The Mortuary Collection is a 2019 American horror anthology film, directed by Ryan Spindell, who also wrote the screenplay. The film features four interconnected tales, each with their unique twists and turns, that revolve around the themes of death, morality, and justice. The movie takes place in the Raven's End Mortuary, an eerie funeral home in a small town, where a young woman named Sam (played by Caitlin Custer) comes looking for a job as an undertaker's assistant.
The film begins with Sam meeting the mortician, Montgomery Dark (played by Clancy Brown), a grumpy and mysterious man who has been collecting stories of death and the afterlife for years. He takes on Sam as his apprentice and proceeds to narrate some of his most chilling tales. The first story, "The Babysitter Murders," is about a babysitter named Emma (played by Christine Kilmer) who finds herself trapped in a house with a psychopathic killer on the loose. The story is a throwback to 80's slasher films, complete with plenty of gore, jump scares, and a clever twist ending.
The second story, "The Lonely Hearts Killer," is about a young woman named Carol (played by Hannah R. Loyd) who falls in love with a charming stranger (played by Jacob Elordi) that she meets online. Things take a dark turn when she discovers that her new beau has a disturbing secret that could destroy her life. This segment is a tense psychological thriller with a compelling lead performance by Hannah R. Loyd.
The third story, "The One That Got Away," is about a man named Wendell (played by Barak Hardley) who has a peculiar fetish for hunting monsters. He thinks he has finally caught the elusive creature he has been tracking for years, but things are not what they seem. This entry is a darkly comic horror story with stunning visuals and an unexpected twist that will satisfy even the most seasoned horror fan.
The final story, "Till Death," is about a wealthy couple, Jess (played by Eden Campbell) and Jake (played by Tristan Byon), who make a pact to love each other until the end of time. However, when one of them dies, the other will go to extreme measures to fulfill their commitment. This segment is a mesmerizing slow-burn tale of obsession and devotion that culminates in a shocking finale.
Throughout the film, Spindell creates a mesmerizing Gothic atmosphere, with the Raven's End Mortuary serving as a spooky and stylish backdrop for the tales. The production design and cinematography are first-rate, creating a haunting and immersive world. The director also shows great skill in balancing the tone of each story, with some tales being comedic, some being romantic, and others being downright terrifying.
The performances in The Mortuary Collection are also top-notch, with Clancy Brown providing a memorable turn as the cryptic mortician. The cast, including the young and talented Caitlin Custer, demonstrates a great range and versatility, bringing to life a diverse set of characters, from helpless babysitters to psychotic killers.
Overall, The Mortuary Collection is a delightful and macabre anthology film that will appeal to horror fans of all kinds. It manages to be both entertaining and thought-provoking, with stories that tackle themes such as misogyny, greed, and mortality, without sacrificing the thrill of a good scare. Spindell demonstrates great potential as a horror filmmaker, and one can only hope that he will continue to deliver inventive and chilling stories for years to come.
The Mortuary Collection is a 2020 horror movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 50 minutes.
It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.4 and a MetaScore of 69.
