Customer Reviews

Campfire Tales [VHS]

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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.

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!!!!

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.

I never even heard of this movie until a friend wanted to watch it with me. Let me say, after a long string of horror movies I've seen this is the first movie in ages that actually spooked me. Campfire Tales puts a visual image to all those timeless scary stories you've heard since you were a kid.

Four teenagers are driving home from a concert through the woods and they accidently run their car off the road. They light flares around their damaged vehicle and take shelter in an abandoned church while they wait for help. To pass the time each one tells a spooky story, and we see sort of a "mini-movie" for each story that is told as if it were really happening. Each story is very different, but if you know your urban legends you wait in anticipation for what you know is bound to happen in each one.

There's not too much blood and gore in this, which made me happy, just plenty of suspence (unless you're desensitized by all the cheese horror flicks being made). I thought the acting was decent too, with the characters not doing too many stupid things that any fool in a life-threatening situation would avoid.

The first story is short and sweet. The second still makes me think twice about camping in the woods. The third just makes me not want to be alone in my house at night. The fourth was a little slow to start but once it got rolling it really gave me the creeps. Surprise ending to Campfire Tales if you're not paying much attention. See this movie!

Don't be fooled in thinking this is a low-budget-campy-straight-to-video flick. It's actually quite entertaining! A group of teenagers sit around and tell spooky stories. The best story is "The Locket" that stars the late great Glenn Quinn ("Mark" on Roseanne). Finally released to DVD, we can all return our video rentals!

This little shocker came out at the same time as "Scream", "I know What you did..."
Returning home from a concert and ... driving recklessly, four teenagers crash their car on a deserted road near the woods. To ward off the cold, they build a fire and wait for help. Soon, they start telling hair-raising stories around the fire. Each tale is more horrifying and shocking than anything they've heard before . . .

Campire Tales is nothing new or interesting. It's about a car load of teens who get in a car accident and then sit on the side of the road in a rundown church to wait for help. While they pass away the time, they tell ghost stories. The first story, about a newlywed couple trapped in their winnebago on a dark night is okay. Kind of thrilling, but not the best entry.... The second story is where the film really gets good. It's about a little girl and the dangers of internet chat rooms. This one is really frightening because it's real. This can happen and HAS happened. A really scary, short story. The last one is a ghost story. It's kind of confusing. A stranded motorcyclist(Glenn Quinn of "Roseanne" and "Angel")takes refuge in a farm house that's occupied by a mute girl. I won't go much into that one. It has it's moments. The end of the film deals with our teens ending their stories and waiting for help. There's a twist at the end. I won't reveal it to you. Like the title of my review says, this is hit and miss. The second story, however, is really good.

A group of four teens get stranded out in the forest when their car crashes. To help calm themselves down they build a campfire and start telling ghost stories. This movie consists of four stories which are all fun and quite scary. The second one was the scariest one of all (A must see for all people who love chat rooms). Scary entertainment all the way with a good twist at the end.

This movie was so totally freaky. I liked all the stories and the mysterious twist we get at the end, but I have to talk about the second story. Anyone that uses the internet, especially chatrooms, can really feel the horror in this story. It rings home the fact that we never really know who we are talking to online. The realism makes it very scary! I can sum this up in 4 words! "People Can Lick Too!"

Campfire Tales is a great horror movie and it has a great cast which include James Marsden and Amy Smart!!!!! It's about a bunch of kids telling scary stories around a campfire and it has a great ending!!!!!! I would check this one out if you are like me and you like stuff like Tales from the Darkside or Tales from the Crypt or anything with stories in it then go and rent this movie!!!!!