Deadtime Stories (1986)

Directed By: Jeffrey Delman

Cast: Michael Mesmer, Scott Valentine, Nicole Picard, Cathryn de Prume and, if you can believe it, Melissa Leo (yeah, the one just nominated for an Oscar)

Review By: Kayley Viteo

(Note: this should not be in any way confused with George Romero’s new projects also called “Deadtime Stories” … which are also horror anthologies.)

One of the great things about living in Austin, Texas is Terror Tuesdays at the Alamo Drafthouse. For $1, you get a guaranteed spot into a late-night horror movie that is almost always old enough that I’ve never gotten a chance to see it.  I saw “The Car” this way, which was possibly one of the greatest experiences of my life.  However, this past week, I saw “Deadtime Stories” … and I really wasn’t that amused.

“Deadtime Stories” is basically a lame, less funny movie in the same vein as “Creepshow.” A horror anthology playing off of three fairy tales.  The stories surround a killer witch, Little Red Riding Hood (“Runninghood”), and Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The problem is, each of these stories is more inane than the last – and not in a good way.

That’s not to say that the movie on a whole completely lacks any amusing moments, but most of them occur because of the sleazy uncle, who, let’s face it, is just too ridiculous not to laugh at. Other than that, the only redeeming moments of these 90 minutes occur all in the first story, including a truly awesome scene where a body rebuilds itself. Gross maybe, but incredibly fun to watch. Yet, after the first story, all the jokes seem a variation of the same to the point where I was literally waiting for the movie to end.

Where “Creepshow” is a near-perfect blend of horror and dark humor, this one just feels like it is trying too hard. I would say it’s definitely worth a viewing if you’ve had a couple of shots of tequila in you or you want to play a truly dangerous drinking game or even if you just want to watch something silly, but other than that I can’t honestly say I see any value in it.