Tales Of Terror: Dark Tales Review
This horror anthology film does what half its competitors have been neglecting for over a decade. It gives us twists and a wraparound story. There are only three writers, there’s uniformity and continuity, and the various segments feel part of a whole. The acting and the cinematography are evenly good. The special effects come in all shapes and sizes, and they are frequent.
There are monsters in this I can’t even name. Their design is minimalist but uncanny. The creators aren’t serving us repurposed ideas though some shorts have been featured elsewhere. We get extreme tales nested in a supernatural framing story. The segments range from perfectly paced to unnaturally short. The quality comes and goes, but the budget went in all the right places.
In all stories, mundane characters are disturbed by something paranormal or disproportionate. They’re mostly one-two-punch short films. Segment one is about insomnia, two is about parenthood, three is about an invisible prankster, four is intense body horror, five is about sexual ego and its consequences, six has creepy phone calls, and seven is about a Halloween conjuration séance.
2 1/2 out of 4
Horror Society: Dark Tales From Channel X Review
Halloween season is the official home of horror anthologies, so the film festival roll-out of Mass Grave Pictures’ DARK TALES FROM CHANNEL X is rather timely. In collaboration with Reel Prophecy Pictures and Open Iris Entertainment, the long-awaited motion picture is seeing a handful of screenings in the coming weeks; including the Imagine This Women’s International Film Festival (which begins tomorrow!), Macabre Faire Film Festival on October 2nd, Tiny Terror Convention on October 2nd and New Jersey’s Highlands Horror Film Festival on October 9th. If you happen to be attending any of these events, here’s why you should pop in for a screening of DARK TALES FROM CHANNEL X. This anthology flick harkens back to a better time in horror with suspense, practical effects, a spooky, smoky atmosphere, and originality and ingenuity. It was made for those who grew up watching titles like CREEPSHOW and THE TWILIGHT ZONE. It’s the perfect way to get your Halloween season started on the right foot!
Starring Michelle Nunez, Angie Hansen, Diana Porter, Sarah Schoofs, Kathryn Lill, Mike Roche, Frank Joseph, Victoria Clare and many more, DARK TALES FROM CHANNEL X finds a young woman on a house-sitting gig who discovers an old black-and-white television. When she attempts to switch channels, she discovers a creepy television host named The Viewer, who entices her to watch his static-y broadcast with a host of scary stories. SLEEPLESS – a potential ode to sleep paralysis. Quick fixes THE AU PAIR and KNOCK KNOCK. M IS FOR MASTECTOMY – the studio’s ABC’s of Horror submission. Creature feature BENEATH and realistic stalker nightmare I WAITED FOR YOU. And a Halloween party to die for with MATRYOSKA. Besides the wrap-around story CHANNEL X and M IS FOR MASTECTOMY, I’ve seen all the segments included within throughout the years. However, it’s also worth noting that I review (or used to review…) hundreds of titles a year. And as soon as each piece of the puzzle started, I thought “Oh, I remember you!”
DARK TALES FROM CHANNEL X was written and directed by Manny Serrano and Lindsay Serrano. It was also edited by Mr. Serrano, and features cinematography by Philip Kral and effects by David Gechman – depending on which short film you watch. One of the things I love about this anthology is that it feels like an independent feature. If this was brought to life by Hollywood, I feel as if it would have lost its true essence. Horror shouldn’t look shiny and perfect. Horror needs to be imperfect and grungy and boasted only by storytelling and mood. Horror needs to be nods to fears that hide in your subconscious as well as the fears of every day life in the real world. Many of the the segments in DARK TALES FROM CHANNEL X are realistic in their depiction of crumbling humanity and the pressures of ignoring the supernatural. Is it completely polished? No. But I was able to ignore any productional mishaps because I was transported to another world where the walls were falling in on me. DARK TALES FROM CHANNEL X is an experience more than it is a motion picture and it’s absolutely wild.
I will say, however, that it is extremely back-loaded. The deeper you get into this feature, the more gratification you will receive. The final three segments were my absolute favorites in this order – BENEATH, MATRYOSHKA and I WAITED FOR YOU. So, I urge you to wait until the end before passing judgement on this movie. After being in various states of production for over five years, I’m glad that Mass Grave Pictures accomplished an anthology flick that’s so good. I have no doubts that it will get picked up by a distributor at some point. Its road to success as an indie flick may have been painted with obstacles and time delays (Thanks, COVID!), but the pay-off is going to be so worth it. I was privy to seeing most of the shorts as they were finalized, and I was still blown away by DARK TALES FROM CHANNEL X during my second viewing. The Viewer took me on a dark and disturbing journey, but it was a journey that I’d be happy to go on a third time. Look for this title at a film festival near you soon! I promise it will be worth your time.
Final Score: 9 out of 10.
Review: Beneath from Horror Society
I’ve wanted to see this short film for a very long time (aka: like three weeks…) and that’s for two very important reasons. First, I’m a sucker for a good visual and the promo poster featured above instantly grabbed my attention. Second, Beneath comes to horror fans straight from the mind and hands of Mass Grave Pictures’ Lindsay Serrano. Mass Grave Pictures is known for Wild Eye Releasing’s slasher flick Blood Slaughter Massacre, film festival favorite M is for Mastectomy, and current psychological scifi-drama Theta States. While Lindsay has always been an integral part of MGP and even co-directed their web-series “Attack of the Brain People” and and an episode of “Zombie Hunters: City of the Dead,” Beneath is the first time she’s stepped out on her own and sat in the director’s chair. It’s certainly a daunting task, but luckily Lindsay is a real film-maker and she knows the craft. That’s why it’s so easy for me to champion this mini-movie.
https://www.horrorsociety.com/2017/08/30/review-lindsay-serranos-beneath/
Review: Knock Knock from Horror Society
Mass Grave Pictures is back with… well, a whole ton of shit! The groovy production company’s new psychological horror film, Theta States, will screen as an official selection at First Contact Film Festival in Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey this Sunday at 2:40PM. Find my review of that hereand then purchase your tickets to the event here. But first, as part of its Dark Tales from Channel X web-anthology, Mass Grave Pictures will also unveil their latest micro-short Knock Knock as part of the Severed Horror Show in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania this Saturday. Find out more about the event here. I asked MGP for a screener of Knock Knock and they were kind enough to indulge me.
https://www.horrorsociety.com/2017/05/22/review-mass-grave-pictures-knock-knock/
Theta States Review from The Final Cut!
We go into R.E.M. sleep and dream up a review for THETA STATES. Movie's Official Site: http://www.massgravepictures.com/theta-states/ IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5419398/ Find us at http://www.specialmarkproductions.com http://weliveentertainment.com http://www.nerdslant.com Twitter: @SpecialMarkPro Hear us on the Astro Radio Z https://www.facebook.com/AstroRadioZ Occasionally on the DicksnCider Show http://www.dicksncidershow.com and the Bordello Of Horror http://www.horrorhost.net
BSM Review from Love & Pop!
"Take the time to view it, let your inner critic have the night off and let me tell you, you’ll enjoy this movie. And kudos to the cover artist, this is slick of the year!! I want the t-shirt!"
Theta States on CrypticRock.com!
A simply amazing review for Theta States from CrypticRock.com!
A Descent into a world of nightmares and madness that blurs the line between dreams and reality. Theta States proves to be a compelling addition to the world of Psychological Horror that embraces the seemingly lost art of the slow burn; foregoing jump scares and instant gratification for proper storytelling. - Cryptic Rock
New Review for Theta States from Beneath The Underground!
"As somebody who suffers from sleep problems I’ve actually tried some of these recordings, can’t say they did much for me, but considering what befalls the protagonist of Manny Serrano’s (BLOOD SLAUGHTER MASSACRE) new film THETA STATES I got off easy."
Read More: http://beneaththeunderground.com/theta-states-2017-review/
Horror Society reviews Theta States!
Theta States is the perfect example that originality and imagination still exist in 2017, a time when reboots and remakes and recycled ideas are the norm. It’s hard to be a director or film-maker these days, especially when you’re working independently on a small budget, because there is a large margin for failure. Don’t give the audience what they want and they will lambaste you relentlessly for it. In the case of Manny Serrano and Mass Grave Pictures, their new feature Theta States is a clusterfuck of different genres, story-telling elements and themes, and they culminate in a really coherent and fantastical way. So, Theta States is also a testament that taking risks can pay off when you have the right story to back it up. With that said, let me actually jump into my review.
http://www.horrorsociety.com/2017/02/01/review-mass-grave-pictures-theta-states/
Theta States review from BeneathTheUnderground
Theta States is a psychological horror/thriller that’s coming at you from director Manny Serrano and Mass Grave Pictures. It’s a pretty cool mash-up of old school psychological thrillers like Jacob’s Ladder and more modern exorcism films. It is a movie that messes with your mind, as the main character struggles with border between sleep and lucidity, life and death.
(continue reading...) http://beneaththeunderground.com/film-review-theta-states-2017/
Theta States Review at TheBloodShed!
Huge thanks to the guys over at TheBlood-Shed.com for our first review of Theta States!
You dont have to go to Elm Street for a Nightmare!
Theta States is the latest film from indie horror filmmaker Manny Serrano (Blood Slaughter Massacre) and very likely his best work to date. With an indie pedigree including stars like Tom Ryan (Faces) and Erin Brown (aka Misty Mundae), the film is a very original take on nightmares and dreams, carried out with a low budget that does nothing to hamper the film’s enjoyability...
http://www.theblood-shed.com/theta-states-nightmares-come-life-original-indie-horror/
Review from The Bloodshed.com
From the truly frightening minds of New York City based MASS GAVE PICTURES (Manny and Lindsey Serrano) comes two new shorts currently playing on the film festival circuit in SLEEPLESS and THE AU PAIR. Both of these short films revolve around a sinister and unnatural force that has worked its way into the safest places you could be.
Find out more about these DARK TALES FROM CHANNEL X at the MASS GRAVE PICTURES websitehttp://massgravepictures.com and check out both short films on Saturday September 17, 2016 at the GRINDHOUSE NIGHTS AT CAFÉ Z in Union, NJ!
Review completed by Jay Kay @HorrorHappensFF
BSM REVIEW – HORRORNEWS.NET
When I decided to throw on BLOOD SLAUGHTER MASSACRE, I immediately felt dirty. It had nothing to do with the content in the movie, it had everything to do with the fact I was watching a digital review copy and not a tape. BSM deserves to be on VHS for many reasons, most notably the fact its very existence would have never materialized had it not been for the beloved format.
read more: http://horrornews.net/98800/film-review-blood-slaughter-massacre-2013/
