Phil Herman's Unearthed

I just caught the YouTube debut of The Ties That Bind, and I am rating it a 9 for noir. And it was a good one, too. Not because I am a big Heather Jokiel fan. Of course, she had me locked into the movie at first sight. But then, the movie quickly creeps from a simple crime drama into a full-blown mystery shocker deserving of a miniseries treatment. I was hoping it would continue when it ended.

A most impressive work of art by the crew at Cheevies Film Production. This was on par with a classic Twilight Zone episode about the dangers of abuse, psychiatric disorders, and how society has failed and exploits the victims. Bravissimo!

Unearthed is a masterfully crafted anthology of terror, weaving four distinct, spine-chilling tales into a cohesive narrative tied to the haunting framework of Doomsday Stories. Each story stands out: Derek Braasch's The Ties That Bind offers a taut thriller with shocking twists; Will Devokees' Look Towards the Sky delivers a chilling alien abduction tale with stunning effects; Marcelo Fabani's Clean House explores supernatural horror with atmospheric depth; and Highway Rivalry by James Panetta and Phil Herman provides a relentless, twist-filled ride. With top-notch production and a blend of suspense, psychological depth, and unexpected turns, Unearthed is a must-watch for horror fans.

This is an anthology that involves various genres Horror Drama Sci Fi. We are greeted with a story teller introduction.

The first segment involves a murder/missing persons case. This segment has the longest time length compared to other segments, it seemed it was a movie short on its own and some scenes just dragged out with a twist ending that just didn't land considering it already had its conclusion.

The second segment is an alien based segment involving a man who was missing for 3 days, he has no recollection how he cane back but has memory what was done to him. This segment has a better look with its lighting that matches the mood of the scenes in a Creepshow similar fashion. The main character gives a dark calculating presence. The effects were better presented giving you the full effect of its genre and has better detail.

The third segment involves a woman who is possessed by a demon, a priest comes by to rid the evil spirit. This segment is very generic and adds very little difference than most possession films. It does involve a past spirit in a scene or two that we presume is the woman or a different one but it quickly fades out and we are basically watching a conversation with a demon that doesn't do anything but talk and give a sinister look. This is just another possession film so don't expect anything crawling on a ceiling or devilish pranks.

The fourth segment involves a woman greeting her husband coming home that wants intimate attention but he's too tired. She goes and takes a shower and afterwards she discovers her husband is dead, she panics and hits the road only to discover a man who has something else planned than a road trip together.

This segment is another generic serial killer type, however the African American police office and the serial killer have something different which is the only super natural aspect of the story, unfortunately this made it to the show late and the only interest that could of made this segment. The effects are simple and seemed a quicky. There is a twist in this segment but it doesn't sell it well.

In the overall general of this anthology it's generic, it isn't an A lister, it doesn't have any dark folk lore or super natural Horror that would require for an anthology. It's worth a look at this film but don't expect anything new.

Loved all 4 stories, but I'm not a fan of subtitles so the third story was my least favorite.

Ties That Bind was my favorite with a great twist ending. Figuring out who the killer was a bit pat, but the twist ending made up for it. A woman goes camping and is suddenly attacked by someone or something off camera. The police find blood and a jump rope, that leads back to a similar murder 6 years earlier. The cop investigating is all too familiar with the previous case. His father-in-law was convicted of the murder. Ties is the longest segment on the video and could easily make an hour show on TV.

Look Towards the Sky is shot in a very moody style. A man claims to have been kidnapped by aliens. Is it true? The ending will tell you.

Clean House was interesting but contained subtitles and I'm not a fan. But the mood and setting were done well.

Highway Rivalry was well done and had an interesting twist at the end. Debbie D stars as a wife whose husband she's discovered has died. She runs from the scene and is picked up hitchhiking by a friendly guy. The story takes some really bizarre twists and has a great ending. Tina Krause has a small part as a victim of the killer. I would have liked to have seen how her part started rather than coming into it in the middle of her death scene. That's a small thing.

Overall, Unearthed was a great anthology with a lot of great twists. I highly recommend it.

Heading through the woods, a mysterious undertaker produces a book filled with horrific, unnatural stories.

The Good Stor(ies): The Ties That Bind-Worried about her friend, a woman sets out to find what happened to her which brings several detectives investigating her to come face to face with a previous case of theirs. This was a fairly solid and enjoyable effort that feels slightly at odds in a setup like this. The main setup here is incredibly intriguing and comes together nicely as a fine mystery involving the connection between the missing person case and his older case that starts to match everything together. The family dynamics at play with the story involving how he starts noticing these connections and tries not to use them to upset his family once again is a fun touch, and the mystery is a rather fun one to see unravel. Its suspense/thriller approach might make it feel at odds with more of the macabre and fantastic segments elsewhere here, and the slack pacing makes for an odd opening introduction to the film but there's still a lot to like here.

Look Towards the Sky-Finally finding their missing friend, a woman and her father-in-law slowly come to believe the alien abduction stories about his disappearance might be true. This was a fairly fun and enjoyably cheesy segment. The idea of the family members arguing over the true nature of the abduction and getting hints that it's real with the story he tells about how he disappeared and what happened to him while under their abduction which includes a graphic retelling of the procedures performed on him. This brings about some intriguing reveals as the truth about what's going on and how they plan to carry it out features some great effects and tense moments to bring to life which makes for a generally fun time. Some of the speeches and different conversations that are featured here do go on a bit longer than expected but it's not that detrimental of an issue.

Highway Rivalry-Thinking her husband is dead, a woman tries to leave the scene and hitches a ride with a stranger leaving the city which brings about some unexpected encounters. This was a fun enough way to end things. The main setup involving the killer's reign of terror in the area and the inability to catch him sets up a great universe where it's hard to pinpoint who's going to be revealed as the culprit, especially with several great fake-outs involving potential targets giving themselves the perfect opportunity to be revealed as such only for the opposite to be the case. The stalking scenes here are fun enough and provide some gruesome effects that make for a generally fun time. The reveals manage to hit on both fronts with some surprising twists packed into this that are somewhat surprising but some of it also needs a bit more exposition to make sense as it's somewhat convenient for it all to play out, but it's not nearly enough to hold this one back overall.

The Bad Stor(ies): Clean House-Terrified for her baby, a pregnant woman tries to use whatever means she can to bless her haunted house before its impending birth forcing a priest to take extreme measures to accomplish it. This was a pretty solid segment if a bit difficult to get a handle on. The overall idea is solid enough with the hints of the house being haunted slowly giving way to the real purpose behind the ghostly figure being there that brings about some frantic moments and great make-up work. However, it's the fact that this one is silent for the most part that makes it incredibly difficult to get a handle on what's going on as relying on the actions taken here fills you in on the basics but leaves out the details. How it started, what's doing it, and why it continues are all glossed over without explanation as the gimmick keeps it hidden for long stretches so it can feel like the first part of a much grander story without context.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Language, and Nudity.