10 Horror Anthology Movies You've Probably Never Seen
You might have seen Creepshow, but have you seen these?
The horror anthology, also known as portmanteau horror movies, are a loved staple of the horror genre. For those uninitiated with the format, it usually involves a collection of short stories that tend to be wrapped around by an overarching story. More often than not, the wrap around story is normally one character telling another character a bunch of scary stories.
The format is so popular that it's been around for decades, and can be found as far back as 1919 with the silent German production Uncanny Stories. Throughout movie history the horror anthology has had its ups and downs, with highs such as Dead of Night, and lows such as Creepshow 3. But beyond the recognisable anthology movies like Creepshow or Tales From the Darkside, there are plenty of horror anthologies that have flown under the radar.
Whether they've gone to straight to DVD, been consigned to the archives, or just plain overlooked, there are horror anthology movies you've probably never seen. Thankfully, we can correct that now, so come take a look, and search these movies out at your own peril.
10. XX
Powered by women, XX is a little known horror anthology that came out in 2017 consisting of 4 stories and 1 wrap around. Originally conceived in 2014, XX was supposed to feature segments directed by Mary Harron (American Psycho) and Jennifer Lynch (Chained) alongside Karyn Kusama (The Invitation) and Jovanka Vuckovic.
Sadly, Harron and Lynch dropped out, and were replaced by Roxanne Benjamin (Body at Brighton Rock) and Annie Clark. Despite the heavy hitting horror talent on display behind the camera, XX fails to live up to the standards one might expect from filmmakers well versed in the genre.
Roxanne Benjamin was a producer on the first two V/H/S anthologies, and also directed a segment of another movie on this list. Unsurprisingly, her segment in XX called Don't Fall is one of the movies highlights. Kusama also delivers with her segment Her Only Living Son, but overall XX failed to set the box office alight, and received some mediocre reviews.
All in all though, XX is a decent enough horror anthology and allows to showcase some up and coming female talent from the horror community.