Director(s) – Doug Ulrich (7 Sins of the Vampire, Screen Kill) and Al Darago (Darkest Soul, Screen Kill)
Starring – Al Darago, Brad Storck, and Ilene Zelechowski
Release Date – 1993
Rating – 3.5/5
Blu Release – 3.5/5
Several months ago I was preparing for my October horror binge. I wanted to watch as many horror in October as I could focusing on movies I had never seen before. While I was rounding up movies for my month long binge I saw that AGFA and Bleeding Skull was releasing a shot on video horror anthology from 1993 called Scary Tales. The original release date was the tail end of October so I knew it would be cutting it close if I got it in time to review for Halloween.
Sadly, the releases for October were delayed and it would not arrive until the middle of November. I wanted to watch it sooner but decided to save it to watch later after I binged Game of Thrones. After power housing through five seasons I decided to split the other seasons up and watch a few horror releases. Scary Tales was the first.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows the storyteller as he spins three tales for a group of unsuspecting children. The first story follows a man who finds Satan’s necklace that possesses him and forces him to do evil deeds. The second story follows a loving husband who uncovers that his wife is cheating which sends him over the edge. The third and final tale follows an avid gamer who finds himself sucked into the world of the game and forced to fight for his life. **Spoiler Alert**
Shot on video horror is not for everyone. I love the cheap side of horror so I often find no budget shot on video horror to be entertaining but they are very far from perfect. I love discovering a new sov horror flick I’ve never seen before and the second I saw Vinegar Syndrome post Scary Tales for AGFA and Bleeding Skull I knew I had to see it. The movie is very crude and amateur but, god damn, did I enjoy it.
The acting in this one is rough. I don’t want to call it bad but I would call in inexperienced. The cast really tries to get into character but their lack of experience does create a few unintentional laughs. Regardless, I had fun with the characters.
The stories in this one are nothing we haven’t seen before even in the early 90s. So many horror films, as well as, erotic thrillers followed a jealous husband murdering his adulterous wife. The same can be said about possession stories. However, we didn’t have a lot of horror tales where someone is pulled into a video game. With that being said, we have seen similiar stories with people getting pulled into movies, television shows, comics, books, and so on before this. Still, it’s cool seeing video games incorporated into a horror tale.
Finally, the film has some blood and cheap practical effects but I enjoyed them. Sure, the kills we get are nothing memorable but they really fit the film. Some were unintentionally funny while others were a little more serious but I liked them. Overall, Scary Tales will not be for everyone. In fact, it’s not going to be for a lot of people. However, if you are one of the few members of the horror community that doesn’t get off on your own farts then you may enjoy this cheap anthology. I like what they were going for and, if you ask me, they deliver a very fun and entertaining horror anthology. Sure, there is a few occasions where you will laugh at the acting but the fact they got off their ass and did something speaks louder than us laughing. I highly recommend checking this one out on blu now from AGFA and Bleeding Skull.
Special Features:
Region Free Blu-ray
New transfer from the original S-VHS master tapes
Commentary track with director Doug Ulrich
1987 demo version of SCARY TALES
Outtakes and vintage TV promo appearance
Early horror shorts by director Doug Ulrich
Bonus movie: DARKEST SOUL (1994), the follow-up to SCARY TALES
Reversible cover
English SDH subtitles
Bonus Review
Darkest Soul
Director – Doug Ulrich (Scary Tales, 7 Sins of the Vampire)
Starring – Al Darago (Screen Kill, Scary Tales), Jeff White (The Prophet of Oz, 7 Sins of the Vampire), and Heather Brown (Not Another Teen Movie, In God We Trust)
Release Date – 1994
Rating – 3/5
Tagline – “Some people search all their lives for buried treasure… Tommy and Mark re about to find theirs.”
I know that the AGFA releases are not for everyone. While most people are pissing their pants over the 8th release of Evil Dead, I often find myself looking for movies I’ve never seen before with the trashier the better in my opinion. I’ve been collecting the AGFA releases for a few years now and they have released some seriously underrated flicks on blu.
What makes these releases so much fun for me is that almost all of them are double features with a bonus film in the special features. Scary Tales is no different with a second Doug Ulrich release stashed away in the bonus features. Once I finished Scary Tales I immediately hit play on Darkest Soul.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows two best friends, one very timid and loyal while the other is very short tempered and often hostile. As they bounce from job to job they soon find themselves employed as grave diggers. Being a day laborer soon reveals it’s perks when they uncover that those being buried are often done so with valuables. Grave digging soon turns to grave robbing as a quick way to make some extra cash. **Spoiler Alert**
I’m not blowing smoke up anyone’s ass or trying to be a movie hipster but my AGFA collection is just as important to me as my Vin Syn and Troma collection. These movies are trashy, cheap, and fun which, ironically, is what I look for in a woman. Scary Tales was a fun anthology that I can see myself revisiting but I didn’t know what to expect from Darkest Soul. Considering I couldn’t find anything on the film including the trailer I assumed it would be a dumpster fire. Surprisingly, it wasn’t. In fact, I enjoyed it as well.
The acting in this one is a little better than Scary Tales. The characters, at least the two protagonists, are well developed with a lot more personality written into the roles. The cast seems to have more to work with and does a fairly decent job with it. There is a few scenes that were a little awkward to watch but no unintentionally funny scenes like it’s predecessor.
The story for this one is not as macabre or horror driven as I was hoping for but I did enjoy it. Grave robbing is not often depicted in horror stories anymore so it was cool to see it in this one. However, the film is very character driven which left the story partially underdeveloped. At least 30 minutes could be trimmed from this one and the story would still remain intact.
Finally, this is not a bloody one. The ending does feature a death scene but it’s not that memorable. In fact, it’s fairly cliched and forgettable. The practical effects are decent for the death scene, however. Overall, Darkest Soul is far from perfect but some will like it. I enjoyed it and I can see myself spinning it again in the future. Fans of J.R. Bookwalter would appreciate this one.
