UNCLE SLEAZO'S TOXIC AND TERRIFYING T.V. HOUR [2022]

 SWEET NIGHTMARES! 

From the nuts who brang us KINDNESS OF STRANGERS and FREAK -- namely Dead Vision Productions -- comes a new horror host for our October evenings:  Uncle Sleazo! 

In the time-honoured tradition of parents going out for the night leaving the TV to babysit; two parents hand the hidden TV remote to their son and toddle off for the night leaving the boy in the capable claws of Uncle Sleazo's Toxic and Terrifying T.V. Hour! Much like the wonderful W.N.U.F. HALLOWEEN SPECIAL, this film is another take on recreating an evening's TV viewing with a horror host show complete with fake commercials.  Uncle Sleazo (Jordan Hornstein) and his wooden dummy Timmy (himself) introduce a trilogy of horror tales for your spooky evening.  First up is "Curse of the Beta Wolf":  a B&W werewolf tale.  Lowell (Jameson Batt) is out riding with his girlfriend Debra Sue (Sarah Dalton) on a dark country road when they hit something:  a wolf.  Getting out of the car to check on it, the wolf chomps a chunk out of Lowell's arm; he covers it up and takes Debra Sue home. 

When the moon is full and bright, Lowell transforms (by lap dissolves in the tradition of Universal's THE WOLF MAN) into a werewolf and furry frights follow.  The second story is entitled "The Soulmate' in which new homeowner Laura (Liv Watkins) is taken out for a celebratory evening by her buddy Emily (Hope Stamper).  Laura is glum about the prospect of rattling around in her new house alone and lonely.  The pair stumble upon a psychic named Madame Althea (Matthew Sorensen); Laura asks if she will ever find her soulmate.  Madame Althea informs her that her soulmate is dead.  An even glummer Laura goes home and googles how to contact the dead.  The final story is called "Transferal" in which an unnamed man (Bryce Stanton) is out jogging on a snowy night (the whole film is shot during a snowy winter, apparently, giving a nice chill to the stories).  He sees an indistinct figure in the middle of the road who does not speak when he talks to it.  Back home, the man talks to his friend on the phone when he hears a knock on the door.  The skeletal figure is there and, at first, doesn't speak but soon 'the visitot' (Leslie Dame) relates how an entity has entered her body and drained it of all vitality.  Once it drains that body, "It needs a body . . . to sustain it".  Guess what happens next.

The horror stories are particularly well-done with (mostly) above-average acting; particularly in 'The Soulmate' story.  They are also quite creepy and effective as horror tales.  The interspersed fake commercials are also top notch and particularly hilarious; the one concerning a particular children's playset a particular hoot.  There are also a couple fake movie trailers of which the best ends the movie:  'Clown Cop' directed by 'Fortunato Simonetti' (a priceless name mash-up evoking Poe and Goblin) and a copyright date of 1974.  I really really really think Dead Vision should seriously consider making an actual full-length movie out of CLOWN COP because I think it would work particularly well.  UNCLE SLEAZO'S TOXIC AND TERRIFYING T.V. HOUR is a terrific watch from start to finish without any draggy bits.  Could we have yet ANOTHER yearly Halloween rewatch in the offing???