The Horror Show
Minutes Past Midnight
by Various
If you've read more than two of my reviews, I really don't need to reiterate my love for the anthology film. I'll get right to it and make my intro short by stating that I recently checked out a new flick of the sub-genre called Minutes Past Midnight and I quite liked it. Will you like it? I don't know, according to science we are two different people. So, allow me to explain the ins and outs of the film and what worked for me.
Right off the bat, this anthology film is more of the “Collection of short films” variety than a woven-together or frame-story based type of deal. Each segment has its own intro title and credit information. The first segment deals with two men who witness some unfortunate events at a house in the woods. I found it to be a solid intro story that left with the right note and made me intrigued to see what else the film must hold. I suppose most of this compliment is owed to the creators of this particular short, but it was a good choice placement-wise, and that means something to the overall project.
There are a handful of films in the mix, so I won't go into each one individually, but I will say that a wide array of fun stuff is going on. Given the fact that all the chapters are made by different people, the films are from different areas, contain different languages and all have their own unique style. Some stories are more humorous and wacky; others more reserved and brooding. There's a story about a man with a monster hiding in one of the more private areas of the human body while another deals with the drama surrounding a child recovering from some kind of head injury or trauma. At times I laughed, at other times I genuinely felt for the characters. None of the stories seemed especially varied in terms of budget, so they did feel like part of the same project for the most part.
A serial killer who is obsessed with polka dots, a stop-motion style short about a man discovering his father, slashings, ghosts, psychosis, a killer kid's show mascot; there's something for any horror fan to find some enjoyment with. I'm not saying everyone will love the film or even like it, but I can't imagine that too many people wouldn't have an interest in any of the subjects or energy that make it onto the screen. As with any film made up of separate projects, I can't say that the acting quality is consistently good or bad, but what I will say is that there are quite a few good performances throughout the film's running time. Not everyone, but even the phoned-in performances are in the cheesier segments and, in those moments, it works.
All in all, this is one of the more memorable anthologies I've watched recently. I won't rave about it with the same gusto as the classics or some of my recent favorites, but I will say that there is an impressive variety of quality shorts and none of them were in any way bad. Were some more forgettable than others? Sure. But even those less noteworthy stories were well done, and the especially good spots were in the majority.
One last note is that if I had to pick a favorite segment, it would be the final one. I found it to be an absolute blast and it provided a wonderful close to the collection. I definitely recommend Minutes Past Midnight to anyone who loves short horror films, or any horror fan who is just looking for a good time, really. There's a lot of value to the project, even if I found myself more invested in some stories than others.
P.J. Griffin, HMS
The Horror Show Menu.