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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Outstanding Round Of Horror Tales, April 26, 2006
This review is from: Campfire Tales (DVD)
This is, simply put, a strong contender for the title of best horror anthology movie ever made. With high-level production values throughout and a series of framing sequences that enhances the overall flow of the whole better than any anthology I can think of, "Campfire Tales" offers a pretty diverse mix of spooky/horror/suspense shorts. The most disturbing and uncomfortable of the tales involves a human predator stalking a family, with his primary target seeming to be the child. Given the subject matter, I think it was smart of the filmmakers to have regned this segment in a bit, relying on suspense and implied creepiness rather than anything overt or onscreen violent. In 99.5% of horror fiction I don't think there's any such thing as going too far, but in a case (not to give too much away) like this it could have come off tasteless if not handled with care. In the other segments of the movie the tales are given freer reign in terms of carnage and sexuality, resulting in a variety of moods. The plots of the stories are not groundbreaking - and that's in fact the point, they're designed to come off as familiar ideas that the individual teller around the likes of a campfire would put their own twists and spins on - with themes like the 'hook-handed killer' being trotted out. Despite the familiarity of the stories, the twists and nuances are there to keep them fresh and they're simply done better than most other explorations of similar ground (although the 'hook-handed killer' motif was, obviously, handled to perfection in the first two "Candyman" movies). Combined, the various segments and the 'framing' story run the gamut through scariness, appropriate humor, sexiness, eerie atmospherics, dark psychological and 'unexpected turns' territoty, with occasional dashes of 'supernatural fantasy' type moments added in as well for an even better blend. The movie certainly isn't hurt by having one of the best-looking ensembles of female cast members either. All tolled, it rises to the level of an anthology that achieves true greatness.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
One of the creepiest low-budget flicks ever, June 26, 2003
By A Customer
Campfire Tales isn't a well-known movie. I only discovered it by running out of choices in the movie store, and just happened to pick it up-didn't have anything better to get sort of thing. I was delightfully surprised at how entertaining, and down-right creepy this rather cheesy flick was and at how clever the plot is drawn out. 4 friends, 1 couple and a brother and sister, crash their car off on the side of the road, and decide to flare up the street around the site of the accident, waiting for help. They discover a run-down, deserted old-fashioned church, and decide to light a fire within the church and sit-out the waiting. They soon decide to make the time go by faster by telling well-known urban legends. The first story is about a young, newly-wed couple camping out in the woods for their honeymoon, however are soon attacked by devilish, werewolf-like monsters throughout the night (where the heck am i gonna find some m'm's?). The second is about a young girl, who, while her mom is at a parent-teacher conference, discovers she is not alone in her big, dark house after all (people can lick too), and the third is about an adventurous biker who, recently hitting the road, runs out of gas and stops for the night at an old manshion, looked after by a beautiful young girl. He soon finds out that looks can be deceiving and discovers the grisly horrible truth of the pleasant-looking houses' sinister past. These stories are all very scary and creepy, but the big finale of a shock is awaiting to explode at the end of the 3rd. GREAT FUN!!!!
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Smart, Scary Movie, September 13, 2006
This review is from: Campfire Tales (DVD)
I love it when I rent a movie, and I am not quite sure about it. The cover is no hint to what's inside and the back summary sounds really interesting but I have been burned before. Campfire Tales stars a lot of C and D list celebrities, and sometimes that is what makes a film good, because they don't have to overcome the familiarity factor that the A listers struggle with.
We have all sat around in our PJ's or around a campfire and told scary stories. It's a rite of passage, which sadly is dying away due to in part the practice of political correctness. This movie takes that tradition, and tweaks it in a surprisingly creepy and shivery way.
I love movies that are broken up into 3-4 smaller vignettes, it gives the filmmakers room to really pack the suspense and action in so they don't have to draw out the story to the point of boring the audience. This one is broken down into three main tales, broken up by scenes of the people telling them around a fire. There are twists and surprises, and it's genuinely scary and creepy. It takes old favorites, and blends them with modern references, with enough nostalgia to allow those of us familiar with the tales to see and feel new things. The most awesome thing about this movie is the lack of computer generated effects, like filmmakers long ago who knew how to scare audiences with shadows, story, and acting this movie excels in the beauty of an "old fashioned" scare. I completely recommend it to anyone who wants to be pleasantly frightened and entertained.
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