good, but ultimately it wasn't enjoyable.

Really, the film itself just wasn't enjoyable overall. Penny and her friends are worth watching, but I'd advise you to just skip through the film and watch them instead of the segments. Especially that last one. Whew.

It would also have been nice to have the segments take a similar amount of time, rather than one barely a few minutes long, a significantly longer second one, and then a third that felt as long as Berlin Alexanderplatz.

I can't really recommend this to anyone unfortunately, but I do hope that we see Penny and her friends again. If she manages to get some better segments to host, that would be a real joy. I wanted very much to like this movie, but the plain truth of the matter is that, well...I didn't.

Dreadful is right

[avenuesf · 1/10 · 18 March 2014]

I love independent horror and I own a number of Rob Zombie's films, but this audaciously inept piece of crap was an incredible waste of two hours of my life. Whoever wrote the script to this rambling, confused mess should have ended up as one of the movie's victims. Now that video has become affordable for anyone, there are so many incredibly bad straight-to-DVD films to have to wade through to find anything worth watching; this is yet another one of those to skip. The most frustrating thing I encountered while viewing this - along with the rambling, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink plots - was the atrocious audio. This is another film that was mixed to continually drown out the dialog in favor of the film's music and sound effects. Half of the feature was unintelligible. Eliza Swenson, who plays Penny Dreadful, the "hostess" of the film's banal two features, is a good actress. She's way too good to be wasting her time on drivel like this. Horrible. The massive amount of straight-to-video productions are churned out as quickly as possible, show very little talent, and will do anything they can to pull in another buck. IMDb user's reviews on these films are full of "outstanding" reviews that were written by the directors' friends and family.

Don't listen to the others

[bigurn01 · 2/10 · 6 February 2014]

well i just sat through this god awful movie just don't get the other reviews what are these people on? If the other reviewers really believe that this was a good movie then there are more in need of help than those who put there name on the credits.PLEASE don't waste your time on this low budget poorly acted unimaginative rubbish. People who recommend this sort of dire film have no respect for your time which you will not get back.If your sane AVOID AVOID AVOID. go find some paint and watch it dry......far more entertaining. I gave this movie 2 but think that a little over generous must be getting soft in my old age. To compare this to Elvira is harsh on Elvira they ain't great but they better than this and Elvira got a better rack.

a good entry-level horror movie

[tmz_99 · 7/10 · 24 February 2014]

This movie basically has 4 plot lines running through it, the main plot (featuring Penny Dreadful) which acts as the showcase for the three other short movies.

The first movie is only minutes long and feels out of place in terms of length and quality against the other two.

The second and third movies are longer and the acting is solid, although both the premise and the level of horror/gore appear to be something aimed at a more teen audience, similar to the popular "Goosebumps" books.

It's probably a good ''family horror'', something you could watch with younger/more squeamish/easy to frighten viewers to introduce them to the genre. That being said, it's an enjoyable watch, what it is lacking in fright and gore it makes up for in production values and originality.

Penny is the new transition

[true-lady · 8 October 2013]

I love Penny she makes ever transition into the next movie, with a twist...love! She is the new Elvira which the world has been missing, Tales from the crypt and Tim Burton would fall in love with her, as i did... The film anthology is what I have been missing... Great Halloween Tale for those who love great tales...... Eliza Swenson, Leigh Scott, Al Snow, Brandon Stacy, John Wells, Joshua Hammond, Kristina Paige, Collin Gaylean, Barry Ratcliffe, Jeffery Combs, and Sid Haig are amazing!

I was amazed to see how each film transitions into the next with Penny and quest for true love. Its the classic transition from the past of Elvira and the Crypt keeper, Penny is lovable with a lust for blood, death, well its something awesome I love her!

We have a guest...

[lojitsu · 6/10 · 12 January 2018]

A-Z Horror Movie of the Day..."The Penny Dreadful Picture Show" (NR - 2013 - US)

Sub-Genre: Slasher/Anthology My Score: 6.0

Cast=5 Acting=4 Plot=6 Ending=6 Story=6 Scare=5 Jump=6 F/X=7 Blood=8 Anthology=7

Daffy undead gal Penny Dreadful, her smitten zombie buddy Ned, and lycanthrope Wolfboy relate three tales of terror in an old rundown movie theater.

"You have to be on your best behavior...we have a guest." I guessed I would enjoy this and I guessed right. If you would have guessed like the rest and thought this wasn't the best, show a little zest and be my guest. If you thought I said it was the best, I confess it was in gest...but it's not like the rest. There were shades of tales from the crypt or Elvira...it made for a fun anthology filled with blood and a few laughs.

YOU CAN EAT MY CAT BUT YOU CAN'T EAT MY BOYFRIEND!

[nogodnomasters · 9/10 · 27 May 2019]

Penny Dreadful clocks in at 100 minutes and not the 87 minutes on the DVD cover. It consists of two films and a short hosted by Penny Dreadful (Eliza Swenson) a cross between Elvira and Creep Show.

The features are basic combinations of horror, twists, and humor. The first film is set in 1968 with a woman forgetting what happened the previous night. As she examines her neck for bite marks, we get an idea where this feature goes. This was certainly the lesser of the two films within the film as the second production features Sid Haig as a store owner. The plot was a nice combination of TCM and "House of a 1,000 Corpses." Good twist.

I would like to see more of Penny Dreadful and her "Creep Show" features.

Parental Guide: F-bomb. Brief sex and brief nudity

Campy but fun

[NamesAshHousewares · 7/10 · 21 December 2018]

This is quite the campy film. It is definitely the kind of movie to put on if there's nothing decent to watch or if you want a laugh. It's definitely not for everyone, especially if you're expecting intense horror films. My favorite story is The Morning After. I did not like, however, that the trailer for the film includes clips from a short film that isn't included in the anthology. I would love for them to revive this project with a bigger budget and to include the film in the trailer.

Likely in my Top 10 of 2013...

[Freshslatepictures · 9/10 · 11 October 2013]

If you like anthology movies, or enjoy quality horror and original ideas, this movie is for you.

There are 3 segments, held together by the over-arching Penny story, which was directed by Leigh. I'll start with her. Eliza Swenson NAILS it as Penny. From the moment she graces the screen, I want to see this character more. She is dreadfully underused (and that's saying a lot, considering that she got a fair amount of screen time).

Her "sidekicks", a zombie and werewolf, also help deliver some wonderfully macabre humor, throughout. All three of her guests do their roles justice. The more cliché "jock" who seems a bit too old to still be wearing his letterman's jacket. My favorite has to go to John Wells, though. As he delivers a fantastically awkward performance, where his nerves wont allow him to stop talking. Very reminiscent of many high school memories. Kind of depressingly reminiscent, actually. But in a very entertaining way. The end also ties back into the first segment, which...

Was a short directed by Everheart, "Slash in the Box." A fun little short, that I believe I've seen before, though I can't place exactly where. Either way, I like it. And it delivers both laughs and chills in a very short amount of time.

Next was a segment directed by Swenson, that I found enjoyable enough. Swenson delivered as a Director, for certain, as did the cast and concept. I simply couldn't get into the 60s vibe of it all. Maybe it's because I was born in the late 80s; perhaps because I'm just not a fan of the time period, but here you can tell that the cast and crew ARE. And for a lot of horror fans, this time period is one that deserves a great amount of respect -- and it gets it.

The final segment within the movie itself is "Slaughter House" -- Directed by the ever-controversial (at least on IMDb, it seems) Leigh Scott. This one is much more my pace, we're talking sex, blood, psychos and psychological trauma traced back to PTSD and the Vietnam War. This segment also includes the always entertaining (and extremely friendly) Sid Haig. Many people will remember Al Snow from his pro-wrestling days, as I do, but he's truly growing on me as an actor, and I've yet to see him in a performance that I didn't like. This one has laughs, but they're the kind you feel dirty for taking part in. The best kind. This segment will draw a LOT of comparison to certain movies, particularly Texas Chainsaw. And it should. Because it's on that level of quality. Plus, puts a unique spin on it, that it never feels quite like a re-hash of things we've seen for 4 decades now.

There is a bonus segment on the DVD, "The Scout" by Everheart. And you absolutely have to check it out. While "Slaughter House" was my favorite, I related much more to Scout (again, 90s kid), and the jokes and references it contained. All the young actors delivered, and deserve props for such a professional and quality job, done.

Toss in a fantastic score (Swenson pulling duties on that as well) -- solid writing, fantastic acting, and great film work, and I place Penny Dreadful right up there with, and likely even above, Trick 'R Treat.

This one will likely make my final Top 10 of the year list. And that doesn't happen often with Indies. At $10 a pop, picking this movie up is a steal. What? -- You're not at the store, yet?

The Undead Triple Feature Picture Show

[jad1986 · 8/10 · 13 October 2013]

"The Penny Dreadful Picture Show" is a quirky little movie. It's comprised of three little horror movies and a framing sequence of the undead red-headed girl Penny Dreadful watching movies in her ancient movie theater with a couple of her undead buddies. She's demented and rather fun to watch, even as she lures in a couple guests.

Penny watches three films: "Slash in the Box" is first and features a young couple examining a strange Jack in the Box. I didn't time it, but this certainly under 10 minutes.

Second is a film about 20 minutes about a woman dying of a terminal illness who mysteriously gets a shot at a longer life for a pretty horrible price.

Third is "Slaughterhouse." In many ways, it brings to mind movies like "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" as it finds a group of young adults coming across a backwoods family and brutal and grisly results soon follow. The fun thing is, in many ways, you expect one thing and get a bloody good twist.

The DVD release comes with a fourth short film called "The Scout," featuring boy scouts going on an overnight "Snipe Hunt." However, late at night, they become the hunted.

Perhaps the films aren't Hollywood gore and snuff-film caliber, but they are a lot of fun. Speaking of gore, it's there, but it's not excessive. (I typically do not enjoy gory movies, I cannot even look at the screen of a "Saw" movie for ten minutes straight, but I was able to sit through this just fine.) There aren't a lot of big names in the cast. The biggest are Sid Haig and ex-wrestler Al Snow. But that doesn't mean the acting is poor. Each film had a completely different world and sold it completely. Eliza Swenson is an excellent actress as Penny and a character in "Slaughterhouse." Overall, "The Penny Dreadful Picture Show" is a fun Halloween movie that doesn't take itself too seriously and is better for the result!

The only thing dreadful is the opening act, from there it's gravy.

[face-819-933726 · 8/10 · 6 February 2014]

An anthology of sorts, that really has it's great, and horrible moments. This movie starts out really poorly, but it will surprise you more than once, and those surprises plus there are a couple of really great cult movie acting greats hiding in there, it's for you to find the less obvious ones. I mentioned the poor start, and that was almost the death of this movie for me, however because the first story is so short, we get past that, and move on to the real meat of the movie. The beginning is funnier at the end anyhow. ;) So I Enjoyed this movie a lot, and found myself applauding at one point to my surprise, you might know the point I mean, it is movie history in the making it really is. I recommend that any horror fan worth 2 cents waste no time, and see this. Any classic cult horror fan will be pleasantly surprised by this movie. I can promise you have never seen anything exactly like this before. All that said it is graphic, and gory, and full of really adolescently adult humour.(yeah best kind)

Hugely enjoyable horror anthology winner

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 14 October 2013]

Daffy undead gal Penny Dreadful (a delightfully zany and charming performance by lovely redhead Eliza Swenson), her smitten zombie pal Ned (a likable portrayal by Collin Galyean), and lycanthrope Wolfboy relate three tales of terror in an old rundown movie theater. First, most terse and to the point vignette, "Slash-in-the-Box" - A young couple find themselves being stalked by a lethal jack-in-the-box. Simple and straightforward, director Nick Everhart builds a good deal of tension and concludes this baby with a great gory punch line. Second, most stylish and intriguing anecdote, "The Morning After" - Mousy young lady Alice (sharply played by Samantha Soule) tries to figure out what exactly happened to her last night. Steeped deep in groovy 60's period atmosphere, director Swenson elicits top-rate smooth and predatory work from the enticing Ramona Mallory as seductive bloodsucker Jez, ably crafts a compelling aura of mystery, and delivers an intoxicating sexy vampire chic vibe that's comparable to "The Hunger." Third, best, and most chilling segment, "The Slaughter House" - A group of friends encounter an eccentric backwoods family after their van breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Director Leigh Scott offers an ingenious reversal on the standard conventions of the formula premise, vividly evokes a right-on funky 70's drive-in grindhouse cinema flavor, provides several startling moments of savage violence, and tops everything off with a wickedly amusing sense of pitch-black gallows humor. The always welcome presence of reliable veterans Sid Haig as an amiable storekeeper and Jeffrey Combs as a geeky gimp helps matters a whole lot. Kudos are also in order for Scott's sumptuous widescreen cinematography and Swenson's spirited shivery score. Recommended viewing for fright film fans.

Great movie

[mooshi-79843 · 10/10 · 4 July 2021]

I thought the stories were pretty good at least you got some beautiful women acting. Penny looks the best. The first story was quick. The second was about a hottie vampire so I liked it. The third story is with Sid Haig which is the best one. These friends are driving and their car breaks down and some hillbilly offers to let them sleep at his house. Then all hell breaks loose. I give this hole movie 10 stars cause I really like it.