Old school type of Horror Anthology with a lot of fun. And this is obviously a (LOT) labor of love with very small budget. I'm fan of Eliza Swenson actually since The Witches Of OZ. I've found this movie while I was looking for an horror anthology and when I saw her name I decided to watch it, I'm glad I did. Since I'm a fan of Eliza Swenson my opinions could biased and totally from my point of view. She is a genius, she ACTS and nails it, she is also producer, writer and MUSICIAN. The other actor I really like is John Wells. I read about him once he suffers from chronic back pains but he builds an amazing body, working harder on his acting career and growing a lovely family. His role in this movie could be a lot longer. Among the three stories my favorite was The Morning After because the theme is something I always enjoy to see on the screen. The last story features Eliza Swenson and it has a nice twist. Even though I hate slasher type of hostage stuff I enjoyed it. The Penny character which was the owner of the old movie theater was very interesting and engaging that I've felt that she should have an entire story (movie) of her own taking place in that old, creepy and super cool movie theater environment. I'd love to see how she turned out the way she is. As I said on my title - this was a true labor of love. Give these people a $150.000.000 budget with 4-5 years to work on one thing and see what they going to come up with. Those extreme negative reviews are totally unfair to the hard work they put to this movie as entire cast & crew. I believe people should drop their prejudices and give this movie a chance. I did and enjoyed it. Not the most amazing or mind-blowing movie in the world maybe but everyone in this orchestra played their instruments at their best. And this is what life is all about, we don't have to be perfect nor the best in the world - we just need to dedicate ourselves to the things we love to do and give it our best. That is what people who worked in this movie did. Maybe that's why a few people really enjoyed this movie, people who can understand this way of living...All other reviewers automatically considering any good comments written about this movie are coming from the cast & crews friends. I have to clean this up before giving my 2 cents about this movie: I don't know anyone from the cast & crew. I'm not their friend, nor even meet them once in my life.As I said, give this movie a chance. It may surprise you like it did to me...

The penny dreadful picture show I am not a fan of anthology films I barely remember the Creepshow films(82/87/06) and I could barely stand Trick or Treat (07) and the one I loved was a Tales from the Crypt anthology which seemingly was presented as a movie in which a magician had nine lives due to a cat barely seen on HBO as far as I can remember. At first the origins of Penny Dreadful and her cohorts are mysterious and vague but later on in the movie they kind of grow more engulfed but never are fully laid out which is probably a good thing. The first story is a short having to do with a jack in o box and is short of stature but full in effect as it takes a seeming less toy from childhood and make it monstrous but doesn't fully give away where the story may go. The Second Story is of something we see quite often in our pop culture but it takes it back in time to the 70's and tries to present it in a whole new light. It's not revolutionary but a decent premise on how to go about such a topic. The Third story is the gem of the ball and it takes the classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Meets The Strangers and A House of 1,000 Corpses and turns it all on it's head. You think you know about all these stories but you don't know for sure. In the end I found myself pretty delighted for watching such a film but still not absolutely in love. It was something good and decent to watch but it didn't reinvent the genre but it was still fun and worth a watch. I commend these films cause they take actors like Sid Haig (House of 1,000 Corpses/The Devils Rejects/Halloween) and Jefferey Combs (Re-Animator 1&2/The Frighteners)and Barry Ratcliffe (Dorothy and the Witches of OZ and other films) A platform to keep performing their craft where as other productions companies would not have them. In the beginning of watching this film I was prematurely sure it was going to be a colossal waste of time but by the end I was delighted and thought it as a throwback to 70's/80's early horror at least and worth at least a view if any one was so inclined. Eliza Swenson's makeup is fantastic and if you'd like more of her she's fantastic in the mini-series The Witches of Oz which was shortened to the feature film Dorothy and the Witches of Oz and IMDb her and the other actors for more titles.

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.

"The Penny Dreadful Picture Show" is a quirky little movie. It's comprised of three little horror movies and a framing sequence of the undead red-headed girl Penny Dreadful watching movies in her ancient movie theater with a couple of her undead buddies. She's demented and rather fun to watch, even as she lures in a couple guests.Penny watches three films: "Slash in the Box" is first and features a young couple examining a strange Jack in the Box. I didn't time it, but this certainly under 10 minutes.Second is a film about 20 minutes about a woman dying of a terminal illness who mysteriously gets a shot at a longer life for a pretty horrible price.Third is "Slaughterhouse." In many ways, it brings to mind movies like "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" as it finds a group of young adults coming across a backwoods family and brutal and grisly results soon follow. The fun thing is, in many ways, you expect one thing and get a bloody good twist.The DVD release comes with a fourth short film called "The Scout," featuring boy scouts going on an overnight "Snipe Hunt." However, late at night, they become the hunted.Perhaps the films aren't Hollywood gore and snuff-film caliber, but they are a lot of fun. Speaking of gore, it's there, but it's not excessive. (I typically do not enjoy gory movies, I cannot even look at the screen of a "Saw" movie for ten minutes straight, but I was able to sit through this just fine.) There aren't a lot of big names in the cast. The biggest are Sid Haig and ex-wrestler Al Snow. But that doesn't mean the acting is poor. Each film had a completely different world and sold it completely. Eliza Swenson is an excellent actress as Penny and a character in "Slaughterhouse." Overall, "The Penny Dreadful Picture Show" is a fun Halloween movie that doesn't take itself too seriously and is better for the result!