After taking such a sound beating for suggesting "Theater of the Bizarre", I hesitate to climb out on the same limb -- but dang, I really dug this very (justifiably) divisive film.
Yes, there are some utter throwaways here. It is far, far, far from a perfect film.
"I" (where Jeff gave up) is a poor one, and "O", which overstays its welcome long past the point where we "get it", is another. "G" is a total waste of film. "M" was totally not for me, and is probably where many may decide to just shut this whole thing down altogether -- a very misguided misfire from Ti West, who I am beginning to suspect may be a bit overrated. And a couple of the directors going for a meta-thing (bad idea) fall into the trap of being far too self-indulgent.
But there is so much diversity of style here that I cannot imagine how any fan of horror could not get into this. I mean, if you dislike something, it is gone in a minute or two anyway, and I found at least a little something to like in the vast majority of the 26 films here.
- "D" has got style to spare, with a compelling story.
- "H" delivers something totally unique with an undeniable visual flair, regardless of what you may think of the "story" there, which is a bit whack.
- "N" wins my prize for best premise, and could be an excellent short on its own, with best performance by a bird.
- "P" may also cause some viewers to bail, but tells its (distasteful) story brilliantly nevertheless.
- "T" is the best Claymation I've seen in ages. The voice work is priceless.
- "V" boasts ideas worthy of a feature.
- "X" is heartbreaking while still delivering cringe-worthy gore and a fantastic payoff.
- "Y" is working on so many different levels, I am still not sure what to make of it.
- "Z" is utterly-out-of-its-f***ing-mind naked-people Asian lunacy at its finest. I loved it, but coming last, it may have biased my view of the whole film, too. At least a bit.
This one is on streaming now. If you think you may be game for such an oddball pick, give it a spin.
But I absolve myself of all responsibility if you totally hate it -- and you just might. For real. Lots of people do.