Why do we love Portmanteau horror movies so much? I refer to those anthologies that always have three or four different stories framed by a main story.
In both the separate stories and the main story, there is always a twist at the end, which usually involves meeting the killer or similar villains with horrific consequences at the end. And who doesn’t enjoy a story with a good twist?
Good examples of entertaining portmanteau films are Tales From They Crypt (my all-time favorite movie) and The House That Dripped Blood. Previously, four people find themselves lost and trapped in a large crypt, and each is told by a mysterious costumed figure (played wonderfully by Ralph Richardson) to witness an apocalyptic event that appears to be in their future; In the latter, the main frame story revolves around a large old house that seems to hold some sort of curse on it, with everyone residing in the place facing a terrible fate.
Amicus has been particularly known for making these Portmanteau coolers, and their penchant for featuring legendary horror stars like Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee certainly did a lot to enhance the sheer quality of these products.
If you ever wanted to go back even further in time to find a good horror movie, 1945’s Dead of Night, from Ealing Studios, will immediately come to mind as the first real film in this particular style. Even though it was shot in black and white, and with no gore or gore, this movie was just as scary as Amicus’ later Technicolor films. Featuring great British actors like Googie Withers and Mervyn Johns, the film has the framing story of an architect who senses impending doom as his half-remembered recurring dream comes true. Guests at the cottage encourage him to stay as they take turns telling tales of the supernatural, four in all. My personal favorite story in Dead of Night is the one that involves the creepy ventriloquist dummy that suddenly comes to life and threatens its owner in a prison cell. Without a doubt, one of the most disturbing stories I’ve ever seen, and this demonic ventriloquist scenario continues to be reflected in modern horror films like Magic and Triloquist.
The master of horror fiction himself, Stephen King, has even dipped his literary toe into the wonderful world of horror films, producing titles like Creepshow and Cat’s Eye. He even made a cameo appearance in the Creepshow episode “The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill”.
It’s certainly not easy to make good, fun horror movies, because in addition to ensuring you have a solid framed story, you also have to come up with some strong storylines to weave into the movie, so that the viewer is quickly drawn into the movie as each story unfolds, ending up on the edge of their seat as the climax of the main story approaches ever closer. I’ve seen many Portmanteau films in my time, and I can honestly say I’ve rarely been disappointed with any of them. Amicus’ films, in particular, were utterly flawless, excelling unflinchingly in the art of telling good, strong, engaging stories framed in equal measure by framed plots.
The name Amicus is often copied but never satisfactorily parodied. To me, the name Amicus has been – and always will be – synonymous with the perfect horror flick.