"I'm chronicling the real America, not the ideal America..the warts, the coarse black hairs, the dark underbelly of a nation trying to fool itself that it has none..
..There is no light without darkness, no life without death, no peace without war, no God without Satan..
..I'm a boatman on the River Styx in Black Asphalt..a traveler on Route 666."
Introducing himself to recent, wedding-dress clad bride, Olivia(Missy Crider)is Aaron Quicksilver(Christopher Lloyd , dressed as if he walked off the set of THE ADDAMS FAMILY)a storyteller of the absurd and macabre and does he have quite the tale for her. Olivia is awaiting her husband off to find assistance due to their car having a flat tire.
In the story Quicksilver tells her is Bill Hogan(Raphael Sbarge, also portraying Olivia's husband Kerry off to get some help)a bar-code label salesman who runs into a psycho hitchhiker on his way home through a bad dust storm that doesn't let up. Luckily, Bill has aide when a vehicle crash, during the hitcher's threats to kill him, causes his van to run off the road and upside down into a gully. Unable to unlock his seat, it seems as if Bill is sure bait for the killer, but is assisted by a steel toy he received by an old man running a grocery store nearby. That steel toy is chattery teeth with legs! This tale is based on a Stephen King story called "Chattery Teeth." In the wraparound, Olivia finds that this story hits closer to home than she could possibly ever realize.
Matt Frewer, a Mick Garris vet, is Charlie, a pickpocket who happens across a gallery of oddities at a carnival, operated by...Aaron Quicksilver. Charlie spots a wax hand which serves as a candle for Quicksilver on display. Quicksilver has a tale for Charlie and it consists of a plastic surgeon, Dr. Charles George whose hands are rebelling against him! We see them actually talking to each other in conversation, the hands I mean(I'm not joking, we hear them speaking words as certain fingers act as lips!), planning to escape the tyranny of the body seeking freedom! Poor Charles George can not understand why his hands would wish to kill his beloved wife or sever ties with him. The rest of the tale consists of one hand, severing itself from Charles' arm, causing turmoil amongst a hospital staff telling the hands of everyone to revolt! Charles must make an ultimate decision..one remaining attached hand seems to be a "messiah" for the other hands and will have to die with his suicide the possible only viable option left to make. And, in the wraparound, pickpocket Charlie might not have the chance to use his hands for criminal activity any longer. Based on Clive Barker's story, "The Body Politic."
Now, both stories are insane dealing with bizarre tales of horror. The outrageous nature of both tales might work for those willing to suspend disbelief. The beautiful, fluid camera-work, often always an asset in even director Garris' worst films, is on display here. The hands running free in a hospital causing havoc has to be seen to be believed. If one has seen the ADDAMS FAMILY feature films, they have an inclination of what I'm talking about. Seeing a toy with chattery teeth and legs leaping at the throat of an evil hitchhiker(Silas Weir Mitchell)isn't exactly something I remember seeing before so that might be novelty for those interested in the silly and weird. This anthology can be a lot of fun for undemanding viewers expecting true terror because these tales seem more geared towards chuckles than horrifying it's audience. If you enjoy Christopher Lloyd, you might enjoy his creepy storyteller, whose cracking, demented smile is memorable as those who hear his stories are effected by them.
..There is no light without darkness, no life without death, no peace without war, no God without Satan..
..I'm a boatman on the River Styx in Black Asphalt..a traveler on Route 666."
Introducing himself to recent, wedding-dress clad bride, Olivia(Missy Crider)is Aaron Quicksilver(Christopher Lloyd , dressed as if he walked off the set of THE ADDAMS FAMILY)a storyteller of the absurd and macabre and does he have quite the tale for her. Olivia is awaiting her husband off to find assistance due to their car having a flat tire.
In the story Quicksilver tells her is Bill Hogan(Raphael Sbarge, also portraying Olivia's husband Kerry off to get some help)a bar-code label salesman who runs into a psycho hitchhiker on his way home through a bad dust storm that doesn't let up. Luckily, Bill has aide when a vehicle crash, during the hitcher's threats to kill him, causes his van to run off the road and upside down into a gully. Unable to unlock his seat, it seems as if Bill is sure bait for the killer, but is assisted by a steel toy he received by an old man running a grocery store nearby. That steel toy is chattery teeth with legs! This tale is based on a Stephen King story called "Chattery Teeth." In the wraparound, Olivia finds that this story hits closer to home than she could possibly ever realize.
Matt Frewer, a Mick Garris vet, is Charlie, a pickpocket who happens across a gallery of oddities at a carnival, operated by...Aaron Quicksilver. Charlie spots a wax hand which serves as a candle for Quicksilver on display. Quicksilver has a tale for Charlie and it consists of a plastic surgeon, Dr. Charles George whose hands are rebelling against him! We see them actually talking to each other in conversation, the hands I mean(I'm not joking, we hear them speaking words as certain fingers act as lips!), planning to escape the tyranny of the body seeking freedom! Poor Charles George can not understand why his hands would wish to kill his beloved wife or sever ties with him. The rest of the tale consists of one hand, severing itself from Charles' arm, causing turmoil amongst a hospital staff telling the hands of everyone to revolt! Charles must make an ultimate decision..one remaining attached hand seems to be a "messiah" for the other hands and will have to die with his suicide the possible only viable option left to make. And, in the wraparound, pickpocket Charlie might not have the chance to use his hands for criminal activity any longer. Based on Clive Barker's story, "The Body Politic."
Now, both stories are insane dealing with bizarre tales of horror. The outrageous nature of both tales might work for those willing to suspend disbelief. The beautiful, fluid camera-work, often always an asset in even director Garris' worst films, is on display here. The hands running free in a hospital causing havoc has to be seen to be believed. If one has seen the ADDAMS FAMILY feature films, they have an inclination of what I'm talking about. Seeing a toy with chattery teeth and legs leaping at the throat of an evil hitchhiker(Silas Weir Mitchell)isn't exactly something I remember seeing before so that might be novelty for those interested in the silly and weird. This anthology can be a lot of fun for undemanding viewers expecting true terror because these tales seem more geared towards chuckles than horrifying it's audience. If you enjoy Christopher Lloyd, you might enjoy his creepy storyteller, whose cracking, demented smile is memorable as those who hear his stories are effected by them.