3's a Shroud

Director - Dan Brownlie (Something Under the Bed is Drooling), David V.G. Davies (The Blood Beach), and Andy Edwards (Zombie Spring Breakers)
Starring - Morrigan Hel (Lesbian Fetish Party), Brad Moore (Houseparty of the Dead V), and Eleanor James (Karl the Butcher vs. Axe)
Release Date - 2012
Genre - Horror
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Christmas is just mere days away and I'm feeling the Christmas spirit but I've ran out of Christmas flicks to pick.  After watching Red Christmas, Secret Santa, and Scream Factories new blu release of Silent Night Deadly Night I had to venture back to normal horror.  I have several horror films I need to check out so I made my way to my review stack and discovered a Wild Eye film that I've been sitting on for far too long.  Wild Eye, as I've said many times before, is one of my favorite indie distribution companies.  They've released some of my favorite indie films like Sodomaniac and The Neon Dead along with my new holiday favorite Secret Santa.  The film, 3's a Shroud, just doesn't look that appealing to me.  No offense to Wild Eye but the artwork doesn't make me excited to see it.  However, I've had this for far too long and need to pull the trigger on it.

     This anthology series follows a babysitter who tells a little boy several scary stories about the house he lives in.  The first story follows a couple living together.  The young lady doesn't trust her husband's secretary and assumes she is cheating on him which creates tension before he leaves for work.  When he gets home he decides to make her dinner but she fails to show.  She calls him and warns him about answering the door.  Over time he disregards her warnings and quickly learns who was really warning him not to answer the door.  The second story follows a photographer that has an obsession with one of his models and that obsession creates a monster that he cannot tame.  The third story follows a bartender at a pub on Halloween who is surprised by her friends after closing.  They throw her a party but soon the body count rises.
     I judge a book by its cover way often than not.  I know its a horrible thing to do but its damn near impossible for me not to.  3's a Shroud had some pretty plain and boring artwork so I immediately assumed the movie was the same.  Lucky for me, and any one that purchased the film, it was not bad at all.  It may be easily forgettable but it was fun while it lasted.  The acting in this one is surprisingly well done.  Each segment had its high points and lows.  It was would be very time consuming to pick each segment apart and a lot easier to just say that its not consistent.  I liked the stories we were given but some are riddled with clichés.  The wrap around story was fun but you can see the ending coming a mile away.   The same can be said about the first story but it was still effective.  I could see how it was going to end and I still enjoyed it.  The second story did throw me for a little loop and offered up that little creature camp that I grew up on with Full Moon.  It was fun but way too short.  The third tale was my favorite.  It is a slasher at heart but with a huge spin on it that makes it pretty fun.  Finally, the film has a few kills but they aren't anything that stands out.  The effects are limited but there is a fair bit of the red stuff to make it interesting.  Overall, 3's a Shroud was a surprise.  The film is flawed but it was time well spent.  Do yourself a favor and check it out.