Hi-Death is a sequel to HI-8 and right off the bat I will say it is better. Mainly due to the quality being better for the most part. As an anthology some works and some doesn't. Lets get into the meat and potatoes:
The wrap-around story is lame, it is poorly structured and disjointed and while I liked the base idea, the execution is painful.
The first story is pretty fun. Death has a Conscience is the name and there is a few cool stylistic touches. It's too talky, and maybe a few minutes too long, but it's a good story and the idea is solid. They certainly put some work into the lighting, reminding me of the SOV movies from the 80s and 90s such as Catacombs or Killing Spree.
2nd story is Death Dealers. Tim Ritter directed it and once again I am stumped as to what the hell is happening. Poorly shot, bad sound, painful acting and honestly just a major letdown for me. The basic idea of a person who deals in actual serial killer items is interesting, but it is overlong and people talk and talk and talk. And WOW that editing! Continuity be damned! People don;t even have the same props from one shot to the next. It's obvious no real care went into this story. And that is sad. Maybe Tim is burned out?
Thankfully the next story, one of the best, redeems things. I almost shut it off during segment two. But I pushed through and really liked Night Drop from Amanda Payton. It's as if I woke up and a real movie was playing. Good atmosphere, decent acting and some quality lighting and camerawork highlight this story of a poor guy all alone in a video rental store who ends up with a very strange disc, full of really disturbing and awesome images. Some have said it is kind of like The Ring, and I can see that argument, but it reminded me more of an urban legend. It's kind of short, but it gets to the point. A nice surprise.
Nest up is Brad Sykes story about an audition that goes horribly wrong, Cold Read. It was interesting and I liked how it got more intense as we went along. The lead in it could have been a bit tighter, but the twist was fun and I did enjoy it overall. The camera was a little pedestrian for this effort and I thought it could have used a bit more style, especially as it got wilder and things went sideways. And it was VERY quiet in spots. Too quiet to really hear everything. Minor quibbles. It gets rather messy and disturbing and I liked it.
Last story takes us right over the edge and into some other dimension. Literally bring us Hell on Earth is The Muse, the segment directed and written by Todd Sheets. Obviously inspired by Lovecraft, this is the most stylish of the bunch and also the most crazy. It's the perfect way to end the film as I am not sure any of the other stories would pack the same punch after this one. It was surprising and original. Twists and shocks are thrown with reckless abandon. Pretty damned good practical effects, impressive lighting and camerawork as well. The sound design is intense, pushing the visuals along and creating a thick, disturbing atmosphere. It's my favorite of the lot, but both Night Drop and Cold Read are admirable follow up favorites.
It all ends with the wrap-around twist but there was no way to follow the last 3 stories and it kind of fell apart for me. Brad did this segment as well. Maybe a different director should have done the connecting story??? Just a thought. It may bring something unexpected to the table.
Overall a better film than Hi-8, with fewer directors and more focus.
