Death Breed: A Horror Anthology as you can guess from the title is in fact an anthology. Anthologies are standard in film, even more so in the horror genre with entries like V/H/S and Creepshow. How it typically works, if you’re not familiar, is that there are numerous short stories all connected by an overarching plot. One bonus to this format is to allow filmmakers to flex their creative muscles in a short film setting. Plus, if you’re not a fan of one short, they are usually over before they really have a chance to out stay their welcome.

So where does Death Breed sit in this ever-growing sub-genre of horror? Not very high to be honest. This film contains three shorts, each being introduced by a new presenter. There is a definite disconnect here. As there is no thread linking them besides giving off a low-end production haunted house feel. But at least you can say each presenter is giving it their all.

First up we have “Wolfsbayne.” It’s about a werewolf, maybe, some cops and possibly a cult. This one is the worst out of the three. The script reads like bad 80s cop shows with the bad acting to go with it. We follow some cops who are investigating a few murders at a park, it then devolves into quick cuts with little rhyme or reason.

Next up we have “Shudder.” A story about a family that is torn apart by an unspeakable act. But was it due to mental illness or something for sinister? Sounds interesting enough, but it’s a lot more interesting on paper than on film. Since it’s the same director and writers, the same problems exist throughout. It jumps around a lot without reason.

Finally, we get to “Old Habits Die Hard.” Out of the three, this is the most entertaining. It’s a take on Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the likes. While that in and of itself isn’t that interesting, the filmmakers at least tried something new when it comes to the narrative. Being the most entertaining out of the three doesn’t make it good. It suffers from shoddy writing and frantic editing just like the rest of the film.

One of the biggest issues with Death Breed is the runtime. At nearly two hours it feels like a chore to sit through, and it gives you even more time to notice the flaws. Each story runs at least 30 minutes which is 10 minutes too long. The entire movie is filled with pointless fluff that just seems to be there to pad the runtime for some reason.

Death Breed is hands down one of the worst anthology horror movies I’ve seen. One of the reasons for this is that the entire thing was written and directed by the same person so the same issues that presented themselves in the first short were there in the last. With that said though, one thing I will give credit for is that while the acting was hammy and bad, everyone looked like they were enjoying themselves. You could do worse, but not by much.

2 out of 10