“Terror Tract” is a fun, freaky, and creepy anthology filled with a trio of horror stories that, although derivative, pack a punch with their clever twists and top notch performances. John Ritter is an unusually quirky real estate agent named Bob who is showing houses to a newlywed couple on a weird neighborhood. We automatically get the idea that this is a weird neighborhood thanks to an incident involving a cat. From there, Bob begins telling our couple a trio of stories, one of which comes with every house he shows.
“Nightmare” is the story of a woman who is having an affair with a young man. One night when the husband comes home and catches the pair making love, he attempts to kill them. He tries to hang his wife and shoot the lover, but his attempts are thwarted when the lover attacks him and kills him. In response, they tie the husband up and dump his body into a river. When a nosey cop begins poking around, the wife keeps having nightmares of the husband coming back from the grave. Despite being derivative of “Something to Tide you Over” from “Creepshow,” “Nightmare” is a great opening presenting atmospheric direction and chilling twists.
“Bobo” stars Bryan Cranston as father who was very close with his daughter, until one day when the daughter discovers a lost organ grinder monkey in the backyard. What begins as a mere pet transforms in to a fight for dominance as the monkey attempts to take over the abode. After killing the family dog, showing hatred toward the father, and turning the daughter against the father, it doesn’t take long for the father to come to the conclusion that the monkey is evil. Again, while derivative of “Cat from Hell” from “Tales from the Darkside: The Movie,” “Bobo” makes up for its lack of scares with its pitch black humor and gore.
“Come to Granny” is about a young man telepathically linked to a serial killer on the loose by the name of “Granny.” Said killer wears a granny’s mask and brutally murders people. Will Estes plays Sean, who goes to his therapist and tells her about his visions. More cerebral than the previous shorts, “Come to Granny” is a surprising and creepy finisher that also opts for big twists, including a shocking ending that will make your head spin. “Terror Tract” is a solid anthology horror film that opts more for dark comedy than scares (the finale is just mind blowing in its over the top gore), and it works offering laughs and an eccentric cast.