By Melissa Antoinette Garza
Anthologies are one of my favorite sub-genre of horror productions. I grew up on the Creepshow films and The Twilight Zone film. I loved the HBO series Tales from the Crypt and lived for the Saturday afternoon TV shows Tales from the Darkside and Monsters.
As of late, I haven’t been impressed with anthologies. The V/H/S movies were not nearly as good as hyped and so I sought solace in watching older movies. Whether, Dead of Night (1945), Vault of Horror (1973), Body Bags (1993), Nightmares (1983) etc. Not only do they serve as amazing entertainment, but also as a reminder as to how current films have lost their way.
With all that in mind, I was hesitant to watch Southbound (2015). It advertised as being from the creators of V/H/S which was a strike against it. Still, the trailer looked interesting. The best anthologies interweave the stories told to create a single solitary universe where all these separate tales occur.
After Midnight (1989) and the aforementioned Dead of Night (1945) did this flawlessly. The trailer for Southbound reflected a similar formula if not more-so connected than the others.
The film starts with two men being chased by alien like creatures with skeletons underneath them. They go to a gas station and drive away. Only there’s no escape. Regardless of the route they take, the men are stuck.
Though, there isn’t any wraparound in the movie. This tale comes backs later. Meanwhile, down a desolate path three girls have engine trouble and are picked up by what look like Ozzy and Harriet. The duo are much more sinister and have the ability to touch a painful memory and use it against the women at will.
Down the same path, a man takes his attention off the road for a moment and strikes a woman. He attempts to call the police but those on the other end of 911 force him to do things that push him to the brink.
At a local outside deli, a young couple and their daughter are having a great night out when they are viciously attacked by three intruders with a mission.
In the end, everything comes full circle and the movie ends as it began.
Surprisingly, this movie was intelligent, original, suspenseful and even creepy at times. There’s this one amazing shot with the men in the beginning. They drive away and the same truck comes right back up. It appears to be one unedited take that must have required two of the same vehicle, but it was so effective. That really set the tone for the rest of the film and the other tales were great.
The music score was well chosen. The actors were well cast. The entire movie flew by. This had everything I miss about anthologies in it yet was able to capture today’s society. It didn’t feel the need to take place in the 70s prior to cell phones or the internet to make it good. It utilized these components within their tales and took place in the here and now.
Watching it, I’d guess the creators of Southbound were fans of the iconic show The Twilight Zone and successfully made their own strange place where anything can and does happen.
Scared Stiff Rating: 8/10
