Name: Cryptids
Genre: Horror
Released: 2023-08-19
Duration: 1 h 25 min
Rating: 3.9
Cast: John Bloom, Bianca Allaine, Jordan Beltz

An uneven if still enjoyable indie anthology effort

Hosting a new radio show, a shock jock listens in as callers give their encounters with different cryptids and other creatures of the world.

The Good Stor(ies): Scared-Hosting a special party with friends, a woman comes to believe that a series of strange encounters are the result of a series of demented child deformities known as Melonheads which are known to run wild in the area. This was a pretty solid way to get this one started. The initial setup with the party and how her fears about the children being out there as the cause of everything gives this a solid start, much like the brief bit of backstory we get to explain their presence and existence in the area. It all leads into the series of gruesome and brutal confrontations within the house and surrounding areas showing the creatures coming out and swarming the victims in a non-stop battle that has a lot to like with the atmosphere of it all and the carane needed to stop them. It feels short and flimsy without much explanation for everything but it's still a lot of fun.

The Forest Bride-Heading out into the woods, a legendary tracker and his assistant looking for a slew of missing persons in the area find a survivor which leads them back into the woods to track down the legendary creature that attacked her. Overall, this was a pretty decent if somewhat flawed genre effort. The central setup works well here with the idea of looking for the injured hiker and going further into the woods to track down the creature that injured her serves it quite well. The rescue mission itself and the discoveries made at that point offer up a rather strong storyline that has a lot to like. That it's so short and doesn't offer up a lot of context for what's going on gives this one a lot more ambiguity than expected with what's going on as things happen without explanation which is the main issue with it.

Chupacabra Death Machines-After disappointing their bosses, a group of low-level drug-runners are kidnapped and left inside a strange warehouse where they're then systematically hunted down and killed by strange creatures for punishment. This was a wildly fun and enjoyable segment. The main storyline is a bit underwhelming and would have easily been expanded out into a full story offering just the bits and pieces here with how they come together and the other scenes of the group watching everything on their monitors. The attacks are brief but brutal, managing to get a lot to like while being let down just enough in its brevity and lack of context that it can only benefit from being expanded upon.

Trick or Beast-Following a series of animal attacks, a group of friends decide to head out on a monster-hunting mission to prank a friend of theirs, but when they realize the extent of their plan are faced with a monstrous creature. This was a solid if underwhelming genre effort. The central setup is solid enough and gets quite a lot to like with the group trying to pull off the prank on their friend which brings them into contact with the mysterious creature that serves as a great punchline to the whole situation. This one just ends up more as a secondary storyline with a creature tacked on at the very end with it being far more obvious about the prank they're trying to pull and how it all comes together that don't make this one all that exciting until the creature appears as it's taking way too long to get going, holding it back the most.

The Bad Stor(ies): Frogs Are Forever-Trying to make ends meet, a bizarre local in a small swamp town comes across a strange creature of local legend that displays far more unusual motions toward him than he's expecting. Overall, this one was more disappointing than anything. The preponderance of silly antics and general confusion over what's going on is the main issue here with the irritating lead that we're supposed to find quirky and lovable but just comes off as too odd for people to trust, his constant shiftiness and unease makes a lot of his comments seem far-fetched to the point of ridicule, and it's so shifty with it's camera-work it's hard to tell what's happening anyway as it's hard to make sense of anything going on here. The monster looks good and the scenes where we get to see the outcome of its attacks give this some solid moments but this comes off disappointing.

A Hopkinsville Encounter-Heading out to their relatives' house, a couple trying to spend quality time with their stepdad find that he's recovered a strange object from the area and plans to use it for their Halloween plans only to learn the horrifying truth about its contents. This was a rather solid idea that somewhat misses the mark overall. The main storyline here is solid enough and there's some fun mystery about the series of incidents that hint at something going on. It starts off fine enough. There's also some fun to be had with the revelation of the creature and the final encounter at the end which makes for some cheesy action at the house, which is what holds it up over a sense of brevity that renders a lot of what's going on confusing and hard to follow. By being so forthcoming with the lack of information it's hard to get invested by it but is what holds it down overall.

Infectious-Bored one day, a group of teens head into the woods for some fun only to encounter a carnage that they take to a friend of theirs for help figuring out what it is only to learn the deadly truth about it. This was a bizarre and barely worthwhile feature that only has one aspect going for it. The main factor with the segment is the solid gore involving the corrosive alien's blood that comes about in a couple of fun scenarios where the comical nature of the meltdown brings about some graphic scenarios, but otherwise there's not a whole lot to this one. The fact that there's a bizarre found-footage component to it that's not necessary and misses some important gags because of where the camera has to be positioned at that point, the old-school filter attached to it makes for a bizarre gag that doesn't need it, and with a brief running time that doesn't have time to explain anything leaves this somewhat problematic.

The Truth Serum-Hosting a new radio show, a shock jock listens in as callers give their encounters with different cryptids and other creatures of the world. As a means of setting everything in motion, this is a decent enough wraparound to get things going. The concept of the radio show to give people a means of calling in so that the stories are called become the segments featured here is a great touch, and the interactions with the co-producer give it a touch of levity that's fun enough overall. There's just not enough interaction elsewhere in between the segments to make for a fun time as it's just straight in to the next one without any time to breath or setup the next story so it all feels a bit rushed, and the final interactions are a bit rushed as well so it just seems to end without much resolution so it also ends on a sour note as well for it's few drawbacks.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Graphic Language.

The horror genre features stories that aim to elicit fear, suspense, and a sense of dread in its audience. Horror stories often explore themes related to the unknown, the supernatural, and the macabre, and they frequently evoke strong emotional reactions such as anxiety, terror, and unease.

An anthology film about a paranormal radio show accepts calls from individuals who have encountered creatures from the unknown.

John Bloom, Bianca Allaine, Rocky Gray, Brett DeJager, Justin M. Seaman, Wayne W. Johnson, Chad Bruns, Wendy Wygant, Zane Hershberger, David Hampton, John William Holt, Sable Griedel, Allen Regimbal, Sé Marie Volk, and Robert Kuhn in Cryptids (2023)

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Wayne W. Johnson was nominated for "Best Supporting Actor" award for his role as "The Man In Black" in the horror Anthology Film "Cryptids" (Mystery Library Productions) at The Horror Hound Film Festival in 2023.

Cryptids

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