The Theatre Bizarre

Looking for a film that witches, murder, Lovecraftian vaginas, eyeball injections, the Necromonicon, and naked toad monsters? Well, depending my interpretation of what I saw in the melee of short films here you may be in for all that and more...all be it in small doses. These short films vary substantially in film, acting, gore, direction and writing quality. We get to taste a lot of stories and ideas and, if we don't like one of the shorts after ten minutes, just wait ten more minutes for the next one to start. If you like anthologies then don't miss this.A macabre-marionetted Udo Kier (Mother of Tears, Iron Sky) introduces the six unrelated stories of this anthology. I have provided an brief overview of each short film along with some opinions.The Mother of Toads--directed by Richard Stanley (Hardware, The Profane Exhibit)Vacationing in France, an American couple encounter an old lady (Catriona MacCall; The Beyond, City of the Living Dead) selling Lovecraftian earrings who claims to possess the Necronomicon. This clichéd creepy old lady invites the boyfriend to her uber-occult home in the woods, transforms into a slimy yet hot naked witch (played by a porn star), date rapes him, and turns into a six-breasted toad monster that looks like The Creature from the Black Lagoon. MY CALL: I may have spoiled the story, but the wooden acting and blatantly random premise spoil the short film even more. Though, I must admit I found it entertaining. You find yourself asking questions like "why would he go to her house?", "why would he stay in that creepy house when she CLEARLY fancies herself a witch?", "who would ever accept a drink from someone who owns a Necronomicon!?!", and finally "the Necronomicon is French!?!" It's a TERRIBLE film but a REALLY good laugh.I Love You--directed by Buddy GiovinazzoAxle's life is falling apart. He wakes up on the bathroom floor, has bruises and wounds he can't explain, he looks awful and his wife is leaving him for another man. MY CALL: Pretty much a couple Germans who sort of speak English fluently trying to act in English...just get American or British actors!!! Making matters worse, this never felt like horror film until the very end, which features some handsome gore.Wet Dreams--directed by Tom Savini (who did the make-up for loads of stuff)Donnie has been having some troublingly graphic dreams of castration. His wife, Carla (Debbie Rochon; Tromaville Scream Queen), is getting tired of it. MY CALL: We get a few grins from lines like "Lovecraftian vagina" as well as some fine gore which allow us to forgive Tom Savini for forcing us to watch his stillborn attempts to act. This was really just a shock piece. But I enjoyed it for the mindless fun that it offered.The Accident--directed by Douglas Buck (Sisters)A mother and daughter come upon a fatal accident which provokes questions about death from the young girl. MY CALL: This is the only short in this anthology which attempts to send a real message. Death is addressed gracefully, the acting was decent and the filming and music were done very well. I have one complaint though: zero horror.Vision Stains--directed by Karim Hussain (Ascension)A woman murders vagrants and "extracts" their final visions as their lives flash before their eyes...literally, with a syringe. Then she injects the fluid into her own eyes so that she may experience them. MY CALL: This was clearly the coolest of the short films. The premise, while loaded with in your face nonsense/non-science, was interesting and the extraction and injection scenes were uniquely hard to watch--not for the feint. No joke!Sweets--directed by David Gregory (Plague Town)Estelle breaks up with her boyfriend Greg in this colorful binge of a film. MY CALL: Stylistic, weird and obsessively indulgent, with an art house theater appeal, alternating disgusting and sensual imagery, and a powerful duality. All in all, a little too strange and sociopathic even for my taste. Watching this felt like being trapped in the mind of a psychopath; a never ending WTF moment that was equal parts insane and genius.This was a REALLY interesting mix and should interest horror fans and indie film fans alike. Some risky production was practiced in some and shockingly good writing emerges here and there. We get to taste a lot of stories and ideas and, if we don't like one of the shorts after ten minutes, we just wait ten more minutes for the next one to start. If you like anthologies then don't miss this.

The Theatre Bizarre (2011) is a gritty powerhouse of horror that rips your freakin' brains out and shoves 'em down your wind pipe. David Gregory--the mastermind behind this project--persuaded a friend with a concrete company to fund the production, which meant NO OVERSIGHT on the scripts. Thus, the directors involved (described by Gregory as renegades) had complete freedom to explore their darkest fantasies in graphic, gory, and disturbing detail. Gregory said his only stipulation was the stories must be worthy to be seen in the legendary Grand Guignol, which ties these terrifically twisted tales of terror together thematically.Theatre Bizarre is marked throughout by outstanding performances, an excellent mood-setting score, convincing special effects makeup, clever cinematography, and chilling, thrilling stories. Also interesting, most of these shorts have a relationship-issue component featuring dominant female characters and vulnerable males. Time for a few brief comments on each film:(1) Kickin' off (and concluding) the anthology, Theatre Guignol spotlights horror icon Udo Kier, who masterfully plays a creepy, captivating automaton that lures souls to join his show. Although it tells a story, this supernatural short also serves to introduce the audience to each of the other shorts.(2) Mother of Toads, a tribute to Clark Ashton Smith and H. P. Lovecraft, is set in a swampy, verdant, haunted countryside in France where the Mother of Toads resides. She is cunning, skilled in magic, and ravenous to ravish a young, naive beau with steamy, slime-laden love.(3) I Love You is a tale about a man whose love turns into paranoia and madness. It's also an allegory about damaging and damning relationships by being an overbearing, overprotective partner, especially regarding men.(4) Wet Dreams, a gory revenge tale, was directed by special effects makeup guru Tom Savini. He also plays a psychotherapist who assists in exacting revenge. This short is by far the goriest and arguably the most demented.(5) The Accident offers a break from visual shocks inflicted on viewers in the previous three shorts. However, this short provides a poignant pondering of death from a child's perspective, and no doubt death can be distressing to consider.(6) Vision Stains is extremely hard to endure at times due to eyeballs being punctured. Gregory said that multiple men walked out of the screening room and fainted while watching this segment. Nevertheless, the story is witty, engaging, and certainly deserving of unflinching ocular attention.(7) Sweets, directed by Gregory, is the dessert in this anthology. To those with weak stomachs, be warned you may need a bucket nearby--the stomach will ABSOLUTELY turn. This short is rich stylistically, has great humor, and is utterly grotesque. Bon appétit!W2 Media's 2012 release of The Theatre Bizarre on DVD contains no subtitles, widescreen formatting (2.35:1), good audio/video quality, a commentary, about 40 minutes of interesting, informative interviews with four directors, and a behind-the-scenes featurette that wasn't very fulfilling. This anthology is so freakin' awesome!

Lieferung, Versand und Verpackung einwandfrei.The Theatre Bizarre gehört auf jeden Fall mit zu meinen Lieblingsfilmen.Warum? Ich steh auf Horror / Psycho und ich liebe Episodenfilme.Insgesamt sind 6 Episoden geboten.Eine besonderer als die andere. Unterschiedlicher wie sie nicht sein könnten.Trotzdem jede Episode für sich selbst besonders."The Mother of Toads": Ein amerikanisches Pärchen verirrt sich in den Pyrenäen und trifft eine wahre Legende."I Love You": Ein Pärchen trennt sich in einer Berliner Wohnung auf denkbar unschöne Weise."Wet Dreams": Den schlechten Ehemann plagen Albträume. Der Psychiater weiß schlechten Rat."The Accident": Ein kleines Mädchen wird erstmals mit dem Tod konfrontiert."Vision Stains": Ein weiblicher Serienkiller hat ein wahrhaft ungewöhnliches Motiv."Sweets": Das große Fressen ist auch nur eine Metapher.Ein muss für alle Horrorfans die auf Episodenfilme stehen.

J'ai toujours apprécié les films d'horreur à histoires, grande spécialité des Britanniques. Et même s'il est inégal, The Theatre Bizarre (2011) ne démérite pas face à des longs-métrages comme Asylum, Frissons d'outre-tombe, ou même Les Trois Visages de la peur (Bava père, donc Italie).Co-production américano-franco-canadienne, The Theatre Bizarre propose 6 segments, liés entre eux par un septième où apparaît Udo Kier.L'ensemble est de très bonne facture, malgré une dernière histoire plus faible (celle qui est trash), et franchement gore. On s'en doute, le segment réalisé par Karim Hussain est le plus radical. Quant à Douglas Buck, son récit est singulier, presque contemplatif, mais excellent. The Theatre Bizarre utilise des ficelles bien connues (la sorcellerie, le mélange rêve/réalité, la vengeance amoureuse) mais ça passe bien.Véritable cadeau pour les amateurs d'horreur, The Theatre Bizarre est un bon petit film qui gagne à être plus connu. Et en plus, il y a Debbie Rochon !

The movie came SO much sooner than expected! In fact the tracking said it hadn't even gotten into Canada yet. So that was a pleasant surprise!I haven't watched this weird movie in so long and I'm excited to finally own it.Thank you! (:

Richard Stanley's venture into Lovecraftian horror made this a must own for me. The other shorts were hit and miss, but still worth a watch. The blu ray itself, picture and audio, is great.

Boring. I ended up turning it off before it was finished. I don' remember the last time I did that.