Killer Tales is a three-part horror anthology exploring ordinary people driven to kill. Directed by Frank Palangi and starring Sloan Anderson, Brian Benschek, and Jamison Carroll, the film mixes supernatural dread with human cruelty. While the ambition is clear, the execution is uneven, making for a viewing experience that is both frustrating and occasionally intriguing.
The anthology opens with Cursed, a tale of friendship soured by resentment. The story benefits from a coherent setup: friends spending hours on video calls, their miscommunications and emotional friction gradually twisting into deadly consequences. The dark atmosphere and escalating tension are engaging, though some abrupt character choices leave gaps in believability. Still, it’s a solid start, managing to hold interest through to its unsettling conclusion.
Next, The Lost Chronicles focuses on a secretive experiment where a scientist observes subjects in a series of tests that quickly escalate into murder. This entry carries intriguing ideas, particularly in early sequences showing a devious nurse manipulating the participants. The nightmares and one-by-one eliminations add suspense, and despite some narrative gaps inherent in its short format, it delivers enough to keep the viewer invested. Stretching the story further might have addressed some of its pacing and logic issues, but it remains the strongest entry of the three.
The final story, Waterless, is a post-apocalyptic tale where humanity struggles to survive in a world drained of water. Ambitious in concept, the story suffers from low-budget limitations and a lack of grounding context. The group of friends in a safe house faces paranoia and conflict, but the narrative often feels incoherent, with characters acting inconsistently and worldbuilding that fails to immerse. It’s the weakest segment of the film and leaves the viewer frustrated rather than thrilled.
Overall, Killer Tales is a mixed bag. Its anthology format allows for some creative storytelling and moments of genuine suspense, but uneven acting, editing, and narrative shortcuts make parts of it difficult to watch. Fans of short-form horror may find Cursed and The Lost Chronicles worth the watch, while Waterless feels like a misstep.
Jessie Hobson