The Penny Dreadful Picture Show (2013)

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Out of all the anthology films I've seen, I've never really seen one that I can recall at the moment where I enjoyed the connecting story more than any of the individual segments. That was the case here, where Eliza Swenson's Penny Dreadful really stole the show, with her two fun friends and magnificent theatre.These three truly make the viewer want to get through it just to see more of them and their antics. They're legitimately charismatic and likable, legitimately fun, and I cannot applaud them and their performances enough; they're superb.Unfortunately, all of the segments are varying degrees of disappointing, and all in pretty much inexcusable ways. The first is barely existent, and it's disappointing even then. The second has an appealing aesthetic, but it has no reason to adopt such a look, and it ultimately doesn't add anything to the story. The third is just painful and a real chore to get through.It's a real shame that none of the segments were any good, despite acting that was at least acceptable, interesting direction and aesthetic composition, and solid cinematography. Honestly, the only acceptable part of this film was the connecting story, which is usually nothing but a perfunctory excuse for the segments in almost any other anthology film.The second segment was the closest it got to being good, but even it really fell apart and took far too long to go nowhere. The aesthetic was breathtaking and the performances good, but ultimately it wasn't enjoyable.Really, the film itself just wasn't enjoyable overall. Penny and her friends are worth watching, but I'd advise you to just skip through the film and watch them instead of the segments. Especially that last one. Whew.It would also have been nice to have the segments take a similar amount of time, rather than one barely a few minutes long, a significantly longer second one, and then a third that felt as long as Berlin Alexanderplatz.I can't really recommend this to anyone unfortunately, but I do hope that we see Penny and her friends again. If she manages to get some better segments to host, that would be a real joy. I wanted very much to like this movie, but the plain truth of the matter is that, well...I didn't.

This movie basically has 4 plot lines running through it, the main plot (featuring Penny Dreadful) which acts as the showcase for the three other short movies.The first movie is only minutes long and feels out of place in terms of length and quality against the other two.The second and third movies are longer and the acting is solid, although both the premise and the level of horror/gore appear to be something aimed at a more teen audience, similar to the popular "Goosebumps" books.It's probably a good ''family horror'', something you could watch with younger/more squeamish/easy to frighten viewers to introduce them to the genre. That being said, it's an enjoyable watch, what it is lacking in fright and gore it makes up for in production values and originality.

well i just sat through this god awful movie just don't get the other reviews what are these people on? If the other reviewers really believe that this was a good movie then there are more in need of help than those who put there name on the credits.PLEASE don't waste your time on this low budget poorly acted unimaginative rubbish. People who recommend this sort of dire film have no respect for your time which you will not get back.If your sane AVOID AVOID AVOID. go find some paint and watch it dry......far more entertaining. I gave this movie 2 but think that a little over generous must be getting soft in my old age. To compare this to Elvira is harsh on Elvira they ain't great but they better than this and Elvira got a better rack.

Daffy undead gal Penny Dreadful (a delightfully zany and charming performance by lovely redhead Eliza Swenson), her smitten zombie pal Ned (a likable portrayal by Collin Galyean), and lycanthrope Wolfboy relate three tales of terror in an old rundown movie theater. First, most terse and to the point vignette, "Slash-in-the-Box" - A young couple find themselves being stalked by a lethal jack-in-the-box. Simple and straightforward, director Nick Everhart builds a good deal of tension and concludes this baby with a great gory punch line. Second, most stylish and intriguing anecdote, "The Morning After" - Mousy young lady Alice (sharply played by Samantha Soule) tries to figure out what exactly happened to her last night. Steeped deep in groovy 60's period atmosphere, director Swenson elicits top-rate smooth and predatory work from the enticing Ramona Mallory as seductive bloodsucker Jez, ably crafts a compelling aura of mystery, and delivers an intoxicating sexy vampire chic vibe that's comparable to "The Hunger." Third, best, and most chilling segment, "The Slaughter House" - A group of friends encounter an eccentric backwoods family after their van breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Director Leigh Scott offers an ingenious reversal on the standard conventions of the formula premise, vividly evokes a right-on funky 70's drive-in grindhouse cinema flavor, provides several startling moments of savage violence, and tops everything off with a wickedly amusing sense of pitch-black gallows humor. The always welcome presence of reliable veterans Sid Haig as an amiable storekeeper and Jeffrey Combs as a geeky gimp helps matters a whole lot. Kudos are also in order for Scott's sumptuous widescreen cinematography and Swenson's spirited shivery score. Recommended viewing for fright film fans.