moonmonday Out of all the anthology films I've seen, I've never really seen one that I can recall at the moment where I enjoyed the connecting story more than any of the individual segments. That was the case here, where Eliza Swenson's Penny Dreadful really stole the show, with her two fun friends and magnificent theatre.These three truly make the viewer want to get through it just to see more of them and their antics. They're legitimately charismatic and likable, legitimately fun, and I cannot applaud them and their performances enough; they're superb.Unfortunately, all of the segments are varying degrees of disappointing, and all in pretty much inexcusable ways. The first is barely existent, and it's disappointing even then. The second has an appealing aesthetic, but it has no reason to adopt such a look, and it ultimately doesn't add anything to the story. The third is just painful and a real chore to get through.It's a real shame that none of the segments were any good, despite acting that was at least acceptable, interesting direction and aesthetic composition, and solid cinematography. Honestly, the only acceptable part of this film was the connecting story, which is usually nothing but a perfunctory excuse for the segments in almost any other anthology film.The second segment was the closest it got to being good, but even it really fell apart and took far too long to go nowhere. The aesthetic was breathtaking and the performances good, but ultimately it wasn't enjoyable.Really, the film itself just wasn't enjoyable overall. Penny and her friends are worth watching, but I'd advise you to just skip through the film and watch them instead of the segments. Especially that last one. Whew.It would also have been nice to have the segments take a similar amount of time, rather than one barely a few minutes long, a significantly longer second one, and then a third that felt as long as Berlin Alexanderplatz.I can't really recommend this to anyone unfortunately, but I do hope that we see Penny and her friends again. If she manages to get some better segments to host, that would be a real joy. I wanted very much to like this movie, but the plain truth of the matter is that, well...I didn't.

Paul Magne Haakonsen "The Penny Dreadful Picture Show" was essentially a snooze fest wrapped up in an interesting packaging.This is not really a movie as per se, but more something in the likes of "Creep Show" - an anthology of short stories if you will.The opening segment of "Slash in the Box" was just downright embarrassing to watch. The story was non-existent and it was just toe-curling to witness.On to the second segment which is titled "The Morning After", it is a vampire story unlike most others. That being said, then it was lacking conviction, impact and turned out to be just plain.The last segment is titled "The Slaughter House", and that was actually the best of the entire experience. It was a nice treat to have Sid Haig and Jeffrey Combs appear in this segment. This sort of was like a low budget parody on "House of 1000 Corpses", whether intentional or not, I do not know. It wasn't particularly outstanding, but compared to the other two segments, then this was a bright star.What made it actually interesting was the intermissions with Penny and the run down movie theater. There was really a nice feeling to this and a lot of details put into this.The overall experience was less than mediocre. And for an addition to the horror vault, then "The Penny Dreadful Picture Show" was a fairly weak addition.

bigurn01 well i just sat through this god awful movie just don't get the other reviews what are these people on? If the other reviewers really believe that this was a good movie then there are more in need of help than those who put there name on the credits.PLEASE don't waste your time on this low budget poorly acted unimaginative rubbish. People who recommend this sort of dire film have no respect for your time which you will not get back.If your sane AVOID AVOID AVOID. go find some paint and watch it dry......far more entertaining. I gave this movie 2 but think that a little over generous must be getting soft in my old age. To compare this to Elvira is harsh on Elvira they ain't great but they better than this and Elvira got a better rack.

Freshslatepictures If you like anthology movies, or enjoy quality horror and original ideas, this movie is for you.There are 3 segments, held together by the over-arching Penny story, which was directed by Leigh. I'll start with her. Eliza Swenson NAILS it as Penny. From the moment she graces the screen, I want to see this character more. She is dreadfully underused (and that's saying a lot, considering that she got a fair amount of screen time).Her "sidekicks", a zombie and werewolf, also help deliver some wonderfully macabre humor, throughout. All three of her guests do their roles justice. The more cliché "jock" who seems a bit too old to still be wearing his letterman's jacket. My favorite has to go to John Wells, though. As he delivers a fantastically awkward performance, where his nerves wont allow him to stop talking. Very reminiscent of many high school memories. Kind of depressingly reminiscent, actually. But in a very entertaining way. The end also ties back into the first segment, which...Was a short directed by Everheart, "Slash in the Box." A fun little short, that I believe I've seen before, though I can't place exactly where. Either way, I like it. And it delivers both laughs and chills in a very short amount of time.Next was a segment directed by Swenson, that I found enjoyable enough. Swenson delivered as a Director, for certain, as did the cast and concept. I simply couldn't get into the 60s vibe of it all. Maybe it's because I was born in the late 80s; perhaps because I'm just not a fan of the time period, but here you can tell that the cast and crew ARE. And for a lot of horror fans, this time period is one that deserves a great amount of respect -- and it gets it.The final segment within the movie itself is "Slaughter House" -- Directed by the ever-controversial (at least on IMDb, it seems) Leigh Scott. This one is much more my pace, we're talking sex, blood, psychos and psychological trauma traced back to PTSD and the Vietnam War. This segment also includes the always entertaining (and extremely friendly) Sid Haig. Many people will remember Al Snow from his pro-wrestling days, as I do, but he's truly growing on me as an actor, and I've yet to see him in a performance that I didn't like. This one has laughs, but they're the kind you feel dirty for taking part in. The best kind. This segment will draw a LOT of comparison to certain movies, particularly Texas Chainsaw. And it should. Because it's on that level of quality. Plus, puts a unique spin on it, that it never feels quite like a re-hash of things we've seen for 4 decades now.There is a bonus segment on the DVD, "The Scout" by Everheart. And you absolutely have to check it out. While "Slaughter House" was my favorite, I related much more to Scout (again, 90s kid), and the jokes and references it contained. All the young actors delivered, and deserve props for such a professional and quality job, done.Toss in a fantastic score (Swenson pulling duties on that as well) -- solid writing, fantastic acting, and great film work, and I place Penny Dreadful right up there with, and likely even above, Trick 'R Treat.This one will likely make my final Top 10 of the year list. And that doesn't happen often with Indies. At $10 a pop, picking this movie up is a steal. What? -- You're not at the store, yet?