I don't know about you but I love a good campfire tale. There's nothing quite like being out in the woods with a fire going, trying to scare the hell out of some of your nearest and dearest friends with tales of escaped maniacs and blood thirsty creatures from beyond the grave. It's in this vain that Sub Rosa brings us this DVD release of William Cooke and Paul Talbot's Campfire Tales. A collection of four stories filled to the brim with gore and body parts!

Our story opens with three young guys out for a night of camping in the woods. The fire's lit and they're settling in when a strange and shaggy visitor asks to share their fire. As it turns out our visitor is well versed in some of the grisly happenings in the area and is more than happy to share these tales with the youngsters around the fire.

In The Hook, a Vietnam Vet escapes a mental hospital just in time for Halloween. He lost his hand in the war and replaced it with a hook and is now on the prowl for kids parked in the dark and trick-or-treaters! Next up is a tale called Overtoke. In this flesh shedding tale we see the dangers of marijuana. The two teens in this story knew that pot had its downsides but who knew it could rot the flesh right off your face? In our next tale, Fright Before Xmas, we learn that Christmas can be less than jolly. As it turns out there's a special axe wielding Santa that teaches naughty boys and girls a lesson on Christmas Eve. Lastly, our friend tells a story of a murdering pirate who goes looking for treasure and finds a curse and some waterlogged zombies in Skull & Crossbones.

For generations campfire tales and urban legends have been told, updated, and retold by people of almost every culture. On the surface, they're creepy little tales filled with any variety of monsters and maniacs. They almost always took place 'nearby' and usually start out with someone saying "My cousin knew this guy in the next town over who..." When you look a little deeper at most of the stories that get passed around, there's an inner core to most of the tales. It's usually a warning of morality to the young about what happens to those who get involved with sin and vice. This collection of stories really isn't much different in this respect. Sure, the themes are repetitive but if done right you're still left with a great couple of stories to pass the evening away with.

I had a great time watching this film. The stories were a lot of fun and for the most part move along at a good pace. The last story, Skull & Crossbones, moved a little too slow for my taste but the rest of the movie more than made up for it. The latex work and special effects were simple but effective and there's more than enough blood and gore to go around. It's true that the movie does show it's age and it's budget a little, but not enough to detract from the movie itself. I think it gives the whole affair a bit of charm and a feeling nostalgia.

Special Features an audio commentary, story boards, and a bonus short called 'Tenants.' The short is definitely worth a look if you enjoyed the feature. The movie is presented in full frame and looks pretty clean. If you look carefully, you'll see a couple of great cameos from some past movie classics. audio is Dolby Digital Stereo and stays pretty stable throughout, though there is a time or two when the soundtrack got a little loud over the dialogue.

Overall, I had a great time with this movie. It was gross in all the right places, had a nice body count and best of all I now know what vices I should avoid come the weekend!