Director – Rusty Apper (The Whistler, Halloween: The Wake)
Starring – Luke Morgan (The Man in the Cave, New Year’s Eve), Cameron Patmore, and Laurence R. Harvey (The Human Centipede 3(Full Sequence), Frankenstein Created Bikers)
Release Date – 2023
Rating – 3.5/5
I grew up during what I like to call the golden age of anthologies. The early to mid-80s is known for the abundance of slashers that was being released almost daily during that time but the mid-80s to mid-90s saw some of the most iconic anthologies hit theaters and video store shelves. While Creepshow and The Twilight Zone: The Movie was in the early 80s, the mid 80s to early 90s saw Creepshow 2, Tales from the Darkside: The Movie, Two Evil Eyes, From a Whisper to a Scream, Body Bags, Tales from the Hood, and so many more.
I still have a soft spot for horror anthologies, especially indie anthologies. A few weeks back, or maybe longer, filmmaker Rusty Apper reached out to me to review his anthology film Artifacts of Fear. I wasn’t able to get to it right away, but I worked it into my watch list as soon as I could. I want to thank Rusty for allowing Horror Society and myself the opportunity to check this one out!
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows two guys who are looking for something to be the center of attention at their house party. One of them takes the other to an antique store that’s out of the way to see if they can find something creepy enough to do the job. They meet the shop owner (The Human Centipede 2’s Laurence R. Harvey) who takes them to the basement of the shop to show them a piece he just got in. It turns out to be an old story telling machine similar to the old fortune teller machines from the turn of the 1900s. He leaves them alone with the machine so they can look it over and in his absence it tells them three bone chilling tales before the real horrors is unleashed on them. **Spoiler Alert**
A horror anthology falls apart if the wraparound segment doesn’t hold the entire film together. The Creepshow trilogy and television series has The Creep, Tales from the Crypt has The Cryptkeeper, and From a Whisper to a Scream has Vincent Price reading stories from a book. A good anthology needs something that ties the segments together and Artifacts of Fear makes good use of the animatronic storyteller. It is a bit odd that an old coin operated machine is telling modern stories but I’m not here to pick apart little details like that.
The acting in this one is consistent all the way through which is very surprising for an indie anthology. It’s normal for an indie anthology to have segments that feature impressive acting while others feature not so impressive acting. However, Artifacts of Fear is consistent throughout the entire film with solid acting. Laurence R. Harvey is great as the shopkeeper. Many recognize him for his role in the second Human Centipede movie and while that is a fantastic film, Laurance has appeared in many more films and never disappoints. I would have loved to see him have a bigger role or more screen time, but I’ll take what I can get. The remainder of the cast is just as good with some amazing performances from everyone involved.
The stories for this one are just as consistent as the acting. While I did like some more than other, this one doesn’t really have any weak links so to speak. The wraparound segment works very well for tying all the shorts together. The bulk of the film consists of three stories ranging from a witch’s skull to a serial killer. They are a lot of fun and very enjoyable but not as memorable as the book end story.
Finally, the film has some blood and some visual effects but those of you looking for serious gore and a body count will be a bit disappointed. The film relies heavily on character development and storytelling to make up for the lack of gore. Overall, Artifacts of Fear is a fantastic modern horror anthology with some rich storytelling and an amazing cast. I highly recommend adding this one to your late night viewing especially if you are wanting something that can make your skin crawl. Check it out.
