Written and Directed by: Doug Ulrich and Al Darago
Starring: Al Darago, Doug Ulrich, Mark Shapiro, Brad Storck, Ilene Zelechowski, Ann Ulrich
Country: United States
Running Time: 70 minutes
Year: 1993
BBFC Certificate: 15
As someone who has made several no-budget short films of my own, I can truly appreciate not only how hard it can be to get a film project off the ground, but also how rewarding it can be to finally see the story you want to tell on a screen in all its glory. I think that’s possibly why I had quite a sizable smile on my face as I sat down to watch Doug Ulrich and Al Darago’s 1993 no-budget horror anthology, Scary Tales.
A “shot on video” attempt at Tales from the Crypt, Scary Tales comprises of three short films bookended with a sinister grim-reaper esque Crypt Keeper style character telling these “scary tales” to a group of kids, the film is split into three stories. Satan’s Necklace kicks things off with a little kitchen sink drama meets exorcist style horror, as a man begins a strange metamorphosis after coming into possession of a possessed necklace. Sliced In Cold Blood is up next, a take on a sleazy slasher rampage story which is arguably the darkest tale and goes big on the DIY gore, while Level 21, in which a man is effectively pulled into an Elder Scrolls style videogame, finishes off the trilogy.
Look, I’m not going to beat around the bush – Scary Tales is objectively not a good film. The no-budget approach shows through hard on screen, from the camcorder footage, to the shaky audio mixing, wonky camera angles, dodgy lighting and incredibly awkward attempts at eroticism. But despite this shonkiness, Scary Tales is not without a degree of charm and was clearly made with a degree of ambition and love.
Seeing the way the filmmakers realised their stories is fun, especially knowing some of the effort they would have had to go to in securing locations, actors and pulling off the various visual effects on display. These effects are probably the standout for me as they run the gamut from simple gore to complex looking metamorphosis sequences, and there has clearly been consideration in how to shoot them to make them look as convincing as possible. Sadly that can’t be said for the acting which isn’t really a mixed bag and more of a Poundland special, with lacking emotions, stilted line delivery and thousand yard stares abound. Still, it’s fun seeing the actors each take different roles across the three stories, often swapping between playing heroes and villains.
But, while I personally found it fun to see the efforts of this group of friends realising their cinematic dream, this kind of film is really hard to recommend to a casual audience. Despite the inherent cheesiness and lack of polish from this inexperienced production, there’s also a certain skeeziness that comes with video footage which can put some viewers off. This is especially so with a film containing gore effects, where that camcorder style can elevate even cheaper effects into looking somewhat more realistic. I also found the clear disregard for health and safety a little disconcerting with some of the actors doing their own stunts and getting uncomfortably close to some sharp looking blades and fire!
Still, Scary Tales is a fascinating artefact of early 90’s indie film-making and certainly deserves its place on 101 Film’s AGFA (American Genre Films Archive) label. Worth a watch for any aspiring filmmaker!
Special Features
- New transfer from the original S-VHS master tapes
- Commentary track with director Doug Ulrich
- 1987 demo version of SCARY TALES
- Outtakes and vintage TV promo appearance
- Bonus movie: DARKEST SOUL (1994)
- Early horror shorts by director Doug Ulrich
- Reversible cover
- English subtitles
Also worth a watch is the surprising amount of bonus features included on the disc. Given the age of the film it’s amazing that any of the archive material, including the original demo version of the film and other short films by the filmmakers, even still exists at all. But it’s the TV promo appearance, an interview with the directors and producer on a local news show that’s the most fascinating here, a short piece in which two clearly clueless presenters quiz these obviously passionate filmmakers about what they perceive to just be their silly little horror movie.
It’s an excellent package of features and well worth picking up the disc release for.