To properly nail an anthology film, is a tricky feat. Much like books of short stories, there's a certain talent involved in keeping the audience engaged throughout the whole movie. The segments have to be both in equal quality, and paced appropriately. There has to be similar tone, while also having some variety. And perhaps most importantly, the overarching element that ties them all together has to be compelling.
Horror anthologies seem to be what typically comes to mind as opposed to comedy or drama, likely due to the good amount of good and iconic horror anthology films and television shows. While Goosebumps, Creepshow, and V/H/S have certainly made their mark, one Shudder Original anthology film has flown largely under the radar and really deserves some extra attention. The film is 2019's The Mortuary Collection, and it has so many elements that will appeal to both the likes of horror superfans and the average film lover.
The film is set in the 1980s in a strange Gothic-looking town called Raven's End. A young woman named Sam shows up at the Raven's End Mortuary, asking about their Help Wanted sign. There she meets mortician Montgomery and as part of the interview, he takes her on a tour of the facility. He also begins to tell her some stories about the people in Raven's End, specifically those who die and end up in the mortuary. These stories of course form the anthology segments.
The vibe as a whole is very pleasing. It's very colorful, kind of Gothic and spooky. This would be a great Halloween watch with a bunch of friends. Its style is quite camp and over the top. This is echoed in not only the overarching plot and setting, but within the segments themselves. Though their plots are very different, and they all have different themes and messages, that same tone is consistent. This is very necessary for the film to feel cohesive, and helps keep the pace up to a point where the audience is still interested throughout the story. Based on that alone, The Mortuary Collection has succeeded in the most difficult aspect of making a good anthology film.
One of the really interesting things about this film is that it also seems to be structured in a way where the order of the segments feels important. It starts of relatively short and simple, but very well done. The second segment is then quite a gross-out one, but with a sort of lighthearted tone and a punchy message. Segment three is very heavy, with a pretty messed up and sad plot. And the final segment feels like a fully fleshed-out slasher film, complete with a fun twist and a great fight sequence.
The individual segments work beautifully together, but also hold up very well on their own. They have their own things to say, with their own individual plots and messages, and all four are very impactful. All of the segments have a little bit of everything, which shows that The Mortuary Collection used the anthology structure to its maximum benefit. If it wasn't anthology style, the mix of comedy, social issues messaging, gross-out gore, and dark sadness would feel very jarring. Because the audience knows that these stories are all separate, they can kind of do their own thing as long as the overall tone stays consistent. Some of the segments lean far more into comedy, some lean into drama and scares. They all have a pretty decent level of gore, but two of the segments take the body horror really to the extreme. Truly, these four segments have something for everyone.
Besides a perfect tone and beautiful individual segments, The Mortuary Collection nails one final element of a good anthology: a great overarching story to tie all of this together. The framing story of the weird Montgomery, the creepy town, and the Gothic funeral home are all very compelling. Main character Sam is also a lot of fun, and is more than she seems in the beginning of the film. It's framed in a way that could easily make this a series because it feels like a very developed world even though the audience only sees a little bit of it. It's rare that an anthology can succeed in both having a great, well-developed framing story as well as super compelling short stories.
The Mortuary Collection is ultimately very successful in doing what it sets out to achieve. It's a unique movie that seems to take risks, and it's a lot of fun overall. As is the common theme with short story collections and anthologies, it's natural that audiences will have some segments they're more interested in than others just because of personal taste. That's basically the only negative to be seen here though. In going in to watch this series do be warned, it does get pretty gory and pretty intense. Though the beginning may seem like it's a little spooky and family-friendly, it definitely is not. But for those who are down for the ride, it's a pretty brilliant watch and definitely one that deserves a lot more hype.