My Review Of Alan Rowe Kelly’s “Gallery Of Fear”

“Gallery Of Fear” is a horror anthology by Alan Rowe Kelly and Anthony Sumner that blends classic surrealism with B-movie grandiose gestures and vintage scenes of terrifying dreamscapes. Told in three distinct stories that flow eerily from different styles of the horror genre, unleashing nightmare scenarios held together by a familiar yet hypnotic wrap around tale that is as entertaining as it is classic. Each tale carries us into bizarre realities from a near vampiric melodrama in the first story to the outrageous tale of karmic justice in the form of a monster, right through to the very classic and brutal gore filled nightmare which screams 70’s blood fest. Not to mention that there is a very awesome use of retro sound effects that harken back to the glory days of Home Video Entertainment’s reign which gave us such awesome directors as Lloyd Kaufman, Tom DiSome and Ivan Reitman. “Gallery Of Fear” manages to create and maintain a harmony as it blends different styles of storytelling that have dominated the horror genre of the years in “By Her Hand, She Draws You Down”, “Down The Drain” and “A Far Cry From Home” as well as the wrap around story “Critic’s Choice”. Truly on of the best anthologies of twisted, fucked-up nightmares I have seen in a great while.

“Critic’s Choice” has one of the meanest art critics finding she is part of the exhibit and sets the anthology in motion. The story is one of those over-the-top representations  of a super bitch getting her just rewards. It allows each of the other tales to unfold into moments of true terror before ending the anthology in classic “Outer Limits” fashion. Debbie Rochon plays the lead character in this little short that instantly makes you want to see something happen to her, I kind of wanted to see a bit more happen to her because the woman was such a bitch! You could tell how much Rochon enjoyed the role letting it all go to be a loud obnoxious character. I would have liked to have seen her weaken somewhat as the story progressed before her final scene but still it was a great wrap around.

“By Her Hand, Draws You Down” opened up like a surreal vision of haunting sorrowful despair. The story focuses on a couple that have more than their share of heartbreak. It is told in a strange style of mournful dreamscape and supernatural romance. The interactions and emotional connections between the characters created a atmosphere of sorrow that was haunting. Whether or not the story revolves around some vampiric entity or demonic seed that has taken root in the couple’s life is open for interpretation but it gives us a dark drama that is both sophisticated and tragic.  This short reminds me of the classic 80’s genre stuff that seemed to romanticize the supernatural in away that was almost dreamlike.

“Down The Drain” is a wild story that roles along like vintage B-movie trash. I loved the exaggeration of personalities portrayed by the characters, mixed with near psycho-vision camera angles. It is a sort of creature feature for the new age that reminds me of a lot of the TROMA studio stuff. The effects are so cheesy and spot on that this story could almost be a complete homage to the awesome era of VHS glory! It was a moment of twisted and complete fun.

“A Far Cry From Home” is one of those straight up classic grindhouse nightmares! Fuck anyone who thinks I will ever go within on some back-wood weekend re-connect and stories like this is the reason why. It is by far my favorite short in the anthology. The monsters in this story were of the human kind that could give Leatherface’s family a run for most fucked up psycho family. Filled with some of the best representations of gore and blood sequences that delighted every twisted ounce of me. It was a total in your face horror story that I didn’t want to see end. This was one of those surrealist moments that you force yourself to disconnect from so you can enjoy the carnage knowing all too well that some part of your mind is trying to imagine how you would act in such a scene. Plus the subject and material this short dealt with is almost an exaggerate feeling a lot of us feel is out there in America now, sharpening their knives, setting their traps and preaching the coming reign of blood that will wash away all the sin. Can I get a AMEN!