Well, wax in two segments.

For four segments of anthology horror in 100 minutes, that's an average of 25 minutes per segment. That means that there's not much time to set up a detailed plot, but just get to the point. Badda bing, badda boom, badda done. It works when you've got a great idea, writers that can make a lot out of a little, and actors who command attention as well as fear.

"Dracula! The one with Bela Lugosi, not this new fellow." Well, Lugosi's long dead, but that other fellow, Christopher Lee, is there, as are Peter Cushing, Denholm Elliott and Ingrid Pitt. The other actors are not as well known to American audiences, so I'd have to research them, some of whom I believe I may have seen before. The segments of this film are each entertaining in their own individual way, featuring some clever twists, funny bits of dialog (mostly ironic or sardonic),and thus the tongue is in the cheek, that is when an ancient vampire's fangs aren't in someone's neck.

Denholm Elliott is convincing as a writer slowly going mad, thinking that he's seeing the country fiend he's been writing about. Peter Cushing meets up with an old friend, finding more than they've bargained for when they come across a strangely familiar wax head. Christopher Lee can't deal with a bad seed daughter who has powers thanks to a wax figure of him, and finally, a vampire cloak proves that it has powers over anyone who wears it. All of these stories surround one house that detectives believe influences over anyone who lives there (or in the case of a film crew) works there. It's silly, unpretentious fun that isn't about grossing its audience out, just providing them with a few chills.

Yes, this IS a horror anthology film and it was a lot of fun! That's because although the film clearly was horror, some of the stories had a light spirit--and there were even occasionally a few laughs. This isn't at all a bad thing as sometimes horror films are a bit stuffy and overly serious. Because of this and because all four of the stories were pretty good, it's one of the better movies of this style I have seen.

The unifying theme that connects each story is the house itself. Four different stories involve people who either rent the home or investigate what happened to the tenants.

The first segment starred Denholm Elliott as a horror writer who has writer's block. So, for a change of scenery, they rent this house. Almost immediately Elliott's block vanishes and he works steadily on a tale about a serial killer. Amazingly, soon after his block vanishes he begins to actually see his fictional character! Again and again, the psychotic killer appears and then disappears--making it seem as if he is losing his mind. This might just be the best of the stories, as the nice twist ending makes the story come alive.

The second, while not bad at all, is probably the weakest. Peter Cushing plays a bachelor who is pining for a girl friend who died some time ago (though the picture of her looked amazingly contemporary). When he enters a chamber of horrors wax museum in town, he sees a wax figure that reminds him of his lost lady and he is both fascinated and scared by this. Later, a friend (Joss Ackland) visits and he, too, sees the figure and is entranced by it. This all leads to an ending that, frankly, was a bit of a letdown.

Christopher Lee then stars as an incredibly harsh and stern father to a pathetic little girl. During most of this segment, Lee seemed like an idiot, but in the end you can understand his demeanor. Though slow, this one ended very well.

The fourth segment was the silliest and was meant to parody the genre. Jon Pertwee (the third "Doctor" from the DR. WHO television series) is a very temperamental actor known for his portrayals of Dracula. However, nothing is right about the film according to him and in a fit of pique, he stomps off the set to find better props for this vampire film. It's actually pretty interesting that he played this role, as it seemed like a natural for Christopher Lee who played Dracula or other vampires a bazillion times (give or take a few). I enjoyed Pertwee's line when he basically said that Lee's and other recent incarnations of Dracula were all crap compared to Bela Lugosi's! Perhaps this is why Lee didn't take this part! Despite some very silly moments, it was very entertaining and fun--possibly as good or better than the first segment.

Considering that the film started and ended so well, had excellent acting and writing, it's hard not to like this film.

Another in the long line of Amicus anthologies. The connection between these stories is a mysterious house which gives the owners whatever their personality deserves, which basically means that it's an excuse to use the same set over and over again. Certainly the wrap around story sometimes makes these films – who can forget the classic train journey in DR TERROR'S HOUSE OF HORRORS? – but not so here. Little thought or imagination seems to have gone into it and you get the feeling that the title was conceived before the story.

The first segment features the reliable Denholm Elliott as a writer who conjures up a strangler from his imagination. He's horrified when the strangler apparently becomes real. This story has a few shocks but is pretty formulaic and is singularly lacking in atmosphere, creepiness, or any form of terror. There's an interesting double twist at the climax but apart from that, this is nothing to get excited about.

The second story is probably the best, and has Peter Cushing and Joss Ackland in it. Cushing is the lonely man who visits a wax horror show, where he sees a figure which reminds him of a girl he once loved. When his old friend visits town he too sees the figure and becomes obsessed with it. The story is atmospheric in the wax museum scenes and has a typically gruesome climax, and of course Cushing's acting lifts it above the norm. Ackland is also good value for money. I think this is the scariest of the lot when it comes down to it.

The third story has Christopher Lee as a father of a young girl with "problems". A live-in nanny arrives and soon finds out what the problems are - the eerie taint of witchcraft is lurking in this one. Lee is good as his usual pompous, unlikeable self, but apart from him this story is nothing out of the ordinary. There's some fun to be had from trying to guess the resolution and the climax is suitably repulsive.

The final story benefits from having Jon Pertwee in it, and Ingrid Pitt appears to add some glamour too. Pertwee is the arrogant actor who buys a mysterious cape for his new vampire role. However, the cape belonged to a real vampire and is affecting the owner in strange ways, such as turning him invisible in mirrors when he wears it. There's a twist ending as usual and an interesting film-within-a-film premise in this comic instalment. It's dated pretty badly and Pitt's lack of talent is more than evident, but Pertwee's spirited performance makes up for it.

The wrap-around story, about the policeman investigating the deaths, is quite dull, apart from the ending which has some action in it. Altogether this is a very average anthology. It never gets boring to watch as none of the stories last more than 20 minutes. There's an interesting cast too, however it somewhat lacks from being mainly confined to a single set for much of the stories. It's worth having as it showcases the talent from the era, and, of course, it's a '70s British horror film so it gets a recommendation from me. And just look at the cast! Not brilliant, but eminently watchable for nostalgic fans of old fashioned horror.