Here’s a TV series from Fear Net Cable now on DVD that steeps with horror and dread. It’s called Tom Holland’s Twisted Tales and most of the stories are edgy and creative. The series ran on cable last year and to give you some idea of what the stories are like, Tom Holland also wrote Psycho II and Fright Night. Tom also directed the movies Thinner and Child’s Play (Remember Chucky?). If you like a lot of mystery and surprise with your creepy tales, then this DVD will have you entertained all night (bring on the nightmares).
There are nine short stories on the disc each as bizarre as the next. Tom Holland directs and introduces each of the series and throws in some interesting comments with each. Some of the stories may be a little familiar, but the twists are quite different. The writing is sharp, but production value does suffer in the area of casting and filming.
In the first offering “Fred and His GPS” we find that Fred has killed his wife and is fleeing the country. Using his GPS to lead him to the airport, the car direction finder starts to converse with him about his situation. In the second episode called “To Hell With You” we find Carlos rudely breaking up with his girlfriend in a crowded restaurant. On the way out the woman runs into a man who offers her a chance at revenge. In “Boom” we find a very creative story about two war buddies who were bomb defusing experts. Dave has devised a very unique bomb and invites Buddy over to see it. Dave tricks Buddy into holding the pressure sensitive detonator switch and then informs him that if he lets go it will explode. This episode is the best of the eight and I like it very much.
In episode 4, “Mongo’s Magic Mirror”, we find Dunston Dynamite, a magician, tracking down Mongo the Magnificent to check out his newest trick. It’s a mirror that when you get real close to it the image will show you the way you really are. If you decide to walk through the mirror however, it reveals more than you bargained. “Bite” tells the tale of a new recreational drug that has just been introduced to the market. The description on the bag says it will tell your future. When a group of teens start to use it however, they find out that they were better off with their past.
In episode six “Shockwave” we find two couples enjoying a get together in Jessie’s home one evening. An announcement on the television states that an explosion in the atmosphere has caused and electromagnetic pulse that will be followed by a radiation cloud that will destroy all of mankind. When Jessie announces that he has a special room that safeguards against such an occurrence, but that it only holds two, things start getting out of hand. In “Cached” a thief steals a dead man’s internet tablet and goes home with it where a very gnarly guy starts to talk through it to him. He tells thief that he’s coming to kill him.
The episode called “The Pizza Guy” was originally in two parts when it ran on cable. Here it is presented in four chapters. The episodes features a story about Shawna who has found a book that she feels will allow her to contact her dead sister. With her three friends she draws a pentagram on the living room floor and reads a passage from the book summoning the devil’s disciple. At the end of her chant someone knocks on the door. When one of the disbelieving teens answers it, they find it’s the Pizza delivery guy. Anyone want a ‘coal fired’ pizza?
The final episode is called “Vampire’s Dance” and tells the tale of a woman who goes into a dance club looking for her friend Karen who has gone missing. She gets hung up in all the lights and dancing and the beautiful people. She hesitates when she gets an offer to dance, but his charms are too alluring to refuse.
While the stories are a lot of fun to watch, the production value is not very good. The special effects are sometimes amateurish and the coloration gets way out of whack in a few of the tales. In addition, the series must have been made on a small budget as the actors chosen for the parts are substandard. Although most of the stores are not damaged by their performances, it does affect the quality of the DVD.
The DVD does have some extras each taking you behind the scenes for a short making of the episode.
- “The Making of Boom”
- “The Making of Mongo’s Magic Mirror”
- “The Making of Shockwave”
- “The Making of Cashed”
- “The Making of The Pizza Guy”
Tom Holland’s Twisted Tales has not been rated by the MPAA or TV Ratings but does contains drug use, language, violence and gore. Be cautious when deciding to allow immature children see the DVD as it does have some scenes that are inappropriate for adolescents.
Specifications and additional film information:
Cast: AJ Bowen, Tom Forsythe, Danielle Harris, Ray Wise, Sarah Butler, Angela Bettis, Noah Hathaway, Amber Benson, James Duval, Marc Senter, Jose Pablocantillo
Director and Writer: Tom Holland
MPAA/TV Rating: Unrated, Contains Drug Use, Violence, Language, Gore
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Running Time: Approx 3 hours
Video Release Date: March 18, 2013
Original Film Release Date: Fear Net Cable November 2013
Language: English
Format: DVD
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
Video: Widescreen Aspect Ratio 1.78:1
Subtitles: None
Number of Discs: 1 Disc
Distributed by: RLJ Entertainment
