Last Updated on December 21, 2021

PLOT: IMMORTAL takes on four separate stories, all dealing with different scenarios from the weird to the dark and the depressing, adding a twist of immortality.

LOWDOWN: It’s no secret that I love a good anthology film. As someone who grew up reading Stephen King’s GRAVEYARD SHIFT and DIFFERENT SEASONS, there’s always been something special about short-form horror stories. With the current anthology renaissance in peak form, I got the chance to check out the new movie IMMORTAL (WATCH IT HERE), starring the always excellent Tony Todd.

Now, where does IMMORTAL stack up against some of the newer entries like SCARE PACKAGE or NIGHTMARE CINEMA? How does this small budget entry hold its own against some heavyweight classics like TRICK R’ TREAT or CREEPSHOW? Pour yourself a cold one and join me as we delve into the good-intentioned yet didn’t-quite-stick-the-landing horror anthology IMMORTAL.

CHELSEA: This solid opener starts with the sexual assault of a student at the hands of a creepy high school coach. It then quickly turns into a SURVIVING THE GAME-esq story about hunting man for sport, and that’s really CHELSEA in a nutshell. I can’t state enough how important the opening story is to these types of movies. Now IMMORTAL doesn’t have a wrap-around story to tie in all of the other segments, but regardless, this is a damn fine way to start. Dylan Baker (TRICK R’ TREAT fame) is always great and plays “sympathetic” perfect while the Lindsay Mushett proves that she has the talents of a great final girl. It’s tough because anything I can say will ruin the best part, but I was delighted with CHELSEA as it’s a well-acted and smartly written little genre piece that would make for a great and unique full feature.

GARY & VANESA: A couple dealing with mounting debt and no way out must make an impossible decision to see that their unborn child has the future and upbringing it deserves. This is the segment where we start to see the cracks in IMMORTAL emerge with its overarching budget and production problems. They dance around what exactly the “solution” is to Gary, and Venesa’s concern is for most of its runtime, but we are meant to feel for this couple with a child on the way and their financial burden. Okay, but why would you write these two as some of the most unlikeable characters? Do you remember Skyler White from BREAKING BAD? What if we had a couple of only Skyler White’s?That is Gary and Venesa. It’s tough to care about their struggle when you want them BOTH to fail. Everything seemed like this was the first draft or the building blocks of an eventual fleshed out story. There are also some odd technical issues (out of focus shots, awkward edits, and abrasive sound design) that seem to hint at a very rushed production. I’m no filmmaker, but more than a few things that I was surprised weren’t caught prior to release. I don’t doubt the good intentions here, but the issues with this low-budget anthology start to show in GARY & VANESA.

TED AND MARY: A documentary crew interviews an older married couple. We learn that the wife, Mary, has terminal cancer and that they, as a couple, have decided on euthanasia as a means to an end. Holy sh*t does Tony Todd and Robin Bartlett excel as a couple going through what I can only imagine being actual hell. This segment sticks out from all of the others because it’s a meditation on life, and the only real horrors are the ones through the pain of losing a loved one. I’m not sure this segment “fits” as it is 99% a drama that will tug at your cold, lifeless heartstrings (maybe I’m that one that’s coldhearted?). But even if this section doesn’t quite gel with the rest, this poignant gut-punch elevates IMMORTAL from bargain basement to something with heart. Robin Bartlett sold me as a cancer patient that has made peace with an impossible decision. At the same time, Tony Todd gives one of the most emotional performances in the quick time he’s allotted, while the themes of love and regret are surprisingly well thought out.

WARREN: While on the phone, a man gets struck by and car and left for dead. He ends up healing quite quickly and comes to realize he can’t actually die. WARREN is a great concept, and I got down with Samm Levine’s realistic dorky performance. He isn’t tough or confident, but just some average dude who finds that he is anything but. Acting as almost a superhero origin story mixed with a revenge plot, WARREN works mostly because of the concept. Like any good origin story, seeing our protagonist discover his “power” is half the fun. My big issue is the one that persists throughout. IMMORTAL’S cheap feel and look. I’m not here to drag anyone for working with less, but some ideas may be too lofty with the production quality we get here. The car hit is straight out of beginners After Effects tutorial, while the blood and gore (in every segment as well) looks bright and cheap. It’s not a deal-breaker, but I was constantly pulled out of these stories because of the micro-budget. WARREN has a few visual elements that stick out awkwardly and it’s hard to come back from that.

GORE: We get some decent blood and gore with one scene going farther than I had expected, but things looked too fake and out of place to be fully enjoyed.

BOTTOM LINE: IMMORTAL has its moments, and a couple of stories shine through the myriad of technical and budgetary issues. In the end, it was too distracting to save itself, but CHELSEA and GARY & VANESA were inspiring tales that could have survived on their own, with the latter deserving of its own TWILIGHT ZONE episode. IMMORTAL doesn’t make the list of re-watchable horror anthologies for me, but It did put its hat in the ring, and for that, I got to give it some respect.