A pair of quirky horror stories by top authors Clive Barker and Stephen King are the subject of this two-part anthology tale, with a wraparound segment featuring the ever-hammy Christopher Lloyd at his most insane as sinister storyteller Aaron Quicksilver. The two short films are mood pieces with stories more bizarre than horrific, although both do have a chill here and there to keep them watchable. Although fans of action and hardcore gore are likely to be disappointed, I think this quirky oddity anthology is a worthy successor to those old Amicus anthologies of the 1970s and possesses the same kind of favourable atmosphere as a film like, say, FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE.
The first story is the Stephen King tale about a man, Bill Hogan, travelling home through the desert to reach his son in time for his birthday. Along the way he stops at a truck store and is given a pair of broken 'chattery teeth' as a present. He also picks up a young hitchhiker who seems to be desperate for a lift. Later, in the middle of nowhere, the hitchhiker reveals his true colours by pulling a switchblade and planning to rob Hogan. Hogan has other ideas and causes his van to crash into a ditch. Unfortunately things don't go according to plan and he is left trapped and injured in his seat whilst his psychopathic companion is free to take revenge. But then something odd happens - the 'chattery teeth' suddenly begin to move, as if with a life of their own! Well, someone had to make a horror film about those toy 'chattery teeth' some time or other and this is good a time as any. Actually the segment works best when highlighting the growing tension between Hogan and his evil hitchhiker, rather than the cheesy pay-off which features some mild gore effects. Although 'chattery teeth' will never be scary, the story is heavy on atmosphere and bolstered by some good acting. Raphael Sbarge convinces as the driver on the edge whilst Silas Weir Mitchell puts in a nicely menacing turn as the young hitchhiker.
The second story concerns a top surgeon, Dr. Charles George, who becomes to suffer hand spasms he cannot control. They cause him to make critical mistakes during surgery and he nearly crashes his car driving home at night when they wrench the wheel from side to side. He consults a psychologist, who believes it is all in his mind and the result of a repressed childhood memory of his father's funeral. But later that night the hands take control of themselves and strangle his wife to death. One of them manages to sever itself from his body and escapes. George is taken to a local surgery where an epidemic soon breaks out.
Obvious nods to such films as THE BEAST WITH FIVE FINGERS and EVIL DEAD II aside, Clive Barker's typical tale of bodily mutilation and self-control is a good one. The story escalates in scope throughout and has a great central performance in Matt Frewer as the man driven out of his mind by hands that cannot and will not obey him. Frewer is pretty good at convincing the viewer that his hands have a life of their own and there's some icky gore to be disgusted by. The ending of the tale is a nice spin on the old 'Pied Piper of Hamlin' myth and features some not-bad CGI effects courtesy of William Mesa, the guy who made the abominable DNA with Mark Dacascos. Cameos from Barker himself and John Landis keep things moving and on the whole it's a satisfying piece.
Although the film does suffer a little from the low budget and contains a few plot strands that don't make much sense (why would the teeth show up again in real life after Quicksilver has finished his story at the beginning of the first half?) it is worthwhile and imaginative, providing a breath of fresh air from the teen slashers which occupied 90% of the horror genre when this was made. Not a classic by any means, but worth a look for fans seeking out more offbeat and unusual horror stories instead of the normal run-of-the-mill monster/slasher of the week fare.
The first story is the Stephen King tale about a man, Bill Hogan, travelling home through the desert to reach his son in time for his birthday. Along the way he stops at a truck store and is given a pair of broken 'chattery teeth' as a present. He also picks up a young hitchhiker who seems to be desperate for a lift. Later, in the middle of nowhere, the hitchhiker reveals his true colours by pulling a switchblade and planning to rob Hogan. Hogan has other ideas and causes his van to crash into a ditch. Unfortunately things don't go according to plan and he is left trapped and injured in his seat whilst his psychopathic companion is free to take revenge. But then something odd happens - the 'chattery teeth' suddenly begin to move, as if with a life of their own! Well, someone had to make a horror film about those toy 'chattery teeth' some time or other and this is good a time as any. Actually the segment works best when highlighting the growing tension between Hogan and his evil hitchhiker, rather than the cheesy pay-off which features some mild gore effects. Although 'chattery teeth' will never be scary, the story is heavy on atmosphere and bolstered by some good acting. Raphael Sbarge convinces as the driver on the edge whilst Silas Weir Mitchell puts in a nicely menacing turn as the young hitchhiker.
The second story concerns a top surgeon, Dr. Charles George, who becomes to suffer hand spasms he cannot control. They cause him to make critical mistakes during surgery and he nearly crashes his car driving home at night when they wrench the wheel from side to side. He consults a psychologist, who believes it is all in his mind and the result of a repressed childhood memory of his father's funeral. But later that night the hands take control of themselves and strangle his wife to death. One of them manages to sever itself from his body and escapes. George is taken to a local surgery where an epidemic soon breaks out.
Obvious nods to such films as THE BEAST WITH FIVE FINGERS and EVIL DEAD II aside, Clive Barker's typical tale of bodily mutilation and self-control is a good one. The story escalates in scope throughout and has a great central performance in Matt Frewer as the man driven out of his mind by hands that cannot and will not obey him. Frewer is pretty good at convincing the viewer that his hands have a life of their own and there's some icky gore to be disgusted by. The ending of the tale is a nice spin on the old 'Pied Piper of Hamlin' myth and features some not-bad CGI effects courtesy of William Mesa, the guy who made the abominable DNA with Mark Dacascos. Cameos from Barker himself and John Landis keep things moving and on the whole it's a satisfying piece.
Although the film does suffer a little from the low budget and contains a few plot strands that don't make much sense (why would the teeth show up again in real life after Quicksilver has finished his story at the beginning of the first half?) it is worthwhile and imaginative, providing a breath of fresh air from the teen slashers which occupied 90% of the horror genre when this was made. Not a classic by any means, but worth a look for fans seeking out more offbeat and unusual horror stories instead of the normal run-of-the-mill monster/slasher of the week fare.