Tales of the Dead is an Admirable Effort at an Ultra-Low Budget Anthology
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While Tales of the Dead pays homage to many aspects of the horror genre, the feeling that most of the stories are rushed into unsatisfying endings holds it back.
Written by James "Crypticpsych" Lasome
January 17, 2011
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Release: June 12, 2009 (New Jersey Film Festival)
Directed by: Kemal Yildirim
Written by: Kemal Yildirim
Starring:
Kemal Yildirim as Lucio/Officer Argento
Saima Yildirim as Isabella/Rose
Jason Impey as Ruggero
Nadeem Choudhry as Juan/Zack
Ali Yildirim as George
Tales of the Dead is a British anthology showcasing four short horror films structured around five friends getting together on Halloween night to scare each other with movies and stories. First up is Ruggero's (Impey) story, "Less is More". In it, a woman named May (Caroline Nash) is obsessed with getting a mysterious surgery to make herself feel whole. The surgery is made to seem so dangerous and bizarre that no surgeon will perform it. Her obsession even drives away her husband. Will she find someone to conduct the operation?
If it's not clear from the names of some of our storytellers, Kemal Yildirim appears to be paying homage to his favorite Italian filmmakers, films, and subgenres. In this case, given that the lead character is named "May" and some of the ideas the story plays with regarding self-worth, this short seems to be a homage to the Lucky McKee modern classic of the same name. It's well-acted (if a touch hammy) and well-shot. However, while this is one of the best two shorts in the Tales of the Dead anthology, it has three big flaws. The first is that the consequences of the surgery are shown (in part) before the opening credits and implied by Ruggero when he describes the story, thereby withholding a bit of the element of surprise from the audience. Secondly, in a recurring theme in this film, the end of the short comes WAY too suddenly, leaving the viewer with a definite feeling of "That's it?" at the end. Finally, as with the other shorts in the film, the story is far more serious than the wraparound creating a strange tone-shift that hurts the movie more than it helps it.
Up next is Juan's (Choudhry) short, starring Choudhry himself, called "Wolf Cry". In it, we have an unemployed slacker named Zack who has a love of horror movies and horror filmmaking. His mom (who looks like she had him at around age 10) has been trying to push him to make something of his life and get a job. However, Zack has minimal experience and a tendency to hallucinate that the world is full of clowns, monsters, and demons. As his visions increase, will he be able to tell the difference between fantasy and reality?
The worst of the Tales of the Dead group, "Wolf Cry" suffers from bad performances from its leads and shows its low-budget roots (particularly in its cemetery made of cardboard painted headstones). The film doesn't explicitly homage anything overall but is made up of moments that reference other work (most memorably, the shower scene in Psycho). While it has a good premise, I don't think Mr. Choudhry can handle the material very well, coming off as distant (which admittedly could be a character trait) and wooden. Finally, again, the film reaches its climax completely out of nowhere and ends with far too little development devoted to its conclusion.
Up next is Lucio's short, "Penance", an unabashed homage to giallo films to the point of having a policeman named Argento (played by Yildirim himself). In it, a detective named Klein who has sexual fetishes of his own is faced with a serial killer who murders and binds women. As the killer starts taunting him with messages at the scene, can Klein solve the case before the case starts to destroy him?
"Penance" works better than "Wolf Cry" thanks to a series of great performances. Again, there are a few moments that show the films bargain-basement roots (like Argento's cop outfit and the sign for the police station). However, the story is intense enough that it overcomes those little moments. Intense enough that is… until its ending. This time, the ending doesn't seem to tell us enough. I'm not entirely sure who the murderer was though I think I know what the film was implying in that regard. However, if I'm right in my impression, then now I'm not clear on motive.
George provides the last, and best, Tales of the Dead short with "Cromwell's Curse". George claims he found a tape and a cross at the sale of a director's belongings and that the tape curses those who watch it. The film, shot found footage style and VERY reminiscent of The Blair Witch Project and similar films and shows, tells of a group of friends who head out into Northhampton to investigate the legend of some witches who were killed there many years ago.
The film is shot brilliantly, amping up the tension and fear for the viewer along with the rest of the cast. The acting isn't brilliant, but it does seem real. Given that this is supposed to pay homage to "found-footage", though, this is more than acceptable. However, the 
lighting can get a little frustrating when some characters say "did you see that" and the viewer can't see anything. Also, again, the ending has problems. This time, while the ending works, it doesn't seem like enough for what was built up. What does happen is pretty chilling, but the viewer still feels quite a bit like they should have done more with the premise.
Overall, Tales of the Dead is worth a look as an admirable attempt at making an anthology on a miniscule budget. It's clear that this was made with a lot of heart and genre love. However, the tonal shift, issues with all the endings, painfully apparent budgetary limitations, and particular weakness of "Wolf Cry" hold back the Tales of the Dead anthology from being something truly special.
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