# Whatever happened to Segment movies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 10, 2007, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-segment-movies/399430 "2007-04-10T02:35:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-segment-movies/399430/1 "2007-04-10T02:35:17Z")
Segment Movies. You know the type of thing. Several separate stories with a linking story connecting them. A doctor arrives at an asylum and hears stories told by each of his inmates. Items bought from an antique shop have a curious story attached to them. A tatooed man seeks the woman that illustrated him, each of his tatoos shows a different story. People sit around a table and exchange stories of how they died (turns out they’re all in hell). You know the type of movie I’m talking about. Why did they stop making them? Are there any more recent ones than [Grim Prairie Tales](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099704/) (1990) ? And what are your favourites in the genre? I like: _Three cases of murder_. Well, two of them anyway. Two creepy supernatural tales one of them starring Orsen Welles, and a totally forgettable whodunnit. The one with Tom Baker as an evil artist whose paintings come to life. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-segment-movies/399430/2 "2007-04-10T03:02:29Z")
They’re usually called “anthology films.” **[Dead of Night](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037635/)** is the classic, especially for the frame tale, which is the scariest part. There was also **If I Had a Million** , **O. Henry’s Full House** , and **Tales of Manhattan**. **[11/09/01 – September 11](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0328802/)** was a more recent one. There was also **New York Stories** They were never all that popular, and it’s hard to come up with a frame tale that holds everything together. Also, by their very nature, they tend to be uneven, with good and bad segments. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-segment-movies/399430/3 "2007-04-10T03:04:53Z")
You had _Four Rooms_ in 1995. It wasn’t reviewed favorably. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-segment-movies/399430/4 "2007-04-10T03:52:05Z")
“Night Train To Terror” from 1985 didn’t get a lot of favorable reviews, but it was exactly what you describe. ---
**Author:** ![Gentle\_Robot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e495f1/32.png) [@Gentle\_Robot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gentle_Robot)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-segment-movies/399430/5 "2007-04-10T05:13:16Z")
[The Wedding Dress?](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0290104/) [Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0403508/) ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-segment-movies/399430/6 "2007-04-10T06:09:00Z")
Check out “Two Evil Eyes”, linking Poe’s “Valdemar” and “Black Cat”, and the horrid “Necronomicon”, a Lovecraft anthology “starring” (and wasting) Jeffrey Combs. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-segment-movies/399430/7 "2007-04-10T14:58:08Z")
[QUOTE=Snooooopy] You had _Four Rooms_ in 1995. It wasn’t reviewed favorably. [/QUOTE] That’s odd. I love the 2-4th segments of that movie. I’ll admit the first one is horrible, but anyone looking for some fun ought to check out that movie on DVD. Quentin Tarantino directed the 4th segment, if that encourages anyone. ---
**Author:** ![Plynck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Plynck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plynck)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-segment-movies/399430/8 "2007-04-10T15:11:12Z")
For once my suggestion hasn’t already been taken! 🙂 [Le Violon Rouge (The Red Violin) 1998](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120802/) ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-segment-movies/399430/9 "2007-04-10T15:18:27Z")
Would **Sin City** count? ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Prize](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d2c977/32.png) [@Sir\_Prize](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Prize)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-segment-movies/399430/10 "2007-04-10T15:43:09Z")
[QUOTE=Plynck] For once my suggestion hasn’t already been taken! 🙂 [Le Violon Rouge (The Red Violin) 1998](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120802/) [/QUOTE] But you took my suggestion. How about [Babel](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babel_(film)) ? ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-segment-movies/399430/11 "2007-04-10T15:58:19Z")
[QUOTE=Peter Morris] And what are your favourites in the genre? [/QUOTE] [Mystery Train](http://imdb.com/title/tt0097940/) ---
**Author:** ![el\_nombre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9dc877/32.png) [@el\_nombre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/el_nombre)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-segment-movies/399430/12 "2007-04-10T20:00:09Z")
Slackers by Richard Linklater is the ultimate segment movie ---
**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-segment-movies/399430/13 "2007-04-10T20:04:44Z")
[QUOTE=el\_nombre] Slackers by Richard Linklater is the ultimate segment movie [/QUOTE] 😕 You must be thinking of a different movie. Oh! I bet you’re thinking of **Waking Life**. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-segment-movies/399430/14 "2007-04-10T20:06:06Z")
i think these movies should be more properly called anthologies. There was _New York Stories_ which was three stories about NYC directed by Scorcese, Coppola and Woody Allen. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-segment-movies/399430/15 "2007-04-10T20:28:11Z")
I wouldn’t call it a favorite, but my immediate thought was the 1985 film [Cat’s Eye](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088889/) by Stephan King. The other day I told my cat to keep an eye out for little goblin-thingies in the walls. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-segment-movies/399430/16 "2007-04-10T20:28:41Z")
[QUOTE=Gangster Octopus] i think these movies should be more properly called anthologies. There was _New York Stories_ which was three stories about NYC directed by Scorcese, Coppola and Woody Allen. [/QUOTE] But _New York Stories_ isn’t the kind of thing the OP described. It’s just three separate vignettes with no linking plot or framing device. ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-segment-movies/399430/17 "2007-04-10T20:36:15Z")
Roger Corman’s **Tales of Terror** from 1962. Featured tellings of “Morella”, “The Black Cat” and “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar”, all three starring Vincent Price. A favorite of my childhood. ---
**Author:** ![RedSwinglineOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a9adbd/32.png) [@RedSwinglineOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedSwinglineOne)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-segment-movies/399430/18 "2007-04-10T20:42:02Z")
\*\*Pulp Fiction \*\* had several barely related story lines. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-segment-movies/399430/19 "2007-04-10T20:42:42Z")
[QUOTE=Biffy the Elephant Shrew] But _New York Stories_ isn’t the kind of thing the OP described. It’s just three separate vignettes with no linking plot or framing device. [/QUOTE] Yeah you are probably right. They are linked by New York, but I don’t think that is what the OP meant. If you think about it, _Citizen Kane_ could be such a movie though. I mean isn’t it basically about a reporter who goes around getting stories form different people about Kane’s life so he can find out the meaning of 'Rosebud". ---
**Author:** ![hocow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hocow/32/4112_2.png) [@hocow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hocow)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-segment-movies/399430/20 "2007-04-10T22:12:04Z")
My first thought was [Crash](http://imdb.com/title/tt0375679/). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-segment-movies/399430.md?page=2)