dbborroughs I don't know how to rate this (see below). Certainly this is one of the all time bad movies. A the same time its also unintentionally funny (I least I think so, but I'm not sure since several actors seem to be laughing on screen). This is one of those movies thats so enjoyably bad as to make you wonder why Ed Wood is king of bad movies when there are others more deserving of the title.This film is a collection of five short horror film introduced by John Carradine. Each one runs about the same amount of time and ends with a twist ending.The first is The Witches Clock and concerns a clock left in a castle a young couple has just purchased. Carradine appears in this story as a traveler who shows up at the castle when the clock is restarted.King Vampire is about a vampire on the loose in Victorian London thats hunted by the police.Monster Raid concerns a man who was fed an immortality drug returning from the grave to get revenge.Spark of Life has Lon Chaney as a doctor trying to return the dead to life.Count Dracula is a fast retelling of the Dracula story with a twist ending.They play as if EC comics Tales from the Crypt or Vault of Horror became bad TV shows. Worse are the twists that end every story since they come at point not where logic would dictate they should be, but rather where a strict running time demands they be.The acting is uneven and bad, with only Carradine the only one turning in anything close to a performance. The sets are dreadful as is pretty much everything else. Best of all (?) the movie was recently released on DVD in full widescreen so that the film can now be seen in its full cinematic glory (and I use the term lightly).If you like bad movies this is a film to search out. If you want an actual "good" movie then I suggest you look elsewhere.For Bad Movie lovers: 8 out of 10 For those who need good movies: 1 out of 10

phasedin I too originally caught this sometime between 1969-1971 on WPIX NY on Saturday night's "Chiller Theatre" as a youngster, where it played under one of it's alternate titles "Return From The Past".The first time it aired that I recall was a few weeks before Xmas that year. Naturally, I had never heard of it-even being a big fan of horror movies and "Famous Monsters" magazine. At that young age I didn't notice the low budget sets and I did like the movie right off the bat, as well as already being familiar with John Carradine and Lon Chaney. Though I must say that there is something about this film I really enjoy still to this day, though it may be from my nostalgic memories of the time coloring my opinion. Now, this hasn't aired in this part of the country very much at all in the last 30-some odd years, so your chance of seeing it I guess is pretty slim. Yeah, there's no real action. Some of the acting is questionable. The castle used in all the tales is from a Roger Corman movie (as well as the horse drawn carriage scenes). The endings can sometimes be predictable (except perhaps the last twist of the last tale "Count Alucard"), but I still love it. "The Witch's Clock" tale which also has John Carradine starring,is actually a pretty good story (with the constant echoed tick-tocking of the old clock after it's re-started being very effective). This is certainly not for fans of newer post 70's films, but for us older fans perhaps horror from the 1940's to 1960's this can be enjoyable. I watch this film as if it's a stage play-the very minimal background sets certainly give off that feeling (especially in the Lon Chaney tale as well as the outdoor mob scenes in "King Vampire"). But, hell, it can be allot of fun if you're in the right frame of mind. I believe Lon Chaney only made one other movie after this-the truly awful "Dracula vs Frankenstein" by hack Al Adamson-if you think this THIS is bad, try watching that sometime (or any Adamson film, for that matter)! There's something odd about the mood of some of director David L Hewitt's better films that I quite like. "The Wizard Of Mars"-another film of his from around this same time with many of the same cast has a quite odd mood as well. I wish that would come to DVD. Hewitt's better know film-"Journey To The Center Of Time" looks a bit more like a mainstream movie, but I enjoy it less than these other 2 films of his. I wonder what ever happened to Mr Hewitt? Anybody out there know?Anyway, my main reason for adding this at this time is because it's been announced that, yes, the DVD of this is finally being released Jan 17 2006, for those who care (and, yes, I have already pre-ordered my copy). I hope they use a good, restored print. I actually have 2 videocassette versions of this (one of them in widescreen that looks pretty decent). Certainly not a film for all. But for those who caught this in their youth and enjoyed it, quite a fun film.

hsisselman I found this movie interesting.particularly the tale of the witch's clock.I have always wondered if the idea of a clock being enchanted for this purpose was an idea of the writers or if it was taken from an existing magical practice. all of my delvings into writings on enchantment speak of love and other things.And those into necromancy speak mostly of mediums.I am an avid reader of the occult although i do not actually practice any rituals.I have rented many horror movies and find that references to actual demonology or witchcraft to be few.If anyone had any suggestions as to any sources (books or movies)that might be along the lines of my interest i would be happy to hear (recieve) them thank you

roddmatsui Good God!! Someone subjected me to this a while back, and it was more than I could take. I like watching bad horror movies, by the way. 'Dracula vs. Frankenstein' and 'Manos: Hands of Fate' are two of my favorites. I enjoy bad movies quite a bit, and love the ones that are funny and weird. I thought I had seen the worst of all of them, too...and then this abomination came along and smacked me square in the face. 'Gallery of Horrors.' Yes, a very appropriate title, for all the wrong reasons. It is very, very close to being impossible to watch. Every moment is painful and slow. Sound like your cup of tea?Certainly, a lot of the film's badness is obviously due to the fact that it was CHEAP. I mean really cheap; 'we can only afford one take' cheap. 'Let's not bother moving the camera if we can help it' cheap. Long, wide master shots you will never escape from...scenes that drain the viewer's soul as he/she watches. Aside from Carradine and Chaney, none of the actors is anyone you're likely to have heard of. And there's a good reason for that. They're terrible! I was wondering what the actors were thinking while they were doing this...their minds seem to be on something else entirely. 'I think they're all hoping that check's gonna cash,' my friend suggested. And really, this is a very plausible assumption. There is a creeping expression of worry in their eyes. They don't just want to go home. They're wondering if they're even going to be paid. Even the actors in "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians" didn't suffer this much.But...ya gotta start somewhere. David L. Hewitt, director and screenwriter, has moved on to much bigger and better things since then.