# 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:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**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, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-anthology-movies-from-the-grand-to-the-good-to-the-grotesque/1033115/21 "2026-09-16T21:33:48Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > ABCs of Death Yes! I loved the concept, a short from a different indie creator for each letter of the alphabet. I especially liked C, D, H, P, S, and U. What the hell Z even was, I couldn’t begin to say. (I think that _ABCs_ is the anthology that shows the segment’s title only at the end, so if you haven’t seen it yet, don’t look up the episodes. Try to guess what the title will be.) Parts 2 and 2-1/2 weren’t nearly as good, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Meatwater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meatwater/32/20074_2.png) [@Meatwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatwater)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-anthology-movies-from-the-grand-to-the-good-to-the-grotesque/1033115/22 "2026-09-17T03:50:21Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > **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. This was a pretty decent one, I haven’t rewatched it but I have thought about it occasionally since seeing it. **V/H/S** Is also a decent horror anthology. They all have their own highs and lows. I’d recommend all of them, except V/H/S Viral… vhs '94 might be my personal 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 17, 2026, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-anthology-movies-from-the-grand-to-the-good-to-the-grotesque/1033115/23 "2026-09-17T03:57:04Z")
I fell hard for Lorenza Izzo (the former Mrs. Eli Roth) in the New Year’s Eve episode. Even with the axe. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-anthology-movies-from-the-grand-to-the-good-to-the-grotesque/1033115/24 "2026-09-17T04:30:41Z")
When I was a kid, Twice Told Tales (1963) scared the crap out of me. Three stories starring Vincent Price based on Nathaniel Hawthorne stories: Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment, Rappaccini’s Daughter, and The House of the Seven Gables. I suspect they don’t hold up so well, but the stories are good stories. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-anthology-movies-from-the-grand-to-the-good-to-the-grotesque/1033115/25 "2026-09-17T05:15:22Z")
> [@Meatwater](#): > > **V/H/S** Is also a decent horror anthology. They all have their own highs and lows. I’d recommend all of them, except V/H/S Viral… vhs '94 might be my personal favorite. That’s what I was going to mention, but this is one of those series where they’ve made so many so fast (they’re on their 10th installment since 2012!) that I just can’t keep track of which I’ve watched, much less liked. I do remember liking the first one. ---
**Author:** ![Meatwater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meatwater/32/20074_2.png) [@Meatwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatwater)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-anthology-movies-from-the-grand-to-the-good-to-the-grotesque/1033115/26 "2026-09-17T06:05:07Z")
And because there is so many there is something for everyone. I consider the Halloween one the second worst yet it is the highest rated to other people. The first one is a classic and even spun a feature film off of [the first short story](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siren_(2016_film)). ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-anthology-movies-from-the-grand-to-the-good-to-the-grotesque/1033115/27 "2026-09-17T06:41:58Z")
Dead of Night has one of the best “Puppet comes to life” stories. It may have been the first. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-anthology-movies-from-the-grand-to-the-good-to-the-grotesque/1033115/28 "2026-09-17T11:15:01Z")
Easily the WORST Horror Anthology movie I’ve ever seen is **Gallery of Horror** (AKA _Return from the Past_ AKA _Tales from the Past_ – 1967) starring a slumming John Carradine, who would appear in anything. It consists of three stories with transparently predictable “twist” endings, narrated by Carradine. The techical quality of the fil m is absolutely awful – it looks like a tenth generation print from a damaged negative. Some of the most impressive shots are stolen from Roger Corman movies (like _The Raven_). It even features a vampire named “Count Alucard”, a hoary old joke that’s been used way too many times. (spell it backwards). There are “good bad movies”, which are at least entertainingly bad, and show some sparks of originality. This one is simply boringly bad. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-anthology-movies-from-the-grand-to-the-good-to-the-grotesque/1033115/29 "2026-09-17T11:18:18Z")
> [@Dropo](#): > > _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_. Completely agree. This was made just after Roger Corman made his run of Poe-inspired movies, which probably made a lot of people assume that this was one of them. It most definitely is not. The “Toby Dammit” segment takes significant liberties with the Poe short story _Never Bet the Devil Your Head_, but it’s arty and intriguing and definitely interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-anthology-movies-from-the-grand-to-the-good-to-the-grotesque/1033115/30 "2026-09-17T11:58:26Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Tales from the hood This is a great movie. > [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > **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. Another great movie, and yes the ending is pretty good. Other good movies include The Mortuary Collection, stars Clancy Brown so you know it should be good. Trick 'r Treat, is full on a Halloween movie with different stories set on Halloween. It’s a favorite among most horror fans. If you want an all out B Movie go with Cillerama, it spoofs the 50s style movies. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-anthology-movies-from-the-grand-to-the-good-to-the-grotesque/1033115/31 "2026-09-17T13:01:14Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > Dead of Night has one of the best “Puppet comes to life” stories. It may have been the first. _Dead of Night_ is the film I was going to mention. The puppet sequence is great, but my favorite vignette is “The Christmas Party,” in which a teenaged Sally Ann Howes comforts a crying little boy who turns out to be a ghost. It’s very sweet and melancholy. Sally Ann Howes had a very long career, beginning as a child actress, but is probably best remembered today for playing Truly Scrumptious in _Chitty Chitty Bang Bang_. ---
**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 17, 2026, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-anthology-movies-from-the-grand-to-the-good-to-the-grotesque/1033115/32 "2026-09-17T13:04:22Z")
There’s also a Dan Curtis movie called **Dead of Night** that has three stories; the last one, “Bobby,” is pretty good. ---
**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 17, 2026, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-anthology-movies-from-the-grand-to-the-good-to-the-grotesque/1033115/33 "2026-09-17T13:15:54Z")
The movie I have in mind is also the _only_ feature film in which Vincent Price portrayed a vampire-_The Monster Club_. The framing device surrounding the small vignettes? John Carradine playing the author of horror stories, is accosted and bitten by a vampire played by Vincent Price. When the author comes to, he is assured by Price that he will not be killed or turned, but that he was just used as a source of sustenance. Instead of finishing the job (and as sort of an apology) Price insists that he escort Carradine to a nightclub called “The Monster Club”. He is served a drink there, listens to a rock band or two and watches as monsters of all kinds dance and have a good time. Price tells him three tales, and afterward he is resigned to his fate as the various vampires, werewolves, ghouls and every combination of the three possible descend on him ominously. The twist? Price stops them, saying that he didn’t bring the human in to attack him-He invited him in to ask him to join them! He tells them of all the horribly imaginative ways humans have attacked and killed themselves over the centuries in numbers that dwarf the number of attacks that all the other monsters combined have done. [The Monster Club - Humans](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS8sWX-deWQ) Definitely not the usual wrap up to a horror anthology. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-anthology-movies-from-the-grand-to-the-good-to-the-grotesque/1033115/34 "2026-09-17T18:50:44Z")
The Halloween edition of the **V/H/S** series was great! The segment _Kidprint_ is the standout. **Three.. Extremes** is another great (and _super_ gross & disturbing!) horror anthology. It’s an Asian film featuring stories by Takasi Miike, Park Chan-wook & Fruit Chan and the “Dumplings” segment is… hooo boy, not something you’ll ever forget. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-anthology-movies-from-the-grand-to-the-good-to-the-grotesque/1033115.md?page=1)