Scary or Die

SCARY OR DIE is a low budget horror anthology with a few nods here and there to the likes of CREEPSHOW and its ilk. This one ploughs the same territory but is hardly on the same level as the older films, appearing very cheap and amateurish in places, but at least it's watchable and the old standby still works: if there's one story you particularly hate, you can rest assured that another one will replace it soon enough.

The first tale is about Mexican zombies, and I think it's the strongest here: certainly it's the only one that manages a few genuine scares in the Romero mould. The second effort is about a Korean vampire, and it's weaker all round, with a very light story barely sustaining the scant running time and a too obvious twist in the tale. The third story is about a serial killer who dismembers his victims, and is probably the weakest here; there's so little story that a key scene ends up being repeated. The fourth story is about an evil clown who bites a man who finds himself also turning into a clown. It has a neat premise but goes on too long. The wraparound segment isn't worth mentioning.

SCARY OR DIE knows that it isn't up to much in the scare department, so it throws in plenty of gore to make up to it. The acting ranges from poor to adequate, while the technical values are acceptable for what is a low budget genre production. Hardly the worst I've seen then but far from the best; this sits somewhere in the middle of the road.

Lured by the cover art to think I was in for a killer clown movie, the Creepshow-esque hand that clicked on the scaryordie website in search of a good horror clip made me realize that this was an anthology.

I haven't bothered to check if all segments were directed by different directors, but what they lack in a unifying theme, they make up with style. The general vibe is old-school, with enough blood to keep the viewer happy but no outright gore or torture. The set-ups are also classic : zombies, vampires, devil cults and the aforementioned killer clown. Segments range from 10 to 30 minutes, with no twists. The story lines are straightforward to a point and do not try to add to any mythos. But they all deliver with elegance and a lot of promise.

Because none of the sketches tries hard to surprise you, they're better left at their short running time, which is enough to be impressed by the directorial styles displayed. This explains why the Clown segment, the longest in the anthology, is also the weakest. It outstayed its weak set-up. The first and last segments, both tales from the undead, are also the slickest and nicely round up this hodgepodge of atmospheric, but almost too respectful quickies.

I didn't really care for it. Hey they say that review is too short so I'll write this sentence to make it longer. Done ?? 3/10

Harks back to the days of the Horror anthologies such as Tales from the Crypt and Tales from the dark side.

The stories twists are rather predictable, in keeping with the anthologies of old, pretty shallow, lacking in substance and explanation.

There are one or two moments that make you wince slightly, but that's it, without them this would be the stuff TV Horror is made of.

Initially I thought it was a collection of short films strung together, until the cast started crossing over from one story to the next.

Watchable, but not worth dedicating your movie night to.

To be fair, if you are looking for a scare, I'd look elsewhere.

The main story, Clown, I didn't think was ever so good.

With all the stories, you know what was going to happen, but they were entertaining nonetheless.