A few thoughts: The third of the Amicus anthology horrors, this Peter Duffell-directed collection of stories is never quite able to grab ahold due to a forgettable wraparound story, but still does several things really well. One thing I particularly enjoyed about this one was how they allowed the wraparound and one of the stories to actually collide, making the whole thing feel less like a random selection of tales and more of a cohesive whole. They would later do this in their other films as well. Sadly, the stories themselves are just less interesting here than in the previous two films, even if they are well shot and adequately executed; the segment titled "Waxworks" with Peter Cushing, in particular, has a really cool look. There are four stories here, one involving a literary killer, one about a possibly-evil child, the aforementioned wax one, and the story of a cloak that turns its wearer into a vampire. Some are creepy, others are silly, but they all have their own appeals. Not as good as 'Dr. Terror' or 'Torture Garden', but still very solid.
You know the deal: if you like anthologies, give it a try. It's one of my least favorites of the 7 Amicus produced, but it's still pretty good.
My grade: C+
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