Except for the last 40 minutes, this is typical anthology fare. Not great acting, writing or filming. With exception of the mildly amusing Tampoon. However, in the last 40 min. we are treated to Room 731. Truly frightening thanks to the performances of Yoojung Kim and Tim Kang. Also, we get Weeji. A fun little palate cleanser. And finally, a breakout performance by Heather Morris in The Cleansing Hour. Worth the time to check out in under an hour.
13 Reviews
A mixed bag
mjsreg18 July 2019
I love watching indie, low-budget films and you never really know what you are going to get.
The problem with this movie is that this is a collection rather than one feature, so it's difficult to rate it. Some are really good, and some not so good, but none of the films are terrible or unwatchable.
There is an interesting mix of obviously amateur and low-budget films, and each has it's merits and shortcomings, whether it is lack of attention to technical detail (such as sound - which is the bane of viewers of amateur productions). a bit of ham or amateur acting, or other niggles. Many can be forgiven, and what may seem as an 'oh dear' at the beginning of one of the films turns out to be a good creative decision - so give them a chance.
I certainly wouldn't give the collection a high rating as some reviews have - which are obviously false, or friends and family etc. but it is worth the middle ground, even though some films would rate higher on their own, and some a little worse.
Overall, not bad, but don't expect perfection in movie making.
The problem with this movie is that this is a collection rather than one feature, so it's difficult to rate it. Some are really good, and some not so good, but none of the films are terrible or unwatchable.
There is an interesting mix of obviously amateur and low-budget films, and each has it's merits and shortcomings, whether it is lack of attention to technical detail (such as sound - which is the bane of viewers of amateur productions). a bit of ham or amateur acting, or other niggles. Many can be forgiven, and what may seem as an 'oh dear' at the beginning of one of the films turns out to be a good creative decision - so give them a chance.
I certainly wouldn't give the collection a high rating as some reviews have - which are obviously false, or friends and family etc. but it is worth the middle ground, even though some films would rate higher on their own, and some a little worse.
Overall, not bad, but don't expect perfection in movie making.
Not the worst, but not the best
Hex_0mega10 August 2019
I think I'll just place this one at an even 5. Considering that I'm sure they didn't have a huge budget to blow on this thing, I don't think it's that bad. It could have been a lot worse and I've seen a lot worse. I personally love horror anthologies with a series of short films like this. Definitely not the best one I've seen and I don't see myself coming back to it, but it wasn't really terrible. I think it's worth one watch to horror fans.
Not as good as reviews suggest
sean_payne9 October 2018
Honestly, I was expecting very little from Dark, Deadly & Dreadful and sadly my expectations were not met. The film quality and set designs are the only real redeeming qualities of the film, but that's about it. Almost every story makes no sense (I still have no idea what anything meant in The Listing short), there are quite a bit of fodder scenes, and the acting is okay (just okay). Don't trust what the other reviewers are posting, because honestly, they were probably paid to write that. Do yourself a favor and give this one a pass.
Difficult to watch
jrpowell-1922810 October 2018
NOPE !!!
duckboy-9417118 July 2019
A thorough(ish) review...
GreyHunter1 October 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I was a little leery after reading a few reviews and seeing the rating, but I do love horror anthologies, so I gave this one a shot. After an inauspicious start, the movie clips do (generally) get stronger. The Bleeder (apparently that's the name of the first clip) seemed lacking in context or development. It was just a random jump scare. If there was supposed to be a metaphor behind it, to justify the lack of real plot or context, I didn't pick up on it.
"Leftovers" actually unfolded pretty predictably. You saw the twist coming a mile away. The problem with subtle hints is that when you cram several of them together in the space of three or four minutes, they're hard to ignore. All the same, it was a solid bit. Nothing spectacular but competent and workmanlike. I'd rate it a 5
The "Tampoon" segment really straddled that line between horror and comedy in the most awkward way imaginable. Again, if there was a metaphor behind it, I didn't pick it up. I tried to make some sort of metaphorical connection between her being on her period, the guy basically using her for sex without any real emotional entanglement, and him agreeing to go to the party once he'd been swallowed and found the tampon. It feels like there was almost something there but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Still, it had structure and plot and functioned as a short and a little absurdity can be a good thing. . Rating: 6.5
"The Listing" just felt incomplete. The context was obscure at best, and that made any semblance of plotting difficult to discern. Some guy, who may have been the realtor, may have been serial killer (he gave off vibes of both) wanders calmly through a house that can best be described as looking like a particularly sloppy serial killer's den, attempts to clean a little, and gets attacked. Then a mother and two children arrive, apparently having bought or rented this sloppy serial killer den for some reason (was she blind and lacking in a sense of smell? the world may never know) and...that's it. It was, as with the previous segments, competently done but seemed much more pointless than the others. Rating: 4
"The Silent Scream" was the most baffling of them all, even more so than "The Listing." I got the basic ideas, the murder aspect, the damaged childhood and revenge fantasy. But it was never in any way clear what was happening, or why certain aspects of the imagery were included. Yes, stultifying childhood lessons, strict treatment, personal demons, possible child molestation, etc etc. But it honestly felt like someone had butchered a much longer segment, cutting out every part that could hint at a contextual explication. I felt like I was watching a highlight reel of a much more interesting movie. It feels like I'd rate that movie a 7 and what we actually got a 4.
"Who's Afraid of the Octopus Man" was pretty straightforward. Mental illness, guilt, etc. Not really much to say about it. Didn't hate it, didn't love it. Rating: 5
"Room 731" was pretty good. Though I got a good (and ultimately correct) idea of the twist about the halfway point because it was pretty much telegraphed, it was nevertheless quite creepy. Though the idea of the tormentor taking the place of the tormented and being wracked with both guilt and, well, torment isn't particularly original (which is why the twist became obvious well befor ethe end), it was handled well here, and even had a bit of commentary about how once-decent people can become monsters. Rating: 7.5
"Weeji" was just hilarious. Not a deep concept but it falls squarely into the "Hah! Wish I'd thought of this one" category. Not much to say but I'll give it a solid 7.5 like "Room 731" just because it had great entertainment value even if it wasn't exactly thought-provoking.
"The Cleansing Hour" was a decently good segment for most of its run-time, and got bumped up a solid point for the way it ended. Since most of it was just build-up, it's hard to rate it generally, one of the flaws inherent in shorts. But overall, while the plot itself didn't ooze with cleverness or originality (let's face it, the evil book is played out, as is the unexpected possession by an evil entity when people are just faking it or having fun) but it was handled well and that twist at the end gets it a 7 for me.
Anthologies are hard to rate, but this entire movie is certainly better than its current 4.9 rating. None of the shorts here (except maybe that first, baffling one) were badly made. Good direction (generally), professional-level cinematography, good acting (mostly) -- there are many, many horror anthologies that barely boast any of these traits, let alone all of them. While most of them didn't break new ground, they generally rose above mediocrity. My rating isn't a composite of all the segment ratings, but rather rating the choices the filmmakers of "Dark, Deadly, and Dreadful" made in choosing their clips. 7 might seem a bit high given some of my criticisms above, but I think it's a good spot for a professionally curated work here, if I'm being honest with myself about how I reacted to the movie as a whole. It's no Trick 'R Treat, granted, but it's a cut above its current rating. One of the relatively rare times I've been pleasantly surprised by a low-rated horror anthology.
"Leftovers" actually unfolded pretty predictably. You saw the twist coming a mile away. The problem with subtle hints is that when you cram several of them together in the space of three or four minutes, they're hard to ignore. All the same, it was a solid bit. Nothing spectacular but competent and workmanlike. I'd rate it a 5
The "Tampoon" segment really straddled that line between horror and comedy in the most awkward way imaginable. Again, if there was a metaphor behind it, I didn't pick it up. I tried to make some sort of metaphorical connection between her being on her period, the guy basically using her for sex without any real emotional entanglement, and him agreeing to go to the party once he'd been swallowed and found the tampon. It feels like there was almost something there but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Still, it had structure and plot and functioned as a short and a little absurdity can be a good thing. . Rating: 6.5
"The Listing" just felt incomplete. The context was obscure at best, and that made any semblance of plotting difficult to discern. Some guy, who may have been the realtor, may have been serial killer (he gave off vibes of both) wanders calmly through a house that can best be described as looking like a particularly sloppy serial killer's den, attempts to clean a little, and gets attacked. Then a mother and two children arrive, apparently having bought or rented this sloppy serial killer den for some reason (was she blind and lacking in a sense of smell? the world may never know) and...that's it. It was, as with the previous segments, competently done but seemed much more pointless than the others. Rating: 4
"The Silent Scream" was the most baffling of them all, even more so than "The Listing." I got the basic ideas, the murder aspect, the damaged childhood and revenge fantasy. But it was never in any way clear what was happening, or why certain aspects of the imagery were included. Yes, stultifying childhood lessons, strict treatment, personal demons, possible child molestation, etc etc. But it honestly felt like someone had butchered a much longer segment, cutting out every part that could hint at a contextual explication. I felt like I was watching a highlight reel of a much more interesting movie. It feels like I'd rate that movie a 7 and what we actually got a 4.
"Who's Afraid of the Octopus Man" was pretty straightforward. Mental illness, guilt, etc. Not really much to say about it. Didn't hate it, didn't love it. Rating: 5
"Room 731" was pretty good. Though I got a good (and ultimately correct) idea of the twist about the halfway point because it was pretty much telegraphed, it was nevertheless quite creepy. Though the idea of the tormentor taking the place of the tormented and being wracked with both guilt and, well, torment isn't particularly original (which is why the twist became obvious well befor ethe end), it was handled well here, and even had a bit of commentary about how once-decent people can become monsters. Rating: 7.5
"Weeji" was just hilarious. Not a deep concept but it falls squarely into the "Hah! Wish I'd thought of this one" category. Not much to say but I'll give it a solid 7.5 like "Room 731" just because it had great entertainment value even if it wasn't exactly thought-provoking.
"The Cleansing Hour" was a decently good segment for most of its run-time, and got bumped up a solid point for the way it ended. Since most of it was just build-up, it's hard to rate it generally, one of the flaws inherent in shorts. But overall, while the plot itself didn't ooze with cleverness or originality (let's face it, the evil book is played out, as is the unexpected possession by an evil entity when people are just faking it or having fun) but it was handled well and that twist at the end gets it a 7 for me.
Anthologies are hard to rate, but this entire movie is certainly better than its current 4.9 rating. None of the shorts here (except maybe that first, baffling one) were badly made. Good direction (generally), professional-level cinematography, good acting (mostly) -- there are many, many horror anthologies that barely boast any of these traits, let alone all of them. While most of them didn't break new ground, they generally rose above mediocrity. My rating isn't a composite of all the segment ratings, but rather rating the choices the filmmakers of "Dark, Deadly, and Dreadful" made in choosing their clips. 7 might seem a bit high given some of my criticisms above, but I think it's a good spot for a professionally curated work here, if I'm being honest with myself about how I reacted to the movie as a whole. It's no Trick 'R Treat, granted, but it's a cut above its current rating. One of the relatively rare times I've been pleasantly surprised by a low-rated horror anthology.
Very cheap
Leofwine_draca1 March 2021
Warning: Spoilers
A collection of very cheap and very boring indie horror shorts stitched together into something resembling an anthology. These have all been done on the cheap with a minimum of ideas and plotting so that it's extremely tough to enjoy or indeed sit through them.
Last one was really good
nicci19724 April 2021
I enjoyed this anthology. The last film really made the rating go from a five to a six. I thought it was an average movie in the category of horror anthology. Some originality so I give it most of the points for that.
Huge surprise!!!!!!
vmalast31 August 2018
These short stories, on the whole, are great. Kudos for all involved. I was expecting your normal Z grade poo and I'm so surprised at the quality!!!! My hands down favorite was "WeeJi". It took me by surprise and I couldn't stop laughing!
I'm Not Easily Impressed, but...
ultracreep10 September 2018
FINALLY! AN INTELLIGENT AND CREATIVE HORROR FILM!
wendyay6629 September 2018
THIS IS A WINNER AND AN EXCELLENT WATCH!
Smart, Imaginative and Great Fun! An anthology of films, each conceived and presented by various filmmakers in uniquely different ways....Satirical to humorous to downright frightening. Terrific journey... similar to the feeling one gets when presented with a group of wrapped gifts..."what's inside and what's next?" Well written, well produced and directed and so creative!
What's a real horror? Watching films, knowing I am being dragged through mopish filler material.
Not so here...this one is a gem!
wooow that is fun
bgbrunocom29 September 2018
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