Phil Herman´s Unearthed

I remember back in the early 90´s at the VHS rental store Videomix i used to discover all kinds of horror VHS films that i have never heard of. At least not when it came to certain horror films that were clearly made on a lower budget, i would usually rent the most interesting titles if the films looked like fun. I can still remember some of the VHS covers of these films and they looked wonderful. For example it was here i discovered John Carpenter´s anthology horror comedy Body Bags, where legendary director Tobe Hooper worked on this film as well. This film didn´t get a cinema release across Sweden so landed on VHS instead. Body Bags tell 3 very different stories and i personally feel that each story have something for true fans of anthology horror to enjoy and i have to say the casting of this anthology horror film is great. Not only do you get John Carpenter as the presenter The Coroner but you also have legendary actors such as Stacey Keach, David Warner, Robert Carradine, Sam Raimi, Peter Jason, Alex Datcher, Debbie Harry, Roger Corman and of course Mark Hamill himself. Incredible cast and i feel that they all give their characters something special in this film. Over the years i have returned to Body Bags after it was released on blu ray on Shout! Factory and i think it still holds up to this day. Speaking of horror anthology films we could probably discuss for hours on what our favourites are and i personally love both Creepshow and Creepshow 2. I try to look at lower budget anthology films as well such as the 2016 anthology horror film known as Holidays. A film that tried to tell different stories regarding the most beloved holidays that we celebrate every year. Worth checking out if you have not seen it and should be easy to find for a good price on DVD. Recently i got an oppurtunity to sit down and watch a new horror anthology film called Phil Herman´s Unearthed. Since i am a big fan of anthology horror in general of course i was curious to see what this film would bring to the table. Is this one of the better films of this genre this year or did it not deliver as much as i was hoping it would?

4 different stories told by several different directors in an anthology horror film presented by the mysterious Doom ( Christopher Kahler ) where no secrets will be hidden anymore. This is the moment each story will tell exactly what happened to different people under different circumstances.

As with most anthology horror films it is very important to be able to tell different stories and try to make each story interesting or at least fun to watch, depending on what kind of horror anthology you are making. In the case of Phil Herman´s Unearthed i would have to say this film susprised me quite a bit. I have seen other films from director Phil Herman in the past and i have to say this might be his most serious film so far. Just the fact that this film actually tries to give us characters that you remember is a good sign, since in some anthology horror films it´s easy to forget characters unless you make an effort to make us care. The first story is a perfect example called The Ties That Bind. I wouldn´t call this a horror story but rather a criminal story surrounding a missing woman. What really works in this story is the great chemistry between actors Joseph Martin Jauch as Detective Hermand and Lillian Lamour as Detective Grier. Every scene where they have dialogue together is where this segment gets more interesting as they investigate this case. This doesn´t mean the other characters in this story are bad in any way, but the screen chemistry that Detective Hermand and Detective Grier carry with them is exactly what this story needed. The next story is called Look Towards The Sky and is basically an alien abduction story and you might think this will be predictable. Actually there are a few surprising details but the best part is actually the abduction scenes. The third story called Clean House starts off like a silent movie but turns into an exorcist segment where the demon actually knock down the priest with a bible, this specific scene was actually fun to watch. The last story called Highway Rivalry is where the real horror kicks in with some brutal violence and practical make up effects as well. If i had to choose what story i didn´t feel as connected with compares to others i would say that Clean House is the segment i felt could have been stronger. The presenter of each story known as Doom is a fun performance from actor Christopher Kahler who looks like he walked out dead from a wrestling grave. Phil Herman´s Unearthed manage to tell very different stories and make this anthology horror film feel unique in the sense that the diversity among these stories are so far away from each other. I personally feel this was a really good idea for a film such as this. I also have to mention how much i appreciate the serious tone that director Phil Herman  approach in this film, i would love to see him do something more similar in the future and see what he might be able to do with the right script. Phil Herman´s Unearthed is a feastful treat for true fans of the anthology horror scene and clearly show that this genre is still filled with passion for telling stories, no matter what kind of horror fan you are.

Rating: DDD