The Mortuary Collection Review (Film, 2020) #31DaysOfHorror
content warning: grieving, blood, nudity, sexual assault, gore, medical/surgical footage, violence against women
In The Mortuary Collection, Montgomery Dark runs the Raven’s End Mortuary. It is this darkly beautiful home filled with stacks of books. A young woman named Sam inquires about the help wanted sign in the front. She convinces Montgomery to tell her some of the darkest stories he’s collected throughout his many years in business.
The Mortuary Collection is an anthology horror film from producer/writer/director Ryan Spindell. Spindell is the writer and director behind many short films over the past decade, which makes a darkly comedic anthology horror film a perfect match for his skills.
He pulls from the Amicus style of anthology horror film. There is a framing device to connect the various stories. This framing device is an entertaining short film in its own right, centered around the charismatic Montgomery Dark and the skepticism of Sam. Amicus anthology films always had a framing story that would be a highlight of the film. Great characters actors like Burgess Meredith or Ralph Richardson would guide the cast through the world of these stories, showcasing various tales with ironic twists and lessons a bit too relevant to the characters learning them.
Part of the joy of The Mortuary Collection is the knowledge that anything could happen within these rules. Sam even calls it out after the first short isn’t as clever as she expected. The pair of them have more than enough personality to cover for the missing ensemble cast in this style of anthology. They comment on the form of the film while actively participating in it.
The first story is very short but really sets the tone for what comes next. A woman attending a house party locks herself in the bathroom to get away from a man. He finally takes the hint and leaves her alone. Then she starts going through all the things she stole at the party and digging around for more to steal. This one is short, goofy, creepy, and very well produced. It hits all the beats the first story needs to in an anthology horror film.
In the second short, a fraternity is in charge of a safe sex advocacy club. This is pretty common shorthand for just wanting to have sex, especially in horror films. The revenge and punishment is great in this story, but it does hinge on one of these frat dudes removing his condom during sex without consent. That’s hard for me to get by. The body horror that follows is well executed, but you have to get through that scene to see it.
The third short is about a man who is overwhelmed by his life. His wife became chronically ill and he is struggling to cope. His one joy is lovingly preparing elaborate meals for her that have to be blended up so she can eat them in her catatonic state. This one is a sad and scary in equal measure. The suspense is set up in the framing device and only builds as the story crawls to its inevitable conclusion. Things have a way of turning in anthology films and this one is no different. I haven’t seen a horror short quite like this one before and it’s not one I’m going to shake off easily.
The fourth story is intended to be a surprise, and I will not spoil any of it here. It is my favorite short in the film, a love letter to the horror genre that serves multiple levels of narrative. I think it’s the best short in the film and well worth the wait.
The technical execution on The Mortuary Collection is great. I’m not as sold on some of the stories told, but that’s based on my own comfort level in horror. The joy of the anthology format, especially in horror, is that if one story doesn’t work for you, the next one might. A good anthology like The Mortuary Collection offers enough variety in style, plot, and tone that you’re bound to enjoy at least one tale. There aren’t as many single-director anthology films in this format anymore, but they’re a great showcase for a director that knows how to make a good horror short film. Ryan Spindell is one of the directors than can handle this on his own.
The Mortuary Collection is streaming on Shudder.
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