THE MORTUARY COLLECTION is a new Shudder horror movie. Or actually, it feels more like several movies in one since this is a horror anthology. Admittedly, I expected to be entertained, but what I ended up getting was a lot more than that. In fact, the release of The Mortuary Collection just in time for Halloween is simply perfect.
I usually watch the Trick ‘r Treat horror anthology on Halloween since it focuses on Halloween stories. However, if I was to add an anthology to this tradition, then The Mortuary Collection could easily be it. And throwing in the newly released Hulu horror anthology Books of Blood, based on Clive Barker stories, would make for a solid night of horror stories.
What works so brilliantly for The Mortuary Collection is the setting from the very beginning. You see, none other than Clancy Brown plays the mortician. Clancy Brown has played many memorable – or even iconic – roles in the past. From the villain in the first Highlander movie from 1986 to Captain Hadley in Shawshank Redemption. And the Sheriff in the Sleepy Hollow series.
Oh yes, Clancy Brown has had an extremely impressive career. In The Mortuary Collection, he is almost unrecognizable, and yet, that voice and impressive physicality immediately seem familiar.
The three main stories are shared by the mortician, Montgomery Dark (Clancy Brown) when the young woman, Sam (Caitlin Custer), comes to inquire about a job at the mortuary. She isn’t easily scared and continuously tries to get darker stories out of the mortician. And yes, she does succeed.
Ryan Spindell is the writer and director of this new Shudder horror anthology. He previously directed the “Oregon” segments of the Qubi series 50 States of Fright (2020) horror anthology series. Also, he directed the “Second Skin” episode of Two Sentence Horror Stories. Check out our review of Two Sentence Horror Stories here >
Since 2007, Ryan Spindell has done a lot of short films as both writer and director. Including the award-winning The Babysitter Murders from 2015 which also starred Caitlin Custer. With The Mortuary Collection, Ryan Spindell gets his feature film debut and does a stellar job.
The runtime is 1 hour and 48 minutes which fits perfectly with the story. I wouldn’t have wanted to miss out on anything in this horror anthology. In fact, I would really enjoy a sequel to this. Ryan Spindell could (and should) be a horror writer-director that we all pay attention to. I have a feeling we will be getting some brilliant movies from him in the future!
The Mortuary Collection is out on Shudder from October 15, 2020.
