Director(s) – Phil Herman (Tales for the Midnight Hour, Burglar from Hell) and Michael Hoffman Jr. (Scary Tales, Sigma Die)
Starring – Joel D. Wynkoop (Ouija Mummy, Make Them Die Sleazy!), Julie Strain (Repossessed, Psycho Cop Returns), and Phil Herman
Release Date – 2003
Rating – 1/5
When I started following The Sleaze Box some years ago I reviewed their first film Amerikan Holokaust and wasn’t a fan. I respected the story and amount of gore but the overall film was not something that I enjoyed. However, their subsequent films were extremely fun and enjoyable. With that being said, not all of their distributed films were my cup of tea. Some are fun but a good bit of them just miss the mark.
After watching the Homicidal Maniac double feature along the horror documentary Blood, Guts, and Sunshine I decided to keep the Sleaze Box marathon going with HorrorTales.666. I recently watched Mail Order Murder: The Story of W.A.V.E. Productions and was excited to check this one out after seeing that WAVE had a segment involved with this anthology.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a burglar who breaks into the home of an author. He uncovers a hidden file on his computer and starts reading a horror anthology series that he has written. He makes his way through each story that features murder, envy, and more murder before he is confronted by the deranged author looking for his next story. **Spoiler Alert**
I was very excited to spin HorrorTales.666 when I saw that not only Julie Strain was attached but a segment came from the wild folks over at W.A.V.E. Productions. Sadly, I was not a fan of this one and my favorite segment ended up with the biggest plot holes I have ever seen.
The acting in this one had me laughing. The cast delivers unintentionally funny performances and a few of the scenes were awkward. When I review anthologies I typically see some segments that are acted better than others but this one is fairly consistent throughout.
The stories for this one is very consistent but not entertaining. The wraparound segment worked for an anthology and reminded me a lot of From A Whisper to a Scream but with a burglar reading stories instead of Vincent Price. This wraparound worked but it’s content of the other segments that makes this one tough to watch. I did enjoy the segment with the two friends with the being envious of the other about how easily he can attract women. With that being said, that segment has the biggest plot hole I have ever seen. For someone that states several times that they had been friends since they were little he seemingly forgot that he had a sister? The other segments were very forgettable and offered up nothing entertaining.
Finally, this one has some blood here and there but the kills are quick and offer up no fun practical effects. In fact, even after watching the movie I don’t remember a single one of them. Overall, HorrorTales.666 is not a movie I would recommend and if you are like me and tossed it in your Halloween horror binge you will find yourself very disappointed in your choices. This is one I would skip.
