Blu-ray Review: Horror Anthology LITTLE DEATHS Features Sex, Torture & Murder
There has recently been quite a few anthology movies. We’ve had the terrible (Movie 43) and the so-so (The ABCs of Death). Little Deaths may not be a total home run, but it does make a decent stab at things. This three part feature is made up of House and Home by Sean Hogan, Mutant Tool by Andrew Parkinson, and Bitch by Simon Rumley. Horror exploitation is the dish of the day, so the thirty minute films revolve around death, sex, torture, murder, monsters and other assorted mayhem.
House and Home follows Richard (Luke de Lacey) and Victoria (Siubhan Harrison), an upper middle-class couple who invite Sorrow (Holly Lucas) into their lives. However, their idea of showing their sordid social superiority goes horribly wrong. Seam Hogan directed the rather good, The Devil’s Business, and this again shows that he has the right skills to make a creepy movie.
Mutant Tool tells the tale of a genetically modified, mutated monster male member. Parkinson’s effort the weakest of the three films, not bad exactly, but it lacks focus. You could say that it isn’t the sum of its extend part(s). Ahem.
The most artistic film of the three films is Simon Rumley’s Bitch (the last third in particular hits a particular high note). It’s about an abusive relationship between a young couple, Pete (Tom Sawyer) and Claire (Kate Braithwaite). On the surface things look great, but behind closed doors, Claire is the titular bitch – or is she?
Little Deaths isn’t for the weak willed. This British anthology film is gratuitous in nearly every way, but it’s well made and acted. There’s no major connecting tissue between the three half efforts, except that they all share a sneaky perversity, as the filmmakers try to push boundaries within the horror genre.
On the whole Little Deaths works, Mutant Tool may let the side down, but the film proves that Meat Loaf was right about at least one thing – two out of three ain’t bad.
Special Features
The Little Deaths Blu-ray comes with some good extra features. There’s the obligatory trailer and an enjoyable director’s commentary. The trio give a decent talk track, it’s is a tad unfocused, not dealing with events on screen, but they do go into great detail on how difficult it was to bring such edgy material to the screen. There’s also a documentary that features the directors chatting about the movie with some behind the scenes material. It covers much of same material as the commentary, but it’s good stuff nonetheless.
