Never being sure what awaits when you stick on a new film is always a little thrilling; even more so when you find it’s from one of your favourite corners of a much-loved genre (a horror anthology! *happy dance*). This brings us neatly to Tales From The Other Side, a trick or treater’s pick n’ mix of tales to be told on a Halloween night.

Rod, Nancy and Tina (spotting the sneaky connotation here will either reveal true horror fan status, or approaching middle age; possibly both), released from the confines of adult supervision, set out on a mission for a night of legendary status. Their travels bring them to the home of their town’s very own legend; that of ‘Scary Mary’, reputedly a witch responsible for the disappearance of many local children over the years, of whom no trace has ever been found.

Figuring they’re old and wise enough to dismiss the generations-old rumours, they approach the house and are met by a decidedly un-scary Mary, who welcomes them in with her warm sweetness, home-baked treats, and the promise of a spooky yarn or two to suit the evening. There they sit in flickering candlelight, steadily eroding the mountain of munchies, listening enthralled to six very different but equally dark stories; The Petrified Boy, Flicker, Crystal Ball, Either/Or, Blood Red, and Krampus Vs Elf.

There wasn’t anything really outstanding or unusual about any of the six, except Krampus Vs Elf, which was filmed in a particularly jagged form of stop motion animation, using puppets which I found especially horrifying. Lots of people find puppets/dolls/masks, etc. unsettling, so if you’re one of these then you may share my case of the horrors. On top of this, I’ve always disliked the idea of the Krampus intensely. I’m not sure why exactly, perhaps because Christmas is intended to be all about peace on Earth and goodwill to all men, and here you have this spiteful creature roaring about the place, chasing wayward children with swatches of birch twigs. It’s all very un-festive, no?

My focus on the Christmas fiend aside, the rest of the film is far from insignificant; it’s just that a few of the other segments fell rather flat for me. Overall, the air of Tales From The Other Side is one of slick professionalism with fine acting from a well-chosen cast peppered with many familiar faces. The ‘Scary Mary’ wraparound is a gem in its own right, Roslyn Gentle as Mary playing her role as if it were written for her.

If you couldn’t tell, I was a weeny bit cheerful about opening this week’s mystery box dybbuk box, or Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates, for the more squeamish. Though if you’re squeamish you probably stumbled onto this site by accident and have been blundering about in the dark ever since, searching frantically for a way out (Spoiler: there isn’t one. You’re ours now).

Written by James Cullen Bressack, Zack Ward, and the late Gordon Bressack, and directed by Pablo Macho Maysonet IV, Jamaal Burden, Scotty Baker, Jacob Cooney, Lucas Heyne, Kern Saxton, and Frank Merle, this will appeal to anyone who’s made a habit of tuning into Creepshow or Tales from the Crypt, or who loved the likes of The Mortuary Collection, Tales from the Darkside: The Movie, or The ABCs of Death; it’s right up there near the top.

9 out of 10 Cauldrons-A-Bubble