Posted in: Movies, Review, Shudder | Tagged: Caitlin Custer, Christine Kilmer, clancy brown, Ema Horvath, Mike C Nelson, Review, rlje films, Ryan Spindell, Sarah Hay, shudder, The Mortuary Collection
The Mortuary Collection Review: Predictable and Traditional Horror
The Mortuary Collection provides enough horror clichés, pacing, and tone to keep the Cryptkeeper happy. In this case, the character in that role is Montgomery Dark, played organically ghoulishly by the venerable Clancy Brown. While one expects supernatural phenomena to happen in his parts, it's rather the stories he shares with one prospective applicant in Sam (Caitlin Custer) that get the ball rolling.
How The Mortuary Collection Fits With Its Contemporaries
As an anthology, the stories don't tie up anything to the greater plot other than the mere existence of the bodies involved. They can easily fit in any other anthology from The Outer Limits to The Twilight Zone. As the old mortician, Brown's Dark carries himself off like any elderly relative telling a story without any embellishments. The first story features a brief segment with Emma (Christine Kilmer), who has a chance encounter with something otherworldly. Another involves a fraternity with an interesting twist of social commentary that would make Arnold Schwarzenegger proud even if it does "comes off" like an elaborate PSA to fill time.
Another tale features a couple played by Mike C. Nelson and Sarah Hay that has shades of Very Bad Things (1998) in a much more confined setting. There is a fourth and final tale that's disconnected from the other three. Writer and director Ryan Spindell displays exemplary use of talent in his stories, particularly his main subjects, while social commentary is on point. Nelson, Hay. Kilmer, Jacob Elordi, Ema Horvath, and Custer deliver standout performances to drive the film. It's definitely worth checking out if you have Shudder. The RLJE Film, which also stars Tristan Byon, Eden Campbell, Hannah Lloyd, Brennan Murray, and Michael Bow, will also available on VOD, Digital HD, DVD, and Blu-ray on April 20.