By Melissa Antoinette Garza
“After they’re dead, I get them. That’s my work.” – The Mortician (Ivor Francis)
Mr. Talmudge (John Ericson) is an adulterer who after sleeping with his mistress takes a taxi. The driver drops him off at the wrong street. It’s pouring outside and he hasn’t a clue where he is. He quickly approaches a man at the newspaper stand for directions, he is given a dirty enough look. He decides to walk off and try his luck at a local bar, but noone answers. He finally finds a house and at the urging of the owner (Ivor Francis), he enters.
When he gets inside, the house shines with red lights. The owner leads Talmudge up the stairs, and then reveals to the lost traveler that he is a mortician. The mortician is an odd and unsettling man. He insists on Talmudge listening to him as he tells the stories behind the deaths of the newest entries. Thus this anthology begins.
The First Tale: Mrs. Sibiler
Mrs. Sibiler (Judith Novgrod) was an elementary school teacher who hated children. She arrives home one evening, and takes notice of the near deserted street. The entire scene is quiet. This was a great tension building mechanism utilized in the seventies which is all but absent now. Music is fine, but nothing is more nerve-racking than silence. The eerie implication that something is going to happen in what appears to be the most peaceful of moments is more disturbing than every scream ever filmed.
The silence continues as Sibiler cleans up in the kitchen. She puts the radio on softly, but it goes off, seemingly of its own accord. Sibiler then takes a shower and suddenly becomes aware that something is off. She’s apprehensive as she moves around her house. She checks the locks on the doors and windows. The apprehension she feels relays well to the audience. There is something seriously wrong and as Sibiler tries to prepare herself for whatever horrible invader is terrorizing her home, the viewer too will try to prepare themselves for the worst.
It is a strong short tale with an excellent ending. It isn’t shocking and there really isn’t a twist. It doesn’t need one. It’s a good solid story that is strange in the best sense of the word.
Scared Stiff Rating: 7/10
The Second Tale: Mr. Growski
Growski (Burr DeBenning) loves cameras. He hides them in his home as he invites unsuspecting women over. He then murders them. DeBenning actually looks a lot like Ted Bundy. Being that this was made in 1978, and Bundy’s trial began the same year, it’s quite possible that the character was based on him. Both murdered women. They dressed alike, right down to a collared sweater Growski wears attempting to kill his last victim. It is an identical match to the one that Bundy wore in his 1975 mug-shot. Other than that comparison and finding little tidbits within the short that relate the two, this tale is of little interest.
Scared Stiff Rating: 3/10
The Third Tale: The Investigator and The Detective
America’s greatest detective, Malcolm Toliver (Charles Aidman) is called in to investigate what appears to be a suicide. He quickly discovers that it instead was murder. Watching as he puts the clues together to create a great case in favor of homicide, is the top English sleuth, Inspector McDowal (Bernard Fox). The two quickly develop a professional rivalry to determine who the better criminologist truly is.
While dining, Toliver receives a threatening letter that is made out of cut newspaper clippings. McDowal asks to partake in the case, and Malcolm, as eager to figure out who the best is, readily agrees.
This is not a horror tale. This is a fun suspense with a foreseeable twist. The cast is excellent, and though the pace at times seems slow, it’s still worth a watch.
Scared Stiff Rating: 5.5/10
The Fourth Tale: Mr. Cantwell
Mr. Cantwell (Richard Gates) is an anti-social jerk who constantly thinks horrible things about everyone he encounters. He works at an office and secretly insults a fellow employee who is nice enough to invite him out to eat. He pushes away a homeless man asking for change, and is disgusted by nearly everyone.
When he runs into a building, the entire place appears to be a huge warehouse. He is locked inside and endures a series of traps before he becomes closed into a box.
This is an interesting tale with a moral. Don’t be cruel to others because you never know with the shoe may be on the other foot.
Scared Stiff Rating: 6.5/10
The New Tale: Talmudge and The Mortician
Of course, no anthology would be complete without the story concerning the originating storytellers. Mr. Talmudge comes face to face with his own fate at the hands of the mortician. Both parts were cast extremely well, and Francis shines as the mortician.
Scared Stiff Rating: 7.5/10
Overall Scared Stiff Rating: 6/10