The horror anthology film has become all but extinct these days. Though there's basically the occasional film here and there, like "Terror Tract" there's not as many as there used to be. Like "Creepshow" and "Tales from the Darkside" these films have the ability to let different writers flex their abilities. "The Horror Seasons" is an inspired horror film approaching the horror anthology formula with as much originality as it can. Director Buffington's film is an honest and very interesting attempt at a horror anthology film. And for that, it's easy to find "The Horror Seasons" an admirable and creative endeavor. This time instead of settling for a creepy monster, or flaming skull, "The Horror Seasons" instead, in an odd homage to "Fantasia" features an orchestra leader named Francois Dupuis who plays symphonies that immediately introduce the story we're being led to.

The stories are based around the themes of seasons. One story is based around Fall, Winter, Summer, and Spring, and most of them are really odd, and entertaining. Buffington's direction is very detailed and atmospheric. He not only knows how to take these stories and add a unique sense of tension to them, but he's also able to inject a genuine novel atmosphere to it. It's never afraid to not take itself seriously, and with a story named "Santa Claws" which involves the murders of teens near a church which may or may not deal with a mythical monster named Santa Claws, you just know they're just going for a dark comedy/horror, and nine times out of ten it's fun, and a worthy throwback to the good old days of horror where directors weren't afraid to be campy.

One of the many caveats though is that the stories really never do achieve any sense of tension or suspense that it strives for. All of the stories really never make any such sense, nor do they end up frightening. Many times the film seems to be more interested in visuals than actual story, and we're subjected to limp horror allegories. The first story is especially hard to understand, as well as "Santa Claws" which never gave enough story to us to grab us and bring us in to the characters or situations. There's also the bad acting from the basic cast of stage actors, and friends, and there's never really a single performance that stood out. One of the more outrageous performances is from Andrew Mondia whose whole performance is reliant on screaming at the top of his lungs which I assume is supposed to signify his role as the villain. However, here he spends more time screaming than muttering actual dialogue.

"The Horror Seasons" for all its faults, is also a very inspired effort in to the genre as a most times entertaining bit of horror fodder that works more times than fails. Though the stories aren't scary, and the acting is pretty bad, the direction, and atmosphere works.

• To learn more about "The Horror Seasons" visit the official website: http://www.thehorrorseasons.com/

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