The Mortuary Collection (2020)

The Mortuary Collection is the rare horror anthology that feels like a whole meal instead of a sampler platter: each tale is punchy, imaginative, and stitched together by a delightfully macabre frame story anchored by Clancy Brown, who purrs every line like a bedtime story told in a candlelit crypt. Ryan Spindell bathes Raven’s End in a retro, Halloween-night glow—lush colors, playful camera work, and practical-leaning effects that make the scares feel tactile—while a wicked sense of humor keeps the dread lively rather than oppressive. The vibe is campfire-creepy with a mean little grin, where irony is as sharp as the jump scares and the mood stays consistently spooky without collapsing into cynicism. Fair warning: it doesn’t shy away from gore and some genuinely nasty body-horror ideas, but if you like your fright films stylish, clever, and crowd-pleasing, this one earns its place in the collection.

The Mortuary Collection wants to be a slick, old-school horror anthology with a storybook frame, moral comeuppance, and a bit of fantasy flourish, and it mostly nails the cozy “campfire tales in a haunted house” vibe. The problem is it’s uneven: a couple segments land with nasty imagination and punchy payoffs, while others feel like well-worn genre homework where the tension spikes and then fizzles. It’s also not shy about grim subject matter and gooey body-horror, so if you want scares that feel fun rather than mean or queasy, this can be a rough sit. Still, Clancy Brown’s hosting is a treat and the production design has real personality, so anthology fans who can tolerate hit-or-miss storytelling may have a good time.