A Four Course Meal

Is it just me, or is there not enough horror anthology flicks out there?Flicks like Cat's Eye, Creepshow 1&2, Tales from the Darkside: The Movie, Trilogy of Terroror Amicus favorites like Asylum & The House that Dripped Blood. (Not Monster Club, that was just awful)Maybe it's me. Maybe I'm the only one who liked:Trick R Treat, Amusement, Campfire Tales, Hell Hath No Fury, Deadtime Stories, Tales from the Hood, Body Bags,Or asian ones like 3 Extremes & Rampo Noir.A Four Course Meal, the newest addition to this sorely lacking sub-genre, would make it's predecessors proud.A low-budget, hardly heard of, horror anthology flick that turns water into wine, spins straw into gold,basically it works miracles with it's budget.What's neat is it does this with 3 and a half completely different styles:Daytime Talk, 70's throwback, Black & White Silent, and Horredy (easier way of saying horror/comedy)all based around one subject..... namely MEAT!!!!All 3 and a half portions are served up with a clever script by Clay Liford,and succulent special effects by Guillermo Becerra aka one of the guys who worked on Killer Klownz from Outer Space.All of this is topped with a cool little EC Tales from the Crypt lookin' cover.How could I resist?THE APPETIZERAn excellent way to start your day!!! (and movie)Half a portion of daytime talk with The Goody Goodtime Morning Show.An excellent introduction.Hilarious, original, & surprising!! (even though it was shorter than a gimpy hobbit)5 out of 5CAGED MEATThis pithy 70's throwback plays out in a prison inhabited by an ancient creature,an Oni, I think, (for those who play video games),who feeds on the prisoners over-population problem.This is the piece that showcases the special make-up & gore effects aka the small miracles.The creature looks beautiful... wait that hardly sounds right... the creature looks sick.And the script keeps, the bodies dropping, and things moving along.(Funny Sidenote: The footsteps in this portion sound exactly like the footsteps in the Resident Evil games)4 out of 5FLOWERS GROWN FROM POWDERED BONESThis is the black & white silent-era russian fairy tale about an ogre that sells orphans to 3 unearthly women living in the woods.The Furies, I believe, who feast on the children, and sell the remains back to the orphanage.As they develop a greater appetite, the ogre develops a heart, and becomes the childrens protector.This portion ran on a little longer than it should have, but that might just be me,and my lack of appreciation for silent era flicks.Either way the story was great, and it was a unique direction for an anthology flick to take.3 out of 5WORKING STIFFSThe zombie/office horredy hybrid that not only tickles your funny bone... it tears it out, and gnaws on it.(Think Severance or The Office with zombies)Zombies have risen, and gosh darn-it, they want the same rights as everyone else!!!A new government policy puts zombies in the workplace,but since they still pose a threat, they have to wear electrified collars.So as the job market becomes tighter, an office clerk finds it's better to be dead than to be unemployed.I laughed my lungs out on this one.I'm actually still looking for them.4.5 out of 5MORAL OF THE STORY:Bon Appetite!!!ALSO RECOMMENDED:Cat's Eye, Creepshow 1 & 2, Tales from the Darkside: The Movie, Body Bags, Campfire Tales, Tales from the Hood, Trick R Treat,Amusement, Deadtime Stories, Hell Hath No Fury, Trilogy of Terror, 3 Extremes, Trapped Ashes, Rampo Noir, Fear(s) of the Dark

4.5 starsAs a screenplay writer for Vimeo/Youtube director Frank Stamm, I’m judging this film by the same standards I’d grade a low-budget project I was involved in.The cons:This film opens with a story that employs a ton of blue screen effects, leading you to wonder if this is a standard film or more a production made exclusively in someone’s basement/garage. If you make it past the blue-screen-heavy opening, you’ll find a wide-ranging series of stories, each filmed in a different style.The pros:While there are elements of the film that make it seem low-budget, parts of the film (ex. the story set in a prison) feel like they could have been pulled from a late-night network horror series. The film is enticing for its mix of scenarios displaying a low-budget esthetic and dark weird humor, and other scenarios with the more confident look and pacing of a television series.IMDB lists the film’s budget at $20,000 but watching it, it seems higher at times. Most low budget productions have a limited number of actors, but the number of actors in "Four Course Meal" is great, and more unusually, for a low budget production, they seem for the most part to be pretty capable and photogenic.A surprisingly enjoyable film.