31 Days of Halloween: The Mortuary Collection is to die for
By Carla Davis
The Mortuary Collection was added to Shudder’s horror streaming platform this month, and it feels like Creepshow and Tales From the Crypt.
The Mortuary Collection premiered at Fantastic Fest in 2019, and is now streaming as a Shudder Original, meaning that’s the only way you can currently watch it. And, I do recommend watching it, because it is a great choice for October viewing.
Like most anthology films, The Mortuary Collection has a wraparound story, in addition to the four featured tales. The wraparound involves a young woman named Sam who goes to Ravens End Mortuary to apply for a job. Mortician Montgomery Dark (Clancy Brown) is indeed looking for help, and in a very strange interview technique, he begins telling stories about the different ways his “customers” have died.
The first three stories are set in different decades, with the first set in the 1950s, and involving a young woman who ducks into the bathroom during a party to check out the wallets she has stolen. Of course, she wants to check out the medicine cabinet, but she sure doesn’t find what she expects.
The 1960s tale is about a callous frat boy who seduces a young woman, only to find out that she is not what she seems. Of the tales offered in this film, this one wins top prize for being the grossest. Suffice it to say there are plenty of body fluids and the ending will make you cringe.
The 1970s story tells the sad tale of Wendell and Carol Owens, it starts out as a love story, but turns into something else when Carol becomes ill and bedridden. The final scene in this tale was both grotesque and gorgeous, and made me think of something we might see in a Guillermo del Toro film.
After the mortician shares these stories with Sam, it’s her turn to tell the story of a death, and this final tale is the best in the movie. Titled The Babysitter Murders, this one had a nice little twist to add to the trope of the babysitter stalked by a killer.
Overall, The Mortuary Collection is deliciously creepy, sometimes gory, and always entertaining. It’s a nice addition to other anthology films such as Creepshow, Trick ‘r Treat and Tales from the Crypt.
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dark. Next. 31 Days of Halloween: The power of The Cleansing Hour compels you
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