The movie based on the TV series, which proves to us that Steve Buscemi holds grudges, Buster Poindexter has troubles with pussy, and Rae Dawn Chong is really a gargoyle! This is an anthology based on the TV show (like the TALES FROM THE CRYPT and TWILIGHT ZONE movies). Of course we need a wrap around story, so we get a modern day "Hansel & Gretel" story (sans Gretel) in which a woman plans to make a kid into the main course at her dinner party. The kid stalls her by telling her stories from a book. First is "Lot 249": Inspired by a Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (no, he did Sherlock Holmes, not Conan) story. Christian Slater's friend is competing against Slater's roommate, Steve Buscemi, for a scholarship. The friend wins by cheating, but instead of getting pissed, Steve just buys a mummy at an auction. After playing "Autopsy" with it, he finds a scroll which he uses to resurrect the bandaged bad-ass and send against his enemies. Soon Slater's friend's brain has a new home: ON THE END OF A WIRE COAT HANGER! Next is the coconspirator, Slater's sister, who gets stuffed full of flowers and wrapped. Slater doesn't like this very much, so he dismembers and burns the mummy, then lets Buscemi go and tells him to never come back. Buscemi being the guy he is, leaves. But, he resurrects Slater's friend and sister with the scroll, and it ends with Slater getting a surprise reunion heh heh. The next story is "Cat From Hell": written by Stephen King and adapted by George Romero, this story follows a hitman (Buster Poindexter!? Ha! I wouldn't hire him to wash my nuts, let alone kill for me!) as he's hired by some old dude to kill an evil cat which has claimed the lives of the old guy's few friends. He thinks the cat has been sent as a tool of vengeance, because his pharmacudical company has tested on (and killed) over 5000 felines. So, Poindexter gets the weekend to bump it off. But, he instead gets a weekend of harassment and insanity as not even a handgun the size of his arm will stop the thing! Eventually it just crawls down his throat and takes up residence in the shmuck's stomach! When the old guy comes home, he has a heart attack when he watches it crawl out of Buster's mouth! The last story is "Lover's Vow": a story by no one important that centers around a failing artist who sees his friend get ripped up by a gargoyle one drunken night, then vows to never tell anyone about it in exchange for his life. He then grabs a chick named Carola (Rae Dawn [Cheech and] Chong) of the street for no apparent reason, and after she nurses his claw wounds the two have hot sex and fall in love... I'm an artist, but I never get puntang pie off the streets! All I get is maced or a knee to the groin. Carols helps Preston's career with a few connections and he soon becomes a renowned artist and they get married and have kids. 10 years after the whole thing started, Pres feels the unrelenting urge to tell Car about the gargoyle, and sure enough her and the kids turn into winged beasties and rip out his throat... what a friggin moron! Cool transformation FX on this part though. After all this, the Hansel kid breaks free, sticks the woman in the oven, and runs off to freedom. Not bad, but I liked the series on it's own. I hate anthology movies. There's just not enough put into the stories if there's more than one! Therefore, this is actually a generous rating! Everyone involved may now kiss my hairy jackal toes!

Sequels: This actually came from a TV series of the same name.

If You Liked This Flick, Check Out: NIGHT OF THE CREEPS or SHRIEKER