Deadtime Stories: Volume 2 (2011) User Reviews (12)

Night of the flaccid horror anthology...

[paul_haakonsen · 3/10 · 19 November 2016]

When I saw that George A. Romero was narrating this anthology, I must admit that I had my hopes up for what was to come.

However, my hopes were more than horribly cut down and left in pieces, as this anthology turned out to be a very poor excuse for a horror anthology.

There are three segments to the anthology; "The Gorge", "On Sabbath Hill" and "Dust".

The first segment was "The Gorge", which incidentally also turned out to be the worst of the three stories. This is a story about three young people spelunking in some underground cave system. When rocks fall down and dangerously smash one person's leg and trapping them underground, tensions grow high. Right, well the outlay of the storyline seemed adequate enough. But it quickly escalated downhill. Especially since they apparently had brought enough candles for close to a month, and not just burning one candle at a time but multiple. And when they turned to cannibalism it just went over the edge and had no chance of coming back on course.

This takes us to the second segment, "On Sabbath Hill", was the one that had the most potential and it was also the segment that turned out to be the most entertaining. It is about a married college teacher who is having an affair with one of his students. And as she gets pregnant, she can't cope with things anymore, and ends her own life in the middle of the classroom. The teacher become haunted by the young woman whose life he helped come to an abrupt halt. Alright, well it wasn't an outstanding story, but it proved to be the best of the three.

And the third and final segment is titled "Dust". This story is about a security guard working at a laboratory where they are working on an experimental drug to battle cancer. He manages to get his hand on some and administer it to his terminally ill wife at home. She miraculously gets better, but with her improving health comes an increased sex drive. Which the guy likes at first, but soon realize is too strenuous as his wife requires more and more sex and more and more of the drug. This segment, while better than the first segment, just was a bit too much. It wasn't really particularly fitting to a horror anthology.

Right, let's move on to the acting. I will say that I actually think that the people they had cast for the various roles were doing good enough jobs with their roles and characters, and taking the limitations of the script in mind as well. However, this is not a grand Shakespearian experience, mind you.

As for the effects, well bless them for trying. The effects were there, and were used to the best of their effectiveness in the given situations. However, it just wasn't something that made me go 'wow, now that's pretty impressive'. The effects were adequate enough, just don't expect to be blown away.

However, the overall experience of "Deadtime Stories 2" was just not impressive. There are far better horror anthologies available, even ones that are much older than this 2011 release.

All in all, my rating of "Deadtime Stories 2" is a mere three out of ten stars.

Now I lay me down to rest

[nogodnomasters · 5/10 · 22 March 2018]

George Romero introduces the tales similar to Creepshow. I was expecting something light with a twist, but that was not the case. In the first tale, 3 spelunkers go into a cave only to get trapped...and one is injured. We know what happens here. The unexpected part, the part that should make the story a hit or miss, comes after the rescue. In this story, it was pretty much a miss unless you watch strictly for blood and gore.

In the second episode a college history professor (married, 2 children) is sleeping with one of his students, Alison. He is a stickler for being on time to his class and not missing it. As it turns out Alison (Amanda Frost) is "late" and is pregnant with his child. She comes to class with a gun, points it to her head, and she doesn't "miss." The interesting part is the expected haunting. As expected it starts out slow and takes some twists. Perhaps the best of the three.

The third episode is more akin to the Creepshow variety. A security guard steals Mars dust from NASA to cure his terminal wife of cancer. She becomes a human sexual dynamo (nudity). Unfortunately the effects wear off and the guard must get more.

The plots weren't overly exciting. Romero uses his special gore/make-up effects as a substitute for a good story. If you keep your expectations low, you won't be disappointed.

This is Deadtime Stories Volume ONE

[DisturbedPixie · 3/10 · 13 September 2012]

IMDb still hasn't fixed this listing problem, and it's a shame that people aren't even sure which film to rate when they rate their very low score.

Since the other volume is listed as the first volume, it seems to have much of the information correct for the 2nd volume, so I will be putting my review here for volume 1.

Saw this on Netflix, and I must say, wow George.. this is awful, you look like a crazy old fart introducing these stories. you don't have the stage presence of Hitchcock or Rod Serling, so don't do any more of these okay?

1. "Valley of the Shadow"- My husband and I laughed a lot at this film for having such poor acting and directing. It felt like a high school film club project. Moments that were particularly amusing were was a splashing in the water shot that seemed to last way too long; a white guy that played an indigenous tribe member, the flashback love scene, a guy looking for signs of life with a dude standing like 4 feet just to his left but he can't see him, the explorers wasting their fresh water, and a tribesman watching the leading lady sleep... for no reason.

2. Wet- I must say, this was creepier and better acted than the first story, but the ending felt off, and confusing. The supposed trick for dealing with a naught mermaid was complicated but with no sense for reason, and I don't get why it had to be so complicated. And I don't get the remaining moments of character choices. The whole thing felt off.

3. House Call- It captured my attention probably the best but I kept noticing the old fashioned directing style being a little over the top. The story was about a mother dealing with her possible vampire son and asking for help from a doctor in town. It was directed by the famous Tom Savini, and I think he too has gone a little nuts over the years like Romero because these wasn't even very creepy. He did have a twist ending though.

George should be ashamed

[domski1 · 1/10 · 14 July 2011]

When i first looked at this title on IMDb it had a user rating of over 7 but no reviews! i can only assume that people who worked on the movie rated it but couldn't bring themselves to write a positive review. the movie is an anthology of three short films each equally as bad as the next, the acting is diabolical, the scripts are pathetic and the direction truly awful, George A Romero's only involvement is to introduce each film a'la cryptkeeper (i hope the money was good, because it will put a big dent in his reputation).

1, a woman goes on an expedition in a rain forest to find her husband and bad things happen. (the acting in this one is particularly bad, and the rain forest seems to be inhabited by one native who's a White guy wearing war paint??)

2, a man finds boxes on a beach and an evil mermaid appears. (if you've only got 25 mins to tell a story pick up the pace)

3, a boy thinks he's a vampire so his mother calls a doctor. ( the best of the three but still flawed, too little too late I'm afraid)

If you like anthology horrors go old school and get a copy of Tales from the crypt or Creepshow.

Only Savini's Segment Works

[Michael_Elliott · 18 August 2012]

***I'm not sure what's up with the listing on IMDb but this review is for the first film in the two part series. Why IMDb has this listed as the second is beyond me (and you'll notice this "sequel" listed has a release date two years before the first film).

Deadtime Stories (2011)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

George Romero "hosts" this anthology horror film, which is obviously just using him to try and get more viewers. In "Valley of the Shadows" a woman takes an expedition to a mysterious jungle where her husband vanished earlier and soon she learns why. Next up is "Wet" a fisherman finds a mysterious item, which leads to something beyond his wildest imagination. The third film comes from director Tom Savini, "Housecalls" has a doctor going out on a stormy night to help a sick boy who claims to have been bitten by a vampire. DEADTIME STORIES VOL. 1, like all anthology films, is quite uneven but I don't think there's any question that the first two stories are pretty bad and the third one is clearly the best thanks in large part to Savini's direction. Now, I'm not going to sit here and say that Savini is the next Scorsese but it's clear by watching the three films that he's a real director who can tell a story and add a bit of style as well. The biggest problem with the first two films is that the stories themselves are poorly executed and I'd also say that the screenplays really don't give us enough to keep us interested in what's going on. In the first film we learn that the husband goes missing but it would have been helpful had we known what he was doing out there and what "curse" this jungle has. By the time the film gives us this information it's pretty much over. With the second film, again, knowing more probably would have helped. Both go for big "twists" at the end but neither works. Savini's film at least features some nice performances and direction but the story too is fairly simple, although the twist does work. DEADTIME STORIES VOL. 1 is a pretty poor film and it's a shame Romero has to sell himself in this way. His introductions really aren't anything special and it's clear this was just a money thing.

Poor Anthology Riding on George Romero's Name

[gavin6942 · 5/10 · 15 October 2012]

Please note: this review is for part one, because IMDb seems to have the films confused. If I need to move this later, I will.

In this anthology of horror tales: a group of scientists wander through a jungle inhabited by savages ("Valley of the Shadow"); a man digs up a strange jade artifact on the beach ("Wet"); and a mother brings a doctor home to check on her son, who has a thirst for blood ("Housecall").

Romero's role in this film is somewhat sad. Other than reading silly snippets between segments, he does not seem to have had any involvement in the project. Attaching his name will get people to rent the film that would not have otherwise given it a look, but most Romero fans will probably be disappointed. This is really the project of his associate Jeff Monahan.

The stories are too short to ever get anywhere, especially the first story. There was no character development or any build-up of suspense. It just sort of meandered about. That sort of nonsense would never have been in a "Creepshow" film.

The second part is a bit better, adding mystery and intrigue along with a hidden mythology. It seems like there is considerable potential for this one to be lengthened (though maybe it would not hold up as well). There are not nearly enough horror films about mythological sea creatures.

Part three was directed by the legendary Tom Savini, which might be the only redeeming thing about this film. The style used is most unusual, boxed in and grainy, with odd acting and music. I like it, though I am unclear why this decision was made.

Beyond horrible

[BandSAboutMovies · 1/10 · 29 May 2021]

I characterize George Romero's post-Creepshow output the same way that I do Lucio Fulci's post Manhattan Baby output, except that, you know, I actually like some of what Fulci did. His films feel like a man struggling for relevance, falling back on outdated tropes and the same old, same old one more time.

But man, as rough as Fulci's life got, he never started a middling anthology film off with absolutely dreadful dialogue like ""Now I lay me down to rest, but there's a goblin upon my chest. He's grey and ugly and very gory and he wants to tell me a deadtime story."

The second film finds Fischa and Monahan returning to direct a segment each, with Matt Walsh directing another.

Sadly, it's no better:

The Gorge is about three friends whose hiking trip ends in an avalanche and cannibalism, while On Sabbath Hill is the closest the film gets to something unique with a tale of a professor's dead girlfriend coming back to haunt him. Finally, Dust has a doctor discovering that Mars dust can cute cancer and the security guard who steals his breakthrough.

I really hope that Romero at least got some money for these films, because I see no reason that he should be involved in these pictures. I struggled to get through these. Don't make the same error that I did.

"I tried to warn you to put it back."

[classicsoncall · 5/10 · 11 June 2023]

I think I'm in the right place to post this review because there seems to be some confusion between Volume 1 and Volume 2 of "Deadtime Stories. I'm going with the three stories titled 'Valley of the Shadow'. 'Wet' and 'Housecall'. The best thing I can say here is that the series was narrated by George Romero himself. I'd never seen him before and he didn't look like I might have expected, that is, he looked pretty normal for an old guy. But I have to echo most of the other reviewers here, the chapters are lackluster and not all that scary. The first one is almost comical in the way it ends with the female expedition leader akin to ventriloquist Jeff Dunham's Jose Jalapeno on a stick. The mermaid story had promise but ended in kind of a whimper. The last one was probably the best, with a little bit of a twist to your standard vampire tale. I would question however, why a vampire, in this case, Doctor Marsten (Bingo O'Malley), would have a ready tool kit for taking out vampires if he himself was one. With nothing better to do you might check this out, but no way does it approach "Night of the Living Dead" territory.

I don't know what to think

[alezandreaetoth · 8/10 · 16 July 2020]

In general the movie was entertaining, but the first story made me puke, so that's a warning, but the rest of the stories were better, I have definitely seen better movies, but I've also seen a lot worse. If you are bored watching this may be entertaining.

OK.....but not for the claustrophobic

[uscmd · 6/10 · 1 April 2022]

I'm a big Romero fan, so I suspect I liked this more than most. However, as a retired psychiatrist........I would suggest caution to anyone thats uncomfortable in tight or confined spaces....

from the man who made "Martin"

[patvoid · 6 August 2011]

comes this steaming mound of rotten amateur bargain bin trash,Ed Woods mouldy angora sweaters could produce better,actually this pointless sack of garbage probably woulda been better done by ed wood,having criswell doing the intros from his coffin would be far better than watching a sad old has-been acting like a grandfather from a Stephen king novel,attempting to scare the audience with little skits whose only shock value would be to the writer of them,when on hearing the finsihed product would have to ask what dark and powerful demon has infested my mind and guided my typewriter to such mind-numbing lows.

Anyway onto the "dead-time"stories...

the first one is about some dumb chick who throws a hissy fit and gets her even dumber crew killed,its not even as good as it sounds in the second episode a fat guy digs up bits of a mermaid after being advised by an insane antique dealer not to do,the inevitable ensues..

the third story gets a lot of praise from most reviewers,god knows why,its not as eye-gougingly terrible as the previous 2,but crap nonetheless.

there is a ray of hope though,for all you would-be screenwriters out there,just look at dead-time stories,it actually got made,someone pointed a camera and financed it,and as mind boggling as it may seem..it happened.

On reflection...

[jimbmorris · 7/10 · 3 August 2013]

A lot of the users responded poorly to the anthologies, judging by only the reviews, with many chastising Mr. Romero for such a poor crafting of a horror movie. And justifiably so, if only the actors, writers, directors, et al were experienced and knew their jobs inside and out. However, I am given, more and more, the impression that these segments feel like a finals project for film school. In that light, what with many people lacking mostly in experience, I am delighted with the results and look forward to seeing some names again far into the future. So, I am going with a seven out of ten, just to encourage some of these guys to keep at it and to make more (and increasingly better) horrors! And to keep George Romero at the odious job of seeking out raw and undeveloped talent from the masses attending art academies everywhere and giving them a leg up by the use of his name.