[Nite Tales:The Movie]
Plot:Deon Taylor presents Nite Tales, a shockingly twisted double-feature horror extravaganza that will leave you trembling with fear and amazement. First, would-be bank robbers make their escape then take a turn for the worse as they encounter a gruesome and hungry cannibal in Karma. Then, everyone’s a suspect when a girl turns up dead in Storm. But mysteriously, as the rain falls, so do more bodies. Nite Tales stars Tony Todd, Tyrin Turner, Sticky Fingaz, Fredro Starr and is hosted by the debonair Flavor Flav. Nite Tales… the fright fest you’ve all been dying for!

Cast:Gary Busey, April Scott, Kel Mitchell, Tommy 'Tiny' Lister, Christopher Michael Holley, Sticky Fingaz, Tony Todd, Sandra McCoy, DeRay Davis, Greg Cipes, Ray J, Tyrin Turner, Michael J. Pagan, Andrea Bogart, J.D. Williams, Joe Torry, Michael X. Sommers, Chico Benymon, James Ferris, Rodney Perry, Jordan Woolley, James Otis, Susane Lee, Soraya Omar, Rob Evors, Tory Howard, Ray Crockett, Khatira Ya, Ariele Senara, Tim Yee.

My Thoughts:Good low-budget chiller!

Review:I wasn't expecting a terrific time from "Nite Tales", considering most low-budget horror anthologies are quite terrible. "Trapped Ashes" (2008), and who could forget the horrors of "Creepshow 3"? But Deon Taylor's film surprised me lots. With a young mostly urban cast, and some creative storyline working, the film really came off as one of those cool low-budgeteers, perfect for a Halloween even or Halloween night watch.

The movie is centered on two stories, one involving a group of bank robbers who get more than they bargained for when after disposing of a wounded comrade, decide to seek temporary shelter inside the house of a local redneck family. The second story centers on a group of teens in the burbs who are in the midst of a stormy night. Things get hairy when they decide to partake in the dreaded "Bloody Mary" game. And things get even worse when a clown and a cop show up, both of whom might be serial killers. Both hosted by Flavor Flav, who intro's the films, and then shows up a second time for an out-tro after both films are over. I have to say that the first story and the second story do alot of different things from a genre perspective.

There have always been horror films about robbers, thieves, or killers getting their come-uppance at the hands of their victims. Wes Craven's "Last House On The Left" for example. But Taylor's film really sinches in in in the first story, when you realize the scenario these bank robbers have gotten themselves into when they decide to distract the family they take refuge with, while another robber searches the house for the car keys to their vehicle, which they plan to steal.

This story really builds tension nicely, and ratchets things up as it moves along. One of their foru man crew is wounded in the robbery, so they pressure his relative, who is another member of the crew, to kill him off. Which he apparently...does. So in a way, it's kind of like between the robbery, the apparent murder of one of their own, and then the plan to steal someone's car...the sins just continue to mount, and eventually...the robbers receive their karmic payback, which comes in the form of some very nasty ghouls. Hence the title of the first story, "Karma".

Taylor also structures the script to connect the final events of the first story, back to the beginning...which shows a very strong screenwriting talent. Whereas most horror/anthology tales just have a beginning and an end, Taylor spices things up by connecting his stories in really clever fashion. But I definitely preferred the second story, "Storm'...which had Sandra McCoy and Kel Mitchell in the cast. Along with the legendary Tony Todd, who plays a clown who needs to use the phone when he ends up stranded in a powerful rainstorm.

This story is good for a number of reasons, one because it's set during a stormy night, and me personally...I am a huge fan of "rain horror", where some killer is on the loose during a major thunderstorm. Second, it really delivers a clever, yet chilling situation. The kids decide to make the evening a bit more fun by playing the "bloody mary" game, where you say her name five times and she appears. The same old story, only Taylor manages to capitalize on that by adding in Todd as the creepy clown, and an odd police officer who shows up on the kids doorstep.

So just when things build towards bloody mary showing up to do some killing, Taylor manages to swerve the viewer really well by throwing in two new cogs, and as the body count rises amongst the teens, and eerie and strange details are revealed about the clown, and the cop....it soon breaks down into a paranoia situation. All of this set to the backdrop of the raging storm outside. The second movie also has an underlying message of looking beyond just the surface at who you can and cannot trust in certain situations. A lesson which some of the kids learn the hard way.

The acting in the movie is very good, mostly because alot of the actors aren't unknowns. Sticky Fingaz, and Todd being two guys who've done alot of pictures. And I always say, nevermind a low budget, if you can get mid-card to upper mid-card actors into an indie feature, they cna do wonders for it. Which in the case of "Nite Tales"...certainly rings true.

The movie also delivers on the blood and gore front, and as far as it's level of disturbia goes...the finale of "Karma" is alot more chilling than the finale of "Storm". But "Storm" has a far better overall story, and is alot more fun to watch. "Nite Tales" is a good horror/anthology film, which if you're looking for a fun indie to watch while you're sifting through the video store selection, you might wanna pick up.

Positives:Decent performances, good directing style by Taylor, a pretty solid script, nice amounts of blood and gore, and overall both movies were well written movies with flashes of cleverness to them.

Negatives:Nothing major, although Flavor Flav's rhyming at the end came off as somewhat cheesy.

Overall:Three and a half out of four stars.





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