# Horror anthology movies-From the grand to the good to the grotesque **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [September 16, 2026, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-anthology-movies-from-the-grand-to-the-good-to-the-grotesque/1033115 "2026-09-16T17:20:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-anthology-movies-from-the-grand-to-the-good-to-the-grotesque/1033115/1 "2026-09-16T17:20:43Z")
Horror anthology movies are movies that contain multiple short horror stories, usually wrapped around a connected storyline that usually ends with the principal characters meeting their final fate. A decent list of such films can be found here [List of horror anthology films - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_horror_anthology_films), But I am not looking for lists. I am looking for movies that you have personally watched and liked, or maybe even hated. BTW, if someone has something to say about a movie that you would have picked, go ahead a say something else about it-This isn’t a contest, it is a conversation. I do have a particular movie in mind, but let us see what y’all “dig up” first. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-anthology-movies-from-the-grand-to-the-good-to-the-grotesque/1033115/2 "2026-09-16T17:25:18Z")
**Trilogy of Terror** with Karen Black, adapted from three short stories by Richard Matheson. The first two stories are pretty forgettable, but you will _never_ forget the Zuni fetish doll. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-anthology-movies-from-the-grand-to-the-good-to-the-grotesque/1033115/3 "2026-09-16T17:28:38Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > **Trilogy of Terror** That was a made-for-television movie…but I didn’t say “theatrical film” did I? Nice pull. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-anthology-movies-from-the-grand-to-the-good-to-the-grotesque/1033115/4 "2026-09-16T18:08:22Z")
[Black Sabbath](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057603) _Boris Karloff hosts a trio of horror stories about a stalked call girl, a vampire-like monster who preys on his family, and a nurse who is haunted by her ring’s rightful owner._ ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-anthology-movies-from-the-grand-to-the-good-to-the-grotesque/1033115/5 "2026-09-16T18:15:55Z")
I remember going to see **Creepshow** as a teenager. I loved it then. Rewatched it a few years ago and was kind of meh about it. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-anthology-movies-from-the-grand-to-the-good-to-the-grotesque/1033115/6 "2026-09-16T18:30:30Z")
And what did _you_ think about it? ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-anthology-movies-from-the-grand-to-the-good-to-the-grotesque/1033115/7 "2026-09-16T18:42:56Z")
_Waxworks_ (1924) – Conrad Veidt is excellent as Ivan the Terrible, scheming with and against his official poisoner and being driven even battier than he already was. Other two stories about the Caliph of Baghdad and Spring-heeled Jack are less successful. _Black Sabbath_ (1964) – I really only thought the last segment with Boris Karloff based on Tolstoy’s “I Wurdalak” was good. Another story was simply about a woman in jeopardy (yawn!) and I don’t even remember the third story. _Kwaidan_ (1964) – Four exquisite (if somewhat slow-moving) Japanese ghost stories. _Spirits of the Dead_ (1968) – Three Poe-derived tales: “Metzengerstein” is Euro-dull, “Wilson” tells a conventional story with no twist…but “Toby Damnit” a.k.a. “Never Bet the Devil Your Head” directed by Fellini - starring Terence Stamp as a haunted alcoholic actor given a 1964 Ferrari 330 LMB Fantuzzi (one of 4 ever made) - is simply awesome, a stylish evocation of late ‘60s cool every bit in tune with the era’s zeitgeist as the end of _2001_. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-anthology-movies-from-the-grand-to-the-good-to-the-grotesque/1033115/8 "2026-09-16T18:47:21Z")
_Cat’s Eye (1985) -_ Rewatched this recently, hadn’t seen it since the original run. It holds up really well as a fun suspense thrill, and does faithful justice to Stephen King’s stories. Drew Barrymore really was a good engaging child actor. I also noticed it triggered my face-blindness a bit, casting Robert Hays and James Woods in the same movie. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-anthology-movies-from-the-grand-to-the-good-to-the-grotesque/1033115/9 "2026-09-16T18:55:42Z")
_Cat’s Eye_ is really good, especially the first two stories which I had read as a kid in _Night Shift_. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-anthology-movies-from-the-grand-to-the-good-to-the-grotesque/1033115/10 "2026-09-16T19:01:45Z")
My favorite horror anthology movie is _Tales of Halloween_. I try to watch it every Halloween. It’s gruesome and funny, and I like that the characters from one segment show up in other segments. If you watch it, be aware that the segment _Trick_ might be deeply disturbing in a way the other segments aren’t (Harm to children). ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-anthology-movies-from-the-grand-to-the-good-to-the-grotesque/1033115/11 "2026-09-16T19:08:33Z")
Not really a “horror” anthology, but it did deal quite a bit with the absurd nature of death- “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-anthology-movies-from-the-grand-to-the-good-to-the-grotesque/1033115/12 "2026-09-16T19:16:34Z")
Not strictly “horror”, but certainly the horror of humanity. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-anthology-movies-from-the-grand-to-the-good-to-the-grotesque/1033115/13 "2026-09-16T19:26:58Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > And what did _you_ think about it? At the time I thought it was pretty scary. But I was probably 9 years old at the time and loved everything I saw on Moona Lisa’s _Science Fiction Theater_. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-anthology-movies-from-the-grand-to-the-good-to-the-grotesque/1033115/14 "2026-09-16T19:39:26Z")
_Black Sabbath_ (1964) terrified the crap out of me as a kid, especially the episode where a ring is stolen and recovered (“A Drop of Water”). The shot of the dead woman in bed literally showed up in my nightmares for years. Nothing since has touched that. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-anthology-movies-from-the-grand-to-the-good-to-the-grotesque/1033115/15 "2026-09-16T19:45:29Z")
1974’s _From Beyond the Grave_, with Peter Cushing as the “linking” element (he played a curio-shop proprietor), stands up to repeated viewings. Four stories feature well-known British actors, including Donald Pleasence (and his daughter Angela), David Warner, and Diana Dors. [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070078/?ref\_=nm\_flmg\_job\_1\_accord\_1\_cdt\_c\_36](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070078/?ref_=nm_flmg_job_1_accord_1_cdt_c_36) ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-anthology-movies-from-the-grand-to-the-good-to-the-grotesque/1033115/16 "2026-09-16T20:42:55Z")
I have an entire folder devoted to this subgenre on my plex folder. I know you didn’t ask for lists, but of the ones I’ve seen these were fairly good: Creepshow Creepshow 2 Cat’s eye Tales from the darkside the movie Tales from the hood Nightmare Cinema Southbound XX Body Bags Twilight zone the movie > [@Sherrerd](#): > > 1974’s _From Beyond the Grave_, with Peter Cushing as the “linking” element (he played a curio-shop proprietor), stands up to repeated viewings. > > Four stories feature well-known British actors, including Donald Pleasence (and his daughter Angela), David Warner, and Diana Dors. > > [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070078/?ref\_=nm\_flmg\_job\_1\_accord\_1\_cdt\_c\_36](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070078/?ref%5C_=nm_flmg_job_1_accord_1_cdt_c_36) From Beyond the grave was made by a company called Amicus productions. They did about 7 horror anthologies in the 60s and 70s. Some are better than others IMO. I liked the vault of Horror (1973) and tales from the crypt (1972) that they did. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-anthology-movies-from-the-grand-to-the-good-to-the-grotesque/1033115/17 "2026-09-16T20:50:14Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > From Beyond the grave was made by a company called Amicus productions. They did about 7 horror anthologies in the 60s and 70s. Yes, from those I’ve seen, I’d agree. Amicus was always fighting to be as prominent in horror as the industry leader in the UK, Hammer. Amicus never quite succeeded in surpassing Hammer’s reputation (and box office). Anyway, _From Beyond the Grave_ is genuinely creepy in places. Not terribly gruesome, and not prone to cheap jump scares; it relies more on characterization. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-anthology-movies-from-the-grand-to-the-good-to-the-grotesque/1033115/18 "2026-09-16T20:57:54Z")
**A Christmas Horror Story** is one of my faves. Stars Shatner as a disc jockey relating horror stories about Xmas in the town of Bailey Downs. Santa Claus battling zombie elves is a rip-snorter. And there’s a twist ending. The original **Night Gallery** pilot has two good spooky stories and a not so good story. “Back into the ground, Jeremy!” ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-anthology-movies-from-the-grand-to-the-good-to-the-grotesque/1033115/19 "2026-09-16T21:04:42Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > From Beyond the grave was made by a company called Amicus productions. They did about 7 horror anthologies in the 60s and 70s. The first one was [Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors](https://youtu.be/V_0XtPzcQF0?si=aXXZvHMw-QVW8XBn) with Cushing as Dr. Terror along with Christopher Lee and Donald Sutherland. (“More horror than the human mind can comprehend!” The crawling hand story was my favorite. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-anthology-movies-from-the-grand-to-the-good-to-the-grotesque/1033115/20 "2026-09-16T21:10:25Z")
**ABCs of Death** **ABCs of Death 2** **ABCs of Death 2 1/2** I want to love these films, but only a couple of the combined 78 stories are worth your time. **Holidays** Short films about holidays of the year. Kevin Smith’s is about what you’d expect and the Easter one is really twisted. Mostly worth your time. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-anthology-movies-from-the-grand-to-the-good-to-the-grotesque/1033115.md?page=2)