Score: 4/10 overall (anthology review)
Wraparound story: There isn't one. A brief 10-second narration announces that the two stories are based on Edgar Allen Poe's work. Score: 0/0
Segment #1: "The Facts in the Case of Mr. Valdemar". Score: 1.5/5
George A. Romero directs another version of the classic narrative of a wife (Adrienne Barbeau) and her lover who conspire to kill the rich husband for his inheritance (but things go awry). In this case, the lover, a hypnotist, forgets to unhypnotize the old man before they off him, resulting in him staying in his trance state from beyond the grave, which ultimately leads to his zombification.
Silly, boring, and overlong at 53 minutes, this segment added fuel to the long-gestating feeling that Romero may be overrated and a one-trick pony. It felt more like a Lifetime Channel drama than a horror short.
Segment #2: "The Black Cat". Score: 2.5/5
Dario Argento directs this segment about a crime sceme photographer (Harvey Keitel) whose life takes a downward spiral after killing his girlfriends cat. Fantastic to look at visually, but unpleasant to watch. I am thankful for the large disclaimer immediately after the film ends stating that the animal protective services were present at all times and that no cats suffered physical or psychological abuse because it surely looked like they did to me. Like my previous one-trick-pony comment on Romero, all this short did was add fuel to fire of my belief that Argento is a creep.
This segment had some excellent throwbacks to Poe including the name "Usher", and every crime scene was based on his various other works. Otherwise, it too was silly and overlong (about 64 minutes), with plenty of the terrible music one would expect from an Argento film.
Starring: Adrienne Barbeau, Harvey Keitel, and Tom Atkins
Directed by: George A. Romero and Dario Argento
Budget / Gross: $9 mil / $350K
IMDB Score: 5.9/10
Tomatometer: 50% critics and 38% audiences liked it
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