Horror Movies - Why will we love portmanteau horror movies so much? I refer to the people anthology films which always have 3 or 4 different stories framed by method of a main storyline.
In both separate stories along with the main story, there's always a twist at the end, which usually involves the murderer or similar miscreant meeting which has a gruesome comeuppance at the end. And who doesn't relish a tale using a good twist?
Good examples of such entertaining portmanteau movies are Tales From They Crypt (my in history favourite portmanteau movie) and the House That Dripped Blood. In the former, four people find themselves lost and trapped in a large crypt, and therefore are each told by the mysterious robed figure (played superbly by Ralph Richardson) to view a horrifying event that appears to be within their future; inside latter, the primary framing storyline involves a major old house which generally seems to incorporate some kind of curse on it, as each person who takes up residence in the place meets using a grisly fate.
Amicus were especially famous to make these portmanteau chillers, and their tendency to regularly feature such legendary horror stars as Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee certainly did much to enhance the sheer quality of those productions.
If you wanted to go even more in time to find a good portmanteau horror movie, then a 1945 chiller Dead of Night, from Ealing Studios, would instantly spring in your thoughts as the first real film on this particular style. Though filmed in black and white, and without any blood and gore, this movie was only as scary because the later technicolor films of Amicus. Featuring such top British actors as Googie Withers and Mervyn Johns, the movie has got the framing story associated with an architect who senses impending doom as his half-remembered recurring dream turns into reality. The guests in the country house encourage him to remain because they take turns telling supernatural tales, four in all. My own private favourite story in Dead of Night may be the one concerning the creepy ventriloquist dummy that suddenly comes alive and menaces its owner inside jail cell. Without doubt, one with the most unsettling stories That i've ever seen, which demonic ventriloquist dummy scenario is still mirrored in modern horror movies like Magic and Triloquist.
The master of horror fiction himself, Stephen King, has even dipped his very own literary fingers in to the wonderful realm of portmanteau movie horror, producing such titles as Creepshow and Cat's Eye. He even makes a cameo appearance inside the Creepshow episode "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill".
A good, enjoyable portmanteau horror movies is certainly not an easy task to produce, for in addition to making sure you have a solid framing storyline, additionally you need to come up with a few strong mini-stories to weave to the film, so that the viewer is quickly drawn to the movie as each tale unfolds, and ends up about the fringe of their seat as the climax in the main story draws ever nearer. We have watched many portmanteau movies during my time, i can honestly claim that We've rarely been disappointed with any one of them. The Amicus movies, in particular, happen to be totally flawless, unwaveringly excelling within their art of telling good, strong, gripping stories framed by equally compelling framing plots.
Often copied but never really satisfactorily emulated, personally the name Amicus was - and constantly is planning to be - synonymous using the perfect portmanteau fright flick.
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