A stuffed tiger come to life; A mysterious portrait that comes to life and takes those who stare at it back in time; A tree that has a mind of its own; A tasty roast that isn't quite what it seems. Those are all the elements of this multi-part horror film that has plenty of shocks to keep you on the edge of your seat yet not gross you out by the physical. This is psychological horror at its best, at least for a few of the segments. Two psychiatrists (Jack Hawkins and Donald Pleasance) are the forces behind this foursome, having a simple conversation over their cases, with one of them telling the other his strangest cases, all coming together dramatically at the end. A troubled kid takes care of his fighting parents in the first segment (Broadway/London musical star Georgia Brown as the mother), the second segment has a ghostly look back at the past and how it impacts the present with a possible case of spontaneous combustion that occurs in both a lovely day in the park in the early twentieth century and the present day, Joan Collins' hatred of a tree which husband Michael Jayston plants in their living room; A longtime vendetta leaving to a curse that results in a bit of cannibalism of the most shocking way, involving Kim Novak.
How this scores a rating as a good film is the tension that builds in each segment, the first two not as memorable as the last two which are downright outstanding. The segment featuring Collins and Jayston reminded me of the deliciously bad "From Hell It Came" where the soul of an executed man took over a rather odd looking tree, and had me in titters at its final visual. The best, and most horrifying (in a truly bizarre psychological way) is the final where the still beautiful Kim Novak prepares a huge feast that unbeknownst to her results in a voodoo type ceremony where the tasty cuisine isn't a meal fit for human consumption, no matter how good it tastes. Survivors of all four segments are gathered together for the surprising conclusion. The film may lack in graphic horror but there's enough blood for those who fancy that, yet not too much where the squeamish have to look away. This is a horror film for the mind to absorb, and therefore, not one to watch right before you go to bed.
How this scores a rating as a good film is the tension that builds in each segment, the first two not as memorable as the last two which are downright outstanding. The segment featuring Collins and Jayston reminded me of the deliciously bad "From Hell It Came" where the soul of an executed man took over a rather odd looking tree, and had me in titters at its final visual. The best, and most horrifying (in a truly bizarre psychological way) is the final where the still beautiful Kim Novak prepares a huge feast that unbeknownst to her results in a voodoo type ceremony where the tasty cuisine isn't a meal fit for human consumption, no matter how good it tastes. Survivors of all four segments are gathered together for the surprising conclusion. The film may lack in graphic horror but there's enough blood for those who fancy that, yet not too much where the squeamish have to look away. This is a horror film for the mind to absorb, and therefore, not one to watch right before you go to bed.