The Phantom Tollbooth - Movies Reviews Index


Home Subscribe About Us Features News Album Reviews Movie Reviews Past Movies Movie Resources Concert Reviews Book Reviews Top 10 Contact Us	Horror Vault 3 (DVD) Stars: Russ Diapper, Kim Sonderholm, James Barclay, Lene Stargaard, Thomas Biehl, Leslie Hinge, Megon Kirkpatrick, Colleen O’Donnell, David Staley, Jonathan Baker, Sara Dee, Nikki Michelle Chowen, Eleni C. Krimitsos, Carlos Gonzales, David C. Hayes and Kevin Moyers Directors/Scriptwriters: Kim Sonderholm, James Barclay, David Holt, Johan A. Kruger, David C. Hayes and John Scott Mills Cetus Productions/Apotheosis Films Rating: No rating but could be R for violence and language Running Length: 90 minutes Horror Vault 3 is a continuation of a series of films in which the movie consists of separate stories by separate directors. There is a twist to the stories (think Tales of the Crypt here) and of the five presented here two stand out, while the other three are average. Each story is about 15-20 minutes in length. "Christmas Haunting" with Russ Diapper and director Kim Sonderholm concerns a man who is resting over the Christmas holidays by staying in his friend’s cabin. The haunting reveal just what is going on with this man. "Unchangeable" with director James Barclay and Leslie Hinge touches on the supernatural in a tale of a hit and run and a serial killer. “Zombie Office” is a clever take on what it takes to manage an office when there are zombies on the staff. “Undone” presents the idea of having a pedophile in your overnight custody, and "The Psychomanteum” presumably shows what mental illness is about, but that’s a guess, as I found it 15-plus minutes of confusion. "Unchangeable" with a bit of Australian atmosphere is the best of the five stories where bits and pieces of the story come out little by little and you begin to wonder if people are who you think they are. “Zombie Office” has broad dark humor of a female office manager running an office with zombies and a whip. Gives the word “cubicle” new meaning. "Undone” has gratuitous violence and “The Psychomanteum” goes nowhere. “Christmas Haunting” is right on the line, but hampered by awkward special effects. All in all, Horror Vault 3 is an average late Saturday night thriller. Copyright 2010 Marie Asner