Tales of the Uncanny is a 2020 American documentary film about the history of horror anthology onscreen and the best examples.
” …Severin Films chief David Gregory and House of Psychotic Women author Kier-La Janisse decided to ask their industry friends which Top 5 films and segments that would make the ultimate horror anthology.
The result became an international Zoom-enabled documentary featuring Eli Roth, Joe Dante, Greg Nicotero, Mark Hartley, Mick Garris, Ernest Dickerson, Joko Anwar, Ramsey Campbell, David DeCoteau, Kim Newman, Jovanka Vuckovic, Luigi Cozzi, Tom Savini, Jenn Wexler, Larry Fessenden, Richard Stanley, Brian Trenchard-Smith, Brian Yuzna, Gary Sherman, Rebekah McKendry and Roger Corman in a candid discussion of the best portmanteaus in film/TV history.”
As a bonus, Severin has included the rarely-seen 1919 compendium Eerie Tales and the thought-lost 1949 French/Belgian anthology Histories Extraordinaire/Unusual Tales.
Reviews:
“Tales of the Uncanny is an absolute delight for seasoned horror fans, and it also serves as a terrific introduction for those less familiar with fear-fare anthologies. No matter which category you might fall into, have a pen and pad at the ready because you are bound to come away with films you might not have heard of but that will shoot to the top of your must-see list.” Gruesome magazine
“Tales of the Uncanny has done its job if the viewer comes away with a list of films to re/watch, and it certainly achieves that. It also succeeds in painting the portmanteau genre as a form of film storytelling that needs to be more seriously addressed by both mainstream audiences and film historians.” Screen-Space
“Tales of the Uncanny spends way too much time on Creepshow and Creepshow 2 […] Overall though, Tales of the Uncanny is an interesting and enjoyable film. There are several interesting behind the scenes tales scattered through it, and I did learn about several early films I hadn’t heard of.” Voices from the Balcony
Release:
Tales of the Uncanny premiered at virtual cinemas in Canada, beginning with a partnership between the Fantasia International Film Festival and the Winnipeg Cinematheque from November 24th to December 15th. It will be available as a 2-disc Blu-ray on January 2021.
Technical details:
104 minutes
English, German and French with English subtitles
Anamorphic Widescreen 1.77:1
Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (English)
Trailer:
