In the 80's horror anthology's were a dime a dozen, some good, some bad. Films such as Creepshow really set the bar high while others such as Deadtime stories struggled to succeed and gain any time of fan base. There was also some great TV anthologies like Tales from the Crypt and Tales from the Darkside that were fun in their own right and very popular among horror fans. Chillers was released in 1986 and never really gained the popularity that other movies did and to this day not too many people know about Chillers. The film did win science fiction, fantasy and horror films' prestigious silver scroll award and deservingly so, it is quite the fun anthology.
The infamous Troma studios released this low budget gem and it has become one of my favorite Troma movies. Written, produced and directed by Daniel Boyd, Chillers begins with five strangers are stuck in a bus station and begin to swap stories of their worst nightmares. The first story is my personal favorite about a girl who's day at the local pool turns into a nightmare as she is haunted by some really creepy ghosts. The second story follows some young kids who decide to go camping in the wrong part of the woods. The kids soon find out they are being stalked by a demented psycho cannibal willing to do anything for a taste of their flesh. In the third entry a woman who's obsession with a local news anchor turns into a real relationship she soon finds out why he is only on the late night news. In the fourth story a man finds out he has the power to raise the dead only to find out it may not be a good thing when he brings his recently deceased brother back to life. Part five involves a young high school girl who turns into a possessed demon in class and raises some serious hell. When the strangers finish telling their stories to each other the bus finally arrives and as they board the bus they find their nightmares have become reality.
Troma released Chillers in a slim disc DVD in the box set Blood Bank with nine other great and not so great films, most of them from the 80's.
Chillers is a fun super campy and at times humorous anthology horror movie that has a lot of heart. If you love movies like Creepsow 1/2, Twilight zone, Tales from the crypt/darkside and Body bags you will love Chillers, it has everything I want from an anthology including cheesy gore effects, interesting stories, fast pacing and dark humor. Each tale has it's own quirky charm that holds your attention, and when the movie ends you will find yourself wanting more. I really wish they made more movies like this, or even a TV show would be great. Recently after two seasons the great horror show Masters of Horror was pulled due to not enough viewers, as horror fans we need to support shows like this if we want it to stick around. Hopefully in the future we will get some more anthologies, they are somewhat of a lost art.
Another great horror anthology to check out is the original Tales from the crypt, Tales from the hood and Nightmares.
Review by Jason
Rating: C+
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