15 Best Anthology Horror Film Segments

"An artist? Not anymore."

Art critic Franklyn Marsh (Christopher Lee) attends the exhibit of Eric Landor (Michael Gough), to whom he publicly gives a damning review. Landor's assistant requests that Marsh critique a piece by another young talent, which Marsh praises in front of his admiring crowd, declaring the unnamed artist to be one of "considerable promise". Marsh is introduced to the 'rising star' behind the artwork: a chimpanzee. Humiliated and discredited, he injures Landor in a hit and run, which costs the artist his right hand, and his career. Marsh doesn't simply have to outrun the guilt of what he has done, but also the re-animated severed hand that is determined to avenge its owner.

Amicus Productions enjoyed great success from the late 60s to the early 80s as an alternative to rival studio, Hammer - their big selling point being their format of bite-sized, neat little tales that made for easy viewing and required little audience investment. They often attracted very impressive and well-respected casts, too, despite their cheesy scripts and modest budgets. Individually, their stories can’t exactly be considered intelligent or complex by any stretch, but their delightful campiness and often bizarre concepts are absolutely essential viewing for any horror fan.

The way that Disembodied Hand suddenly transitions into a horror story is precisely the sort of ridiculous lunacy that make these films so great. You certainly wouldn't catch any of the big name actors of today wrestling with a rubber hand. Watching an a***hole get their comeuppance is always gratifying in these stories, and the poetic way that Marsh gets his just desserts wraps the story up perfectly.