Dan Curtis teams with Richard Matheson again looking to mine the success of Trilogy of Terror and hopefully work another anthology into a network series. It doesn’t happen and it may not be as good as Trilogy (a lack of her majesty Karen Black has something to do with it, amongst some other weaknesses) but is still pretty damn fun and, much like the trilogy that came before, it ends with a hell of a wallop. First we have to take a little trip into the past when Ed Begley Jr. finds his dream car rotting away in an old man’s barn. It’s been there since the fateful night some forty years ago when its owner was racing a train and some bad timing claimed the life of he and his girl. The turned over car managed to make it out in pretty good shape which has college senior Begley Jr. buying it for a song and getting to work on restoring it, even getting his hands on the original license plate in the deal. Well, his dream car is eventually drivable and he takes it out for some backroads cruising, ending up in a small town that seems like it’s from another time. As we all know, altering history usually leads to major shit-storms in the present but maybe this time things could work out. Second Chance starts the film out by taking your expectations of a spooky anthology and throwing them in front of an oncoming train. It’s a simple and sweet story that feels as out-of-era as its protagonist but never offers up much unpredictability to be all that enticing. It’s cute and Ed Begley Jr. brings some solid narration to something that feels like a lesser episode of The Twilight Zone. No Such Thing as a Vampire offers up a bit more fun into things and gives Patrick Macnee the chance to have a good ol’ time. He plays a skeptical doctor living in a European mansion with his lovely wife who is suffering from the attentions of what may be a vampire. The husband does not buy into the whole blood-sucking undead fiend thing even if his superstitious servant (fuck yes, it’s Elisha Cook Jr.) and the locals are convinced vampirism is afoot. Eventually the man of science is stretched to the limits of reason and begins to think the supernatural is at work. An acquaintance/doctor gets called in, a scheme is in the works and Macnee proves that we should have gotten a lot more sinister roles from him. Somewhat clunky but the Victorian-era setting and a fine cast keep it all moving in the right direction. Finally, we come to Bobby which takes The Monkey’s Paw and adapts it into a memorable bit of TV terror. A grieving mother mourns in seclusion thanks to an absent husband (business trips keep him off the screen) at their beachfront house. The accidental drowning death of her son has ripped her apart mentally and one stormy night she decides to try her hand at a magical ritual to bring the boy back. After a stretch of what appears to be a complete failure, a knock on the door brings her soaking wet son back and his story of amnesia and friendly strangers is enough to convince the grieving mother who needs the story to be true… but something is very wrong with Bobby. Yes, we know where it’s all going but it’s still a capably handled bit of macabre with a solid leading lady in Joan Hackett as a woman drowning in instability and a threat that is admittedly creepy when not being slightly silly. It’s all worth a look but unfortunately feels like it’s been neutered for a wider audience.
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