By Geno McGahee
The 1980s were a special time for film and although SCARY TALES by Doug Ulrich was technically made in 1993, it has the look and feel of a shot on video low budget horror film. This is the sort of film that would appear at a video store in the 80s. Movies like VIDEO VIOLENCE, 555 and BLOOD CULT brought a new brand of horror to the fans where production value didn’t matter, acting didn’t matter, but the heart involved in these productions made them special. Watching SCARY TALES really brought me back to the 1980s and delivered a good film.
We begin with a cloaked figure holding a book and speaking to a bunch of children and he introduces the first tale by the name of “SATAN’S NECKLACE.” A couple of buddies go walking and one has a metal detector. They have some small talk and the detector goes off, leading to the discovery of a necklace. He brings it home and when he puts it on, he looks into the mirror and he sees himself transformed into a demon. It was really amusing to see the mean faces that the actor made in the mirror. This necklace starts changing his demeanor and it starts infiltrating his dreams and leads to full possession. When his wife takes a bath, he rips out her heart and eats it and then takes down a cop. I liked this tale. It was funny and one of the guy grabbed his crotch twice, stating “here’s your” such and such, which you just don’t see enough. I would rate this tale a 7/10.
The second tale “SLICED IN COLD BLOOD” is about a woman that is cheating on her hubby and that sends him on a killing spree. I have to say that this immediately reminded me of one of my favorite no-budget slashers: LAS VEGAS BLOODBATH, and that was a check in its favor. The crazy husband kills his wife’s lover, his wife, and then he just kills randomly. At one point, he stops a rape, kills the rapist and then kills the would be victim. A white trash couple also feel his wrath and so do a few others. This tale is simple but fun, and it backs up what LAS VEGAS BLOODBATH taught us. If you cheat on your hubby, he could go crazy and go on a killing spree. You can’t play with somebody’s heart. I rate this one a 7/10.
The third and final tale “LEVEL 21” concerns a man that is painfully addicted to a computer game. He can’t make it to level 21 and is incredibly frustrated about it. He is ignoring his wife and son and is even neglecting his job and keeps playing. After countless hours, he makes it to level 21 and it injects him into the game. He is a knight and is being led to take on the dark overlord, which he must do battle with to the death. I really liked this tale until he was pulled into the game and that’s when it began to drag. In the end, it wasn’t a bad tale, but it wasn’t a great one either. I rate this a 5/10.
SCARY TALES by Doug Ulrich was a good SOV film. If you are a horror fan from my generation, this will bring you right back and it’s worth a watch just for that fact. This film is full of heart and has a great fun factor. I highly recommend it. Now, let’s do the math: 7+7+5/30 = 6.5/10.
