'I'll Never Leave You - Ever.' Written by Jack Laird, based on a story by Rene Morris. The lovely Lois Nettleton stars as Moira, a 19th century woman stuck in a marriage to the sickly Owen (Royal Dano), who stubbornly clings to life. In the midst of an affair with the dashing Ianto (John Saxon), Moira turns to a voodoo priestess (Peggy Webber) for help in eliminating Owen. Naturally, things don't turn out in the ideal way for Moira, especially as Owen does NOT perish quickly, but suffers for a while (in the most profoundly disturbing moments of the segment). While this segment ends in an unfortunately too-abrupt and not very satisfying manner, this is for the most part VERY good stuff, with an incredible amount of foreboding and atmosphere. And the viewer can possibly take some pity on both Owen *and* Moira; due to Nettleton's sad-eyed, affecting performance, her character comes off as a bit more sympathetic than would otherwise be the case. Saxon and Webber lend solid support.
Directed by Daniel Haller ("Die, Monster, Die!", "The Dunwich Horror").
'There Aren't Any More MacBanes'. Scripted by Alvin Sapinsley, based on a story by Stephen Hall. A perfectly wormy Joel Grey stars as Andrew MacBane, a lazy, unambitious ne'er-do-well who's content to leach off the family fortune. Before his disapproving uncle (Howard Duff) can cut off his inheritance, however, Andrew meddles in witchcraft and has the old man killed off. But then he finds out about the insatiable appetite of the beast, and that it's not going to go away any time soon. Grey is entertainingly sleazy in this great segment that features sound contributions from Duff and Darrell Larson as one of Andrews' friends. There's some true creepiness to enjoy here, but scenes with the beast work best when we DON'T get too good a look at it. As a result, the resolution is not as effective as it could have been. But this is still a great macabre ride to take.
A very young Mark Hamill turns up around the 38 minute mark as a messenger boy.
Directed by John Newland, whose credits include the memorable 1973 TV movie "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark". So this segment was in good hands.
Eight out of 10.
