15 Best Anthology Horror Film Segments

"Danger? Who to?"

In this atypically emotional Amicus story, a snobbish father and son want rid of their elderly neighbour, widowed scrap man Mr Grimsdyke (Peter Cushing in his best ever performance), and his ‘eye sore’ of a house. Using a Ouija board, he communicates with his late wife who warns him of a looming “danger”, though he fears for the safety of the local children before considering his own. The son goes to cruel lengths to alienate Grimsdyke from the community and drive him from his home: spreading accusations of child molestation, having his beloved dogs seized, forcing him into retirement and forging suicide demands from everyone in town. However, these actions come back to haunt him in a suitably satisfying way.

Cushing reportedly requested the role, having lost his own wife not long before, and it shows in his incredible performance. This story is the perfect example of why Tales from the Crypt stands above the other horror anthologies of its time. If we compare it to a film like Asylum (same studio, same year) which many cite as their preferred Amicus offering, its stories do not come close to the impact of those in this film (despite Asylum's admittedly brilliant warp-around narrative). Poetic Justice is genuinely heart-breaking; Grimsdyke's face dropping when he reads the forged Valentine's Day cards is harder to watch than the gruesome ending where the actual horror kicks in. This story leaves you eagerly anticipating its villain's inevitable punishment - it gets you far more riled up and invested than a 20 minute horror short should be able to.