RipDelight This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Woodyanders Jerky yuppie Matthew Wilson (a nicely obnoxious portrayal by Todd Fulton) receives an unsolicited VHS tape in the mail. Wilson decides to watch said tape and soon finds himself caught up in a scary alternate world full of dread and danger.Writer/director David Steensland relates all the stories at a snappy pace, crafts a fun ooga-booga spooky atmosphere, brings an engaging earnest quality to the material, and tops everything off with an amusing sense of dark humor. The segments contained herein are: A hobgoblin stalking a little boy on a rundown bridge, a fisherman receives a fitting comeuppance, a rude delivery man stumbles across a remote rural café which exists in some kind of perpetual limbo, an overweight jogger is chased through the woods by a hairy monster (this one has an especially funny punchline), a stubborn old widow prospector (a touching performance by Shirley O'Key) refuses to leave her home, and a mugger gets his just desserts. Vincent Price handles his host duties with trademark plummy aplomb. John Mitchum likewise registers well as amiable yokel Mr. Olson. Gary Tomsic's polished cinematography boasts a few snazzy visual flourishes and makes neat occasional use of a crane. Todd Popple's shuddery synthesizer score hits the shivery spot. A nifty little fright flick.

Michael_Elliott Escapes (1986) * 1/2 (out of 4) Vincent Price hosts six horror tales. 'A Little Fishy' has a man going fishing and when he tries to catch a bigger fish he becomes the target. 'Coffee Break' takes place in a small town where a man is trying to get directions to the interstate but the old man makes him promise to stop by the local diner for some coffee. 'Who's There' has a man going for a job only to realize that something is watching him. 'Jonah's Dream' deals with a poor woman who refuses to give up on her dead husband's gold mine even though it isn't paying off. 'Think Twice' has a thief stealing the wrong item. The sixth and final story is basically a wrap-around segment dealing with a man who is watching ESCAPES and gets to join in on the terror.David Streensland wrote, produced and directed this anthology film, which was clearly trying to capture the mood and spirit of recent films like CREEPSHOW and TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE. In fact, it's easy to see that The Twilight Zone was an influence on this because all six stories are different from one another in tone and for what they are trying to do. Obviously the director wanted to try and deliver something memorable but sadly the majority of the films range from really boring to just bland.If I had to pick a favorite then I'd probably go for 'A Little Fishy' but I will freely admit that the twist itself is quite stupid. 'Coffee Break' comes the closest to reaching a Twilight Zone like vibe but sadly it drags on too long and the ending just doesn't give much of a punch. 'Think Twice' was hands down the weakest in the film but 'Who's There' and 'Jonah's Dream' just didn't do much for me. All six episodes feature fair to poor acting and there's no question that everything was done on a very small budget.These direct-to-video films are interesting to watch but I'm going to guess that the behind-the-scenes stories would be a lot more interesting than what's actually on the screen. I'm not sure how Price got involved with this but he only appears in a couple minutes worth of footage but I will admit it was somewhat fun seeing him dressed as a mailman and delivering some packages. ESCAPES is a mildly interesting movie that thankfully only runs 70-minutes.

Scarecrow-88 A teenager receives a videotape in the mail he didn't order. He calls up friends looking for an active evening, but multiple attempts fail because most are busy. So he tears off the wrap to the tape and pops in the VCR. A hall with running human parts (upper torso, arms and head in motion) embedded in the walls leads to a room where Vincent Price awaits, ready to introduce the anthology of tales which make up about an hour. Price returns at the end to close it out. Clearly, Price was approached for a quick payday and couldn't resist."A Little Fishy" deals with a guy fishing at a lake, eyeing an apple that draws his appetite, taking some bites, finding, much to his alarm, a hook line which drags him by the throat (he swallowed it while chewing into the apple) into the water. What set this in motion is not known. The fisherman becoming the fish, with the apple tossed out in the hopes of luring another human to the lake. "Coffee Break" has this speeding delivery van driver lost in some backwoods rural community of Harmony, pulling up to an old timer's home for directions. Because his van blares loud rock music and temperament is rude and harried, the kid doesn't exactly ingratiate himself to the local who tells him he should slow down and have a nice cup of coffee up the road at Harmony Café. Undeterred, the kid takes varies roads in front of him with the same results: he returns to Harmony seemingly unable to escape this neck of the woods. If he'd just stop and have that cup of coffee… "Who's There?" follows a plump jogger taking the scenic route who walks upon a woody area with creatures having escaped from a wildlife preserve somewhere nearby. Is his life in danger or are they not as dangerous as it seems? "Jonah's Dream" features a prospecting widow toiling away in the hopes of that gold find on her mountain. While the locals in the nearby town think she's wasting her time, nonetheless, the widow continues on. Well, one night a noise from her barn sparks interest, and the widow finds a peculiar spaceship having crashlanded on her property, leaking fuel and steam, seemingly about to explode. But through this the widow just might find her gold… "Think Twice" has thief encountering baggage bum in urban squalor, stealing the man's diamond which glows at his breath, providing him what he so desires. The thief doesn't realize that the diamond isn't meant for him, paying a price for crossing the bum and taking what was his. Matthew, the teenager watching the video tape, is actually addressed by Price after the tales are over from the television screen. Matthew looks at the box and sees his name introduced under Price's, with a nightmare featuring several of the characters he just watched. Matthew can't just turn Price off…he won't allow it. Price, in postal uniform, giggles because another "customer" will be chosen for his "wall".The tales did little for me, I must admit. I didn't necessarily mind any of them. I was just rather underwhelmed. Price's involvement, especially at the end, is fun if slight. "Escapes" won't have me forgetting what Price done much better in "From a Whisper to a Scream" a year later. The 80s didn't offer Price anything of particular significance, but his appearances give those few films he was a part of some rub just because of the value of his name and association attached to them. He offers a sinister laugh at the end of "Escapes" but you see him for perhaps approximately seven or eight minutes, not enough to salvage uneventful stories with little in the way of thrills.

tbyrne4 I have a soft spot in my heart for Escapes, mostly because it was filmed around my hometown of Sacramento and also because it's a horror anthology (and what horror film buff doesn't love a good ol' cheesy anthology once in a while). I first saw it around the time it came to video and watching it reminds me of the countless happy hours I spent in mom and pop video stores (so sad they're all gone now!) where a curious movie lover could find the most obscure and wondrous garbage imaginable on those dusty video shelves. Especially horror movies. Escapes is a wraparound tale (with intro and outro by Price) involving a young guy who gets a video tape in the mail, which happens to be exact same Escapes tape the viewer is watching (how meta!). Each of the stories is basically Twilight zone/Tales from the Darkside type stuff. There's one about a fisherman who gets the surprise of his life. Another about an obnoxious young deliveryman who ignores the advice of a local while trying to find his way home. And another about a jogger who is menaced by creatures that may have escaped from a scientific laboratory. I think there's one or two more but I can't remember. Anyway, these are really good. But they have special meaning to me because when i watch the video it reminds me of where I grew up. Good times.