Tales of Halloween is an anthology film made up of several very loosely connected Halloween-themed stories. The film was done on an extremely low budget and in that context, there’s some surprisingly fun stuff. The beginning is pretty strong and there are a few other standout episodes but much of the middle of the disappointing ending come off as amateurish. Note though that this film doesn’t seem to be going for scares (there are practically none) but instead wacky comedy and gore (which is fine but I would have liked to have seen a few more scares thrown in – it is a Halloween movie after).
Here’s a few of my favorites:
Sweet Tooth – Some fun practical gore and a good creepy clown design. If I was 10 years old, this one might have scared me a little. It’s pretty derivative but a solid opener.
The Night Billy Raised Hell – Way too flamboyant for my tastes but there were a few funny moments that make this at least worth recommending.
This Means War – By far the funniest and probably the most entertaining in just overall “fun” value.
Friday the 31st – Clever twist on the slasher genre with a reversal and space aliens thrown into the mix. Also, killer claymation. This was one of the best.
The Ransom of Rusty Rex – It’s played for laughs here but with a little tweaking, this could have been a great Twilight Zone episode back in the day. Pretty funny.
In the end, most of these episodes feel more like Disney-channel kids movies with gore and swearing added in. If that peaks your interest, check this out.