Dreadtime Stories (2014) User Reviews

They got crows, alright...

[paul_haakonsen · 3/10 · 13 June 2017]

You should know that this is an anthology of small horror stories, much akin to "Creepshow" for example, except that "Dreadtime Stories" doesn't have the same forceful impact as the old "Creepshow" series had.

Given the short time that each of these stories have been granted, it is very limited how much storytelling can be fitted into it, and equally limited how much character development there is room for. And the movie is sort of hurting from this. Director Jacob Grim set out to achieve a bit too much in too little time, and the end result was suffering from this.

There is a feel of low production value permeating the movie, in terms of cinematography and acting. I am not saying that this is necessarily bad, but at least you should take that into consideration before you sit down to watch "Dreadtime Stories".

Now, the stories told in "Dreadtime Stories" deal with very different topics, so the movie does get widely around to many different aspects. That was good, I think, although some might think that it proved to have a no real red line throughout the movie.

The title of the movie "Dreadtime Stories" sort of implies that there should be some dread involved in the stories. That was hardly the case, and I wasn't particularly frightened, scared, thrilled or even horrified by what I witnessed. That being said, don't get me wrong. Some of the stories were still entertaining enough for what they turned out to be. Just don't set the expectation bar up high.

"Dreadtime Stories" had me sorely pressed on my focus and attention on the movie. Why? Well, because nothing much of any interest or even remotely frightening happened throughout the course of all the different stories.

There were some nice enough visuals here and there, so it wasn't all bad. But the overall experience wasn't overly impressive.

This was actually a fair enough attempt to delve into the horror anthology genre by writer Sal Hernandez and writer/director Jacob Grim. However, the end result just wasn't outstanding or memorable.

I wasn't particularly entertained, nor can I claim to have seen anything memorable in "Dreadtime Stories".

A concoction of disappointing horror shorts

[Leofwine_draca · 1/10 · 19 January 2018]

DREADTIME STORIES is another collection of short horror films melded together into one indie whole. The stories are connected via a sinister book being read at a party. The problem is that they have little discernable plotting or indeed delineation in terms of storytelling. It just becomes a mindless mess of unseen monsters, torture, and badly acting serial killers. The actual horror content is limited to the occasional bloody face and that's it.

Too Cheap

[xxxxxx68 · 1/10 · 3 August 2016]

Sorry to be the ball-buster here but there is such a thing as "too cheap." There is a cap to anything. Blair Witch and Paranormal Activity are exceptions and stand as the cheap limit. The book idea was an interesting hook although not original. I didn't even get past the first short after the lead-in frame-up. There was no suspense of disbelief just unbelievable in the commonsense sense. Home Cooking ruined it for me. The acting was horrible and it made as much sense as most seasonal haunted houses. Pardon the pun but the execution of the story, props and scene didn't make sense together. It is like a commercial for fresh milk where the cast frolics around a two day old glass of unrefrigerated milk that ends when the milk is chugged and is so good. Mm. Sorry I couldn't stomach more than the half-eaten dude. It would have been better if the YouTube muffin guy had appeared with a .50 cal. and blown grandmas brains onto a plate and said Brain Muffin. On a personal level I am just sick of b*tches flexing their guy muscles air jerking all over everything. Stale. You don't have to convince me. It's all like, Look at me. I'm a human spider now. Not all pretty and desirable and beautiful and amazing am I? It's like a Lambo with a steering wheel made from REAL DOGSH*T. Ah, and pour me some of that expensive shat out rodent coffee while you're at it. But there is a line of customers waiting for shat out coffee beans and insane penis maiming women. Let's talk about real class. The original black and white TV series The Twilight Zone. Effing good stuff with few snoozing exceptions. Eff Norman Bates we have too much sick and creepy flicks. Society has gone crazy around us now. We are living a horror show every day. Try renting an apartment without creepy power cults monopolizing and discriminating people out onto the streets to be...eaten or parted out? Who knows what kind of greed driven medically connected plasma sucking scheme is behind property management psychology. Honestly people, sex and horror do not go together. It never did ever. The advent of that hook is Pavlovian to say the least..ew. When the show is over I'm glad to back to reality after the show and I do not crave for it to follow me home. Leave it in the theater or just stop showing them to unstable copycats. Here's a clue sh, if you saw a few vampire flicks and read a few vamp books but then decide to start wearing fangs and doing it for real that isn't a revelation or an epiphany. That's bat-sh*t crazy yo. Peace

Surprisingly Excellent

[moonmonday · 9/10 · 17 July 2016]

I stumbled across this film and wasn't really sure what to think. My tastes are pretty particular, and I'm more often than not seriously disappointed by what I come across. But the glowing reviews for this film made me give it a try, and my love for anthology films had already piqued my interest.

I'm very glad I watched Dreadtime Stories. And if it's true that their budget was as low as it was, then all the more reason to praise the production. I have seen higher-budget films that don't look as good as this one did, and likewise have seen higher-budget films that weren't as well- written, well-shot, and in general excellent in composition and the way they're put together. The acting can be kind of a mixed bag, but most of the actors did a good or at least acceptable job.

The only story I didn't really care for much was the framing narrative, which was comparatively sloppy and unfulfilling. Most of the segments are excellent and intriguing, and they don't overstay their welcome, though they might be a bit shorter than some would expect. I feel this is a positive quality, however; it's more common that ambitious low-budget titles just don't rein themselves in and, as a result, tend to try for more than they're able. Dreadtime Stories excels probably in large part because it knows its limitations and stretches to maximum potential, but never pushes too far past its boundaries.

I have to say, this is a surprisingly enjoyable film. It's head and shoulders above most of its kind. I recommend it without hesitation to horror fans, especially anthology fans. And if I'm honest, more than a few of these stories were far better than some of the segments in anthology films of my most favorite period, that of the Amicus heyday.

A big and heartfelt bravo to Dreadtime Stories. Whatever this crew do next, I will check it out.

Movie Review: Dreadtime Stories (2014)

[LegendsofHorror · 6/10 · 15 March 2015]

DREADTIME STORIES is horror anthology of short stories from the Independent Texas Production house of STX Media.

I helped promote this film through various social medias. Once the film hit the film circuit, I thankfully received a SCREENER of this movie to review.

The film itself is a rarity in the day and age of horror, due to the fact that not many filmmakers make anthologies. Not since the 70's AMICUS to the 80's and early 90's Creepshow/Tales from the Darkside era have the horror fans really had a taste. So, it's awesome to see someone bringing it back. The film also is made for the fans, by the fans which is another thing I respect about this project.

The film is set into a series of 9 shorts and a wraparound story. Home Cooking Forgotten Harvest Hollow Useless Wits End Stained Affection Punishment Empty Distension

Each one has a different feel and pulls you into their dark world. There is also quite a bit of humor thrown in. The stories range from cannibalism, scarecrows, murder, killer clowns and werewolves!!

The film is smart, well written, the editing was very well done. Most of all, the stories are original and not a rehash of a lot of the films that are out today. The visual effects are quite impressive as well as the cinematography. The film itself has the scares, the gore, the smarts and the story to appease any horror fan.

Considering the small budget $2,000 which they had, the film comes off like a $10,000 production.

I am personally looking forward being a part of and getting a copy of Vol. 2 in the near future.

No real stories

[jonschaper · 17 October 2022]

People at a party read different stories from a book, that we see portrayed on the screen. The problem is that all the stories would, in reality, have been rejected by amateur publishers, and gotten poor grades as a junior high writing assignment.

For example: Woman opens cookbook, we see her preparing her food. She cuts up a human (off screen) for meat, then for some bizarre reason serves an obviously overooked head to her excited guests instead of the meaty dinner we saw her preparing. People working at a site talk about a local legend of a killer scarecrow. The scarecrow shows up for the last 10 seconds and kills them offscreen. And, no, I'm not leaving anything out. That's all you can find in way of plot. It's a movie where there are uniquely no spoilers because there is no plot to spoil.

All the stories lack any suspense, character, motivation, anything. They're just plot points someone might use with the intention of later fleshing out, but plot points with zero creativity behind them. Just mere cliche. And, for those who care, there's not even any gore to make up for the lack of actual story.

I am a fan of short horror fiction, so I see zero blame for running time when it comes to the complete lack of storytelling. In fact, given how threadbare the "plots" are, each "story" runs far much longer than it should, with no redeeming qualities like good acting, visuals or dialogue.