Hello again my horror peeps. I’m back again with another review! This time I checked out a fun anthology film titled TALES FROM THE CAMPFIRE, written and directed by Tim Bell.

Here’s a brief dive into the plot, brought to you by IMDB: Four friends plan a camping trip at a small campground to spend an evening around a fire telling each other campfire stories that all supposedly happened close to the area that they’re staying at.

I think the first thing that really drove my interest on this film was the old movie aesthetic. The film opens up with the familiar, classic grindhouse intros, theme music, and the little cartoon with the Jaguar before stating the film rating. I really appreciated this because I’m a huge fan of what I’m sure a lot of people consider to be ‘trash films.’ Another thing I noticed throughout the film was the additional cinema filters throughout some of the shorts to add that ‘older film effect’ to the film.

When it comes to the creativity of the film, this was an aspect that I really enjoyed. Although some of the acting fell short, which is TOTALLY fine considering the film was low budget, I actually felt thrilled while watching it. For instance, the first short was extremely ominous and kept me invested while actually scaring me a bit, particularly one scene that included a bathtub. I also enjoyed the continued storyline between each tale that the friends told.

I think there were definitely some nods to other fan favorite films within TALES FROM THE CAMPFIRE. The first short had a very Evil Dead-esque vibe to it with the way the dead looked as well as the cinematography. In the second short, ‘The Raven’, this one didn’t necessarily remind me of other films but that’s what I liked about it. It was a totally original story that tied back into a slasher. However, the final short was highly reminiscent of the styling of Romero which I am certain fans would greatly appreciate.

As each tale begins to close the plot among the friends grows darker. There is some obvious foreshadowing in-between the second and third short which makes it so you have a really good idea of the direction the film is heading.

For me, what really makes TALES FROM THE CAMPFIRE relatively original was how the reality of the storytellers wraps around and ties in with the stories that are being told. You end up finding truth within these stories, and without spoiling too much, it doesn’t end well.

Honestly, I think TALES FROM THE CAMPFIRE is totally worth giving a watch. I wouldn’t be surprised if you find this gem lurking on Amazon Prime Video. If you do, give it a watch. The run time is roughly over an hour so it’s a relatively short watch. Do yourself a favor and check out a fun and original anthology.

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Devin March

Co-Host at GoreLords Podcast

Devin is a contributing writer for Nightmarish Conjurings and one of the three Co-hosts of the GoreLords Podcast. In his spare time (when it exists) he's usually cuddled up to his wife binge-watching a TV series, checking out new indie horror films or more recently playing Nintendo Switch. Devin is a huge fan of horror and macabre and it shows in his household. There is a room in his house dedicated to VHS tapes, Disneyland, Vintage Halloween and 80's horror.

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