Director(s) – John Hale III (The Conduit, 10/31 Part 2), Jeremy Herbert (Killer Deal, The Childish Thing), Christopher G. Moore (Gut Punched, Backward Creep)
Starring – Daniel Allen (The Things with the Glowing Green Eyes), Keegan Badillo, and Matthew J. Baker
Release Date – 2022
Rating – 3/5
I grew up steadily watching and renting slasher and zombie flicks when I could. Hell, I still go out of my way to watch these two sub-genres but I’ve realized as I’ve grown older that anthologies were a big part of my childhood. I grew up watching films like Creepshow, Creepshow 2, Tales from the Darkside: The Movie, The Twilight Zone: The Movie, From a Whisper to A Scream, and many more. I loved the wrap around segment, the little connections each short story would sometime toss in for those paying attention, and the mix of shorts we were given.
When director John Hale III announced that he was connected to the indie horror anthology Worst Laid Plans, I knew I would be checking it out eventually. Sadly, I completely forgot about it until I was completing my collection of Scream Team Releasing releases and realized I never grabbed a copy. I went ahead and added it to my cart and added it to my review list when it arrived.
**Spoiler Alert** The film features three stories. The first, Deep in the Heart,” follows a family on a guided tour through a cavern when they cross paths with an abnormally large catfish with a taste for human flesh. The second tale, You’ve Been Saved,” follows two friends on a road trip when they think they’ve encountered a human trafficking situation. However, on further investigating they learn there is more to the situation than appears. The third and final tale, Taylor Family Vacation ’93,” follows a family on vacation with the dad recording everything with his tape recorder. When he spots a strange man in the footage, he sets out to find answers and uncovers the ultimate truth. **Spoiler Alert**
My biggest complaint with a lot of modern indie horror anthologies is the lack of wraparound segments that connect all the shorts together and serve as a sort of bookend. A lot of the modern horror anthologies, especially indie productions, lack these stories. Worst Laid Plans is one that doesn’t have a wrap around segment nor is the segments consistent. I enjoyed the overall film but some of these stories are better than others.
The acting in this one is actually very well done through the entire film. The cast in all three segments do phenomenal jobs and really make their characters enjoyable. It’s not often I review an anthology featuring segments from various filmmakers and the acting is this consistent.
The stories for this one are not as consistent as the acting. The film plays out in order of enjoyment, at least it does in my opinion. The first segment, Deep in the Heart, is from director John Hale and is my personal favorite of the film. A monster living in a cave deep in the mountains is something anyone in Appalachia would find interesting. You throw in the great character development and acting and you have a great standalone short. The second segment, You’ve Been Saved from Christopher G. Moore, had a story I actually liked but didn’t fully explore every aspect of it. Two former friends that have grown apart meet up to take a road trip and party when they cross paths with what could be a human trafficking situation. It’s an interesting premise but shouldn’t have ended when it did. The story has so much more to give viewers. I need more on the two people “baiting” humans and what became of them. If this anthology receives a sequel then it better have a follow up segment for this one!
The final segment, Taylor Family Vacation 93 from Jeremy Herbert, is the segment that did nothing for me. The premise is very interesting but it reminded me too much of a segment in another horror anthology that’s name is eluding me. It may be from the V/H/S franchise but I can’t recall. Anyway, it follows a mother recording her child and every time she does a sinister force is visible. When she tries to investigate it further it’s discovered she’s actually dead and the person she was seeing as sinister in the footage is the child’s father who is raising the child alone. This one follows a father who is seeing a strange man through the lens of his camera but not when he takes it down. Upon further investigating he learns a surprising secret. This one doesn’t really fit with the theme of the other two aside from the vacation/traveling aspect and is not something I could really get into. It was a bit dull and, as I stated earlier, it reminded me a lot of another segment from another horror anthology.
Finally, the film has some great practical effects. We have a fun creature in the first segment and a fantastic mask with make-up effects in the second segment. I really liked the look and editing of the third segment but the lack of gore really disappointment me with all three shorts. Overall, Worst Laid Plans is a fun themed horror anthology but there is a lot of room for improvements. It may not send chills down your spine but it will make you plan your next trip with extra care. Check it out.
