Editorials
‘The Mortuary Collection’ and the Enduring Appeal of Horror Anthologies
The horror anthology is a lot older than most people realize. Even during the silent era, we had films like Richard Oswald‘s 1919 Unheimliche Geschichten, and even before then, it can be argued that writers and storytellers gathering to share dark tales with their peers was something of a precursor to the modern anthology. This compelling format may have been embraced by comics and television before it was firmly established as a popular subgenre in film, but nowadays I think it’s safe to say that these movies contain some of our most treasured scary stories.
That’s why I’d like to take a moment to explore what it is about these creepy collections that keep us coming back for more bite-sized scares.
Of course, not everyone loves these movies, as anthologies have been commonly criticized for being uneven experiences, which I think can be a valid complaint when dealing with loosely connected yarns stitched together into a larger framework. Making all these pieces fit together into a comprehensive picture is no easy task, and it’s even harder when so many of these movies appear to be just a cheap way of combining pre-existing short films into a haphazard feature-length production. I’m not knocking on any particular movie here, as there are several great anthologies which began as compilations of unrelated shorts, but I think most folks can agree that these flicks are usually better when planned from the get-go.
This is one of the reasons why I was pleasantly surprised by Ryan Spindell‘s The Mortuary Collection, a rare anthology that not only feels consistent, but also boasts wildly varied and entertaining stories. It may not be a perfect film, with some segments working better than others, but it reminded me of what makes anthologies so compelling in the first place, commenting on the moral and social implications of scary stories and the way we share them.
Sure, a huge part of the film’s success can be attributed to Clancy Brown and Caitlin Custer‘s highly entertaining back-and-forth as the mysterious Mortician and his potential protégé, but there’s a lot more to it than that. What really makes the film stand out is how it understands that anthologies are at their best when each segment builds to something greater, with the stories working together towards a common thematic goal while still offering bite-sized thrills.
Every corpse has a story, but together they make one hell of an entertaining movie!
In Spindell’s case, a definitive vision manages to keep things consistently entertaining as the movie’s stories become larger and more bizarre. The final act even incorporates the director’s previous short film, The Babysitter Murders, into the climax without missing a beat. While the short was produced way back in 2015, it blends naturally into a story that was tailor-made to accommodate it, making it feel like a natural part of the Collection.
Having a single director helm all of the segments may have helped with this consistency, but films like Holidays, Tales of Halloween and even Bloody-Disgusting’s own V/H/S franchise prove that a project can boast several uniquely creative visions and still work as a coherent film. What really matters is that these segmented frights are planned in advance, uniting different kinds of scary stories with a common goal.
Of course, there’s a lot more to a good anthology than just consistency, as movies can still be consistently bad. But even then, the episodic nature of these films can actually help flawed narratives by making them more easily digestible due to their bite-sized approach to storytelling. It’s easy to ignore a bad segment or two in favor of a generally fun experience, especially if there’s a satisfying wraparound uniting the tales.
It’s not exactly necessary, but I’d argue that the wraparound story is another important element that can make or break an anthology flick. If the connective tissue between these stories isn’t strong enough, the whole thing runs the risk of falling apart and feeling like an un-curated film festival lineup instead of a coherent experience. That’s why I think the best wraparounds work as a framing device to contextualize their collection (much like the titular Books of Blood setup in Clive Barker‘s infamous short stories and its adaptations) while also serving as one final tale for the road.
Still one of the best framing devices in fiction.
Again, this is something that The Mortuary Collection does beautifully, with its wraparound at the funerary home being just as entertaining as the stories told by Clancy Brown’s jaded mortician. Memorable recurring characters like John Carpenter’s maniacal Coroner in Body Bags or Brown’s Tall-Man-inspired Mr. Dark can also go a long way when trying to leave a lasting impression with these segments, as we all know that a scary story is only as good as the storyteller.
At the end of the day, there’s no guaranteed formula for success in any genre, and anthologies still follow the fundamental rules of filmmaking. However, looking back on classics like Trick ‘r Treat and Creepshow, certain patterns show up that suggest we enjoy these movies more when they feature wildly varied narratives tied together with consistent aesthetics and tones. This why I think The Mortuary Collection is one of the best anthologies we’ve seen in a while now, as the film is bursting with creativity but still feels like a singular entity.
Stephen King once likened short stories to a quick kiss in the dark from a stranger, as opposed to the complete romantic evening you might get from a novel. By that logic, horror anthologies are a flirtatious endeavor combining the allure of quick thrills with the familiar comforts of a larger story structure. While these tales can be enjoyed on their own, the recurring themes and imagery can make for a more gratifying experience when merged into something greater, and that may be one reason why we love these movies so much.
Nevertheless, I’d argue that there’s an even simpler explanation for our obsession with anthologies. At the end of the day, I believe we like the idea of a smorgasbord of several mini-horror movies offered up for the price of a single admission ticket. Even if you don’t enjoy everything, it’s likely that you’ll appreciate at least some of what was brought to the table, and that makes the whole thing worthwhile.
Editorials
Before ‘The Blair Witch Project’, ‘Alien Autopsy’ Showed How Real Found Footage Could Feel
The line separating artist from con man is a lot thinner than you might initially believe. While I think we can all agree that lying for the sake of profit is actively malicious behavior, isn’t it also true that the faux documentary aspect of The Blair Witch Project is half the reason why that film became such a cultural phenomenon? After all, if there’s one thing filmmakers have in common with stage magicians, it’s that misleading and misdirecting audiences is simply part of the job.
That’s why I’ve developed a habit of mostly ignoring the moral quandaries behind many of film and television’s biggest “hoaxes” in favor of appreciating the narrative elements that drive productions like Mermaids: The Body Found and even Animal Planet’s highly underrated The Cannibal in the Jungle. However, if there’s a definitive case of a highly publicized broadcast fooling the world into taking it seriously, it has to be Fox’s infamous 1995 TV special Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction.
It’s been over three decades since that eerie footage first haunted television screens right at the peak of the ’90s ufology craze, and in that time, the video has taken on a life of its own. From countless parodies and references in everything from The X-Files to Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (as well as John Dower’s recently released tell-all documentary The Alien Autopsy Scandal, which I’d highly recommend to genre fans everywhere), there’s no denying the legacy of the Alien Autopsy video. However, I rarely see the tape discussed as what it truly is: a highly convincing found footage film directed by a passionate stage magician and brought to life by masterful practical effects work.
That’s why I’d like to invite readers to join me on a deep dive into one of the most infamous broadcasts of all time in an attempt to reevaluate the footage as a fascinating narrative experience rather than a complete hoax.
The TV Special That Convinced Millions It Was Real
Ray Santilli next to Extraterrestrial replica in ‘The Alien Autopsy Scandal’
For starters, regardless of whether or not you believe that there was in fact an extraterrestrial crash in Roswell during the summer of 1947 and that some form of autopsy was performed on the victims, the producers behind the black & white recordings, Ray Santilli and Gary Shoefield, insist that their video was a “restoration.” Though I’d argue that the proper word is “remake”of genuine footage that was too damaged to air on television. That’s why the duo went on to recruit filmmaker and eccentric magician Spyros Melaris and sculptor/monster designer John Humphreys to bring their version of the autopsy to life and sell it to the highest bidder.
This is where the story of the Alien Autopsy as a narrative experience really begins. Melaris claims that his approach to the faux recording consisted of striving for extreme period accuracy in both shooting equipment and setting while also planting subtle details that would initially seem like mistakes but could later be revealed to actually fit the time period. That being said, the filmmaker was under the impression that the short would be released for free as a PR stunt, with the team later producing and selling an informative documentary chronicling exactly how the footage was faked and commenting on how easy it is to manipulate public perception with a good old-fashioned magic trick.
This obviously isn’t how things went down, and that’s likely the reason why Melaris has since distanced himself from everyone else involved with the project. Yet, no amount of behind-the-scenes drama can undermine the genuine effort that went into making the short as impressive as it is. From the sourcing of real animal organs from a local butcher to make the organic part of the creature more lifelike to the highly detailed sculpt that made use of a hollowed-out underlayer that could be filled with fake blood and assorted viscera, there’s a reason why so many Hollywood specialists are still impressed with the artistry on display here.
Of course, the believability is only half the story, as I think that the best part of the autopsy is how Melaris builds on the existing tension by obscuring certain details and often embracing the chaos of what a real examination of extraterrestrial life could feel like. The camera often goes out of focus at just the right time to make certain effects hit even harder, and we can only speculate as to what the hazmat-suited doctors are gesticulating about during the operation. There’s a real air of mystery to the whole thing that almost makes it feel like a cosmically terrifying, cursed film containing forbidden knowledge that civilians were never meant to see.
So when Fox’s Fact or Fiction brings in the specialists to comment on the film and its otherworldly subject, it’s no surprise that we end up with one of the most memorable mockumentaries of all time – albeit one where the participants are unaware that the footage they’re commenting on is basically a large-scale practical joke. A joke that the network was obviously in on, as many participants claim that the TV special cut out significant portions where guests point out that they believe the footage to be an elaborate hoax.
The Lasting Impact of the Hoax Turned Cultural Event
Regardless, I remember going to bed terrified after watching reruns of the special and thinking about the respected pathologist who claimed that the body was almost certainly inhuman, with even effects maestro Stan Winston commenting on how difficult it would be to recreate some of these visuals through practical puppetry. That’s not even mentioning Jonathan Frakes’ dramatic hyping up of the disturbing imagery as if he was talking about the tape from The Ring, with his spooky demeanor here likely being responsible for his later role as the host of Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction a few years later.
Personally, I’d argue that the Alien Autopsy phenomenon had just as much of an impact on me as a horror fan as The Blair Witch Project, a film that was almost certainly influenced by the success of this immensely popular hoax (to the point where they even produced their own TV special commenting on Heather’s found footage). Even if Fox didn’t intend to produce a narrative feature about the aftermath of the Roswell crash, the end product still holds up remarkably well as a highly entertaining mockumentary exploring the idea that we may not be alone in the universe.
While neither Santilli nor the rest of the production team has ever commented on this, I also think it’s very likely that the idea of a faux Alien Autopsy could have been influenced by Dean Alioto’s The McPherson Tape/UFO Abduction. I’ve already written about how this granddaddy of found footage was co-opted by rogue ufologists who began selling bootlegs of the tape at conventions as if it were real evidence of a close encounter, so it’s not that much of a stretch to imagine that Santilli and company could have heard about this phenomenon and been inspired to come up with their own highly profitable hoax.
At the end of the day, it’s unlikely that the Alien Autopsy film is recreating any real footage from Roswell, but I can still appreciate the short and the accompanying television event as a standalone horror story that still influences the way we see found footage to this very day.
After all, the possibility that something could be real is often much scarier than finding out for sure – and that’s why I think Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction is still worth revisiting three decades down the line.
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