The second of the Amicus Anthologies brings us 4 stories unfolded for a distinguished cast who wish to have their fortune told: by Atropos and her Shears of Fate, no less. Master of Ceremonies this time is Burgess Meredith in a side-show waxworks, and for a fiver he'll do you a treat!
The opener may be a bit silly, featuring a cat-demon that devours the heads of those who displease it (it's just a moggy, really!), but it's also atmospherically told and reasonably engaging. Michael Bryant is pretty good at almost convincing me the cat's (mentally) clawing inside his head. He makes a daft plot work quite well.
The second tale is about a would-be Hollywood starlet who finds out just WHY the top ten stars have kept their longevity. It's very cheapo looking, though, and does nothing to convince me it's set in America by having Humpty Dumpty from the BBC's PLAYSCHOOL pop up as set decoration! Not bad, but not exactly convincing.
Ah, the haunted piano. This would have been better as an out and out humorous story, as it's very unintentionally funny. When the piano starts moving around the room it's hard not to laugh. This one is very silly indeed and doesn't work at all.
But the best is for last, with Peter Cushing and Jack Palance squaring off in The Man Who Collected Poe. This concerns two almost frenzied enthusiasts of Edgar Allan, and we're given a sumptuous tour of Mr. Cushing's Poe collection, Palance almost foaming at the mouth in rhapsody. Both actors are superb, and old Jack discovers he should perhaps take the title of the story quite literally. For Peter Cush really HAS collected POE! This may sound absurd but it actually works, and builds up some fine frissons.
At least there are no stories about mutant plants....
The opener may be a bit silly, featuring a cat-demon that devours the heads of those who displease it (it's just a moggy, really!), but it's also atmospherically told and reasonably engaging. Michael Bryant is pretty good at almost convincing me the cat's (mentally) clawing inside his head. He makes a daft plot work quite well.
The second tale is about a would-be Hollywood starlet who finds out just WHY the top ten stars have kept their longevity. It's very cheapo looking, though, and does nothing to convince me it's set in America by having Humpty Dumpty from the BBC's PLAYSCHOOL pop up as set decoration! Not bad, but not exactly convincing.
Ah, the haunted piano. This would have been better as an out and out humorous story, as it's very unintentionally funny. When the piano starts moving around the room it's hard not to laugh. This one is very silly indeed and doesn't work at all.
But the best is for last, with Peter Cushing and Jack Palance squaring off in The Man Who Collected Poe. This concerns two almost frenzied enthusiasts of Edgar Allan, and we're given a sumptuous tour of Mr. Cushing's Poe collection, Palance almost foaming at the mouth in rhapsody. Both actors are superb, and old Jack discovers he should perhaps take the title of the story quite literally. For Peter Cush really HAS collected POE! This may sound absurd but it actually works, and builds up some fine frissons.
At least there are no stories about mutant plants....