Movies for the Midnight Hour

Director - Jim Haggerty (I Dream of Dracula, The Slasher)

Starring - Jim Haggerty, Natalie Brooks (dots, Lights! Camera! Craig!), and Risa Cohen (My Husband the Flesh Hungry Corpse)

Release Date - 2021

Genre - Horror/Comedy/Sci-Fi

Tagline - "An All-Night Festival of Midnight Movies"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I love digging into a film collection or a loose anthology.  Seeing so many shorts and so forth in a decent amount of time can be so much fun and rewarding.  Several weeks ago I was looking through MVD's website when I found the Yellow Ape Productions short compilation titled Movies for the Midnight Hour.  I have a few films from Yellow Ape's Jim Haggerty in a couple of the Pendulum Pictures box sets so I was very curious about these films.  I reached out to MVD and they were kind enough to send the blu release my way for review.  Like always, I want to thank MVD for supporting Horrror Society.  

     The film is a collection of 10 stories ranging from the spirits of the dead who are looking for a hand, to a commercial voce over actor who has crossed the line, and some witchy fun.

     Movies for the Midnight Hour has a lot of promise but the shorts that I liked the most just happened to be the shortest while the ones that I didn't care for seemed to make up the majority of the film.  It's a compilation and shouldn't be confused with an anthology but the inconsistency that comes with most compilations is still there.  The acting in this one is solid for the most part.  The cast feels comfortable in front of the camera but there was several instances where the cast's inexperience showed.  The on screen chemistry was great and everyone was fully dedicated to their roles but some scenes felt a little awkward to watch.  The stories for these 10 shorts are inconsistent.  Some, like the one following the commercial voice over actor turned deadly, was a lot of fun.  They were very campy but that's how I take my horror.  I love the silly side of cinema and watching horror movies like this and their cleverness is something I truly enjoy.  However, other shorts, like Reunion, just didn't work for me.  It's a roller coaster ride for sure with so many ups and downs.  At the end of the day it was a mixed bag with half being watchable and the other half being extremely dull.  Finally, if you love cheap effects and nudity then you are in luck.  We get a lot of nudity, some blood, and cheap practical effects that showed the short's budget.  Honestly, I love films like this and the effects didn't take away from the experience but added to it.  Overall, Movies for the Midnight Hour is for those of us that have a soft spot for no budget films, lots of nudity, and stories that are unconventional.  It's not the best experience but at least half of the shorts in this compilation was worth a watch.  Check it out but you've been warned.