Ah, the 1980s! A golden decade of horror for many of us. "The Evil Dead," "Creepshow," and a host of Italian post-apocalyptic adventure tales. No need to pine for those bygone days as my buddy Juan Diaz has sent me his film, 2022's "Tales of the Cursed," made with Corey Rolley, Jose Pelaez, and Christian F. Siege. This anthology of terrifying tales pulls in some of the most classic horror tropes from the past 40 years. With endearing special f/x, performances that top any modern day Harrison Ford performance, and wide variances between the four short films included in this anthology, we have a fun one to review today.
Not in order, let us take a look at these four stories. The one that speaks to my love of those 70s and 80s post-apocalyptic horror stories, Mr. Diaz directs "Chrome City 3000." Rafael K. Herrera delivers his magnum opus performance as a stranger wandering through the radioactive ooze and plethora of mutants. Even more dangerous are the fellow survivors and his plan. Mr. Herrera's character is not on a good will mission...you'll see. How to contrast a film set 1000 years in the future? Right! A silent movie! This feature by Mr. Siege, "The Summoner," brings us a tale which harps on the theme of conjuring demons. What could go wrong. With the 1920s style piano playing in the background, flash cards for dialogue, and grainy black and white camera work, we get a film that could very well have been part of a double feature with "Nosferatu." The special f/x are still endearing and you'll meet some really cute (I mean terrifying) beings from the underworld.
A tip of the hat to George Romero and "The Walking Dead" is also part of this anthology. Zombies abound in post-apocalyptic America. Even worse, the weird and twisted survivors. Thanks to Mr. Rolley, we have the heartbreaking tale of a man who has lost it all...except his will to go on. Then Mr. Pelaez' feature which pulls in a haunted house, demon worship, weird amulets, and curses. All good. These short films shall not be betrayed by a lengthy plot description in this review. Suffice it to say, these are valuable stories for all of us that came to love our horror beginning in the 80s.
Fans of HP Lovecraft will enjoy Juan Diaz' wraparound story that connects the four tales. Let us just say we can never get enough of the Necronomicon. For a nostalgic anthology tale featuring four fantastic horror stories, see "Tales of the Cursed," and cheer for the monsters, demons, spirits, zombies, and flawed heroes. To order the digital download for this film click on this link Tales of the Cursed on Etsy
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