Terror Tract premiered a couple days before Cherry Falls on the USA Network as part of their Halloween lineup back in 2000. I was there (along with a friend and fellow horror fan) to witness the premiere. We both found the movie pretty enjoyable. Although the stories were predictable and tame, the way they were delivered seem to make up for the clichés and lack of scares. The wraparound segments followed the late John Ritter as a real estate salesmen who's trying to make one last sale before the end of the day to a nice young couple, but he's forced to reveal the stories behind why these houses are for sale, which in-turn makes the couple think twice about joining the suburban community...



6/10 - "Nightmare"

The first story is your standard tale of betrayal and revenge, as a man's beautiful wife and her lover accidently murder the husband after he catches the two in bed. They dump the man's body at a swamp, but are forced to cook up half-assed stories when his fishing buddy (who happens to be a cop) starts asking questions the next day. Having nightmares each night of the husband returning from the dead to seek revenge against the two, the wife's guilty conscience gets the better of her towards the end. This story was predictable from the beginning, but it was still interesting to see how it would play out. Very reminiscent of an old Tales From the Crypt episode (likely new at the time this was released), the segment proved to be nothing more than a decent way to waste 35-or-so minutes.



6/10 - "Bobo"

This is yet another standard story that we're all familiar with -- a monkey (who seemingly escaped from a nearby circus since he was found dressed up in a red uniform) befriends a father's young daughter, and of course, is much nicer to the girl than it is to the father. This leads the father on a downward spiral, as he's constantly failing at trying to get rid of the animal. Another man-vs-beast story that doesn't offer anything we haven't already seen before. Actor Bryan Cranston (Malcom in the Middle) stars as the father, with pro-wrestler Marcus "Buff" Bagwell making a cameo appearance as a pound dispatcher. I'm not quite sure what the point of his cameo in the film was, but I'm sure it was some kind of tie-in to his wrestling performance. This segment probably has the most plot-holes, like for instance, why didn't he just call animal control from the beginning? It certainly doesn't seem safe to let the daughter play with a strange monkey. It was still an interesting and sometimes funny watch as the silly father would duel it out with the monkey.



7/10 - "Come to Granny"

This is my favorite of the three story segments aside from the wraparound. Although the premise is cliché and the script is the thinnest, the awesome villain and psychic twist make it the most enjoyable. Basically a psychiatrist is on her way out of the office, before a young man barges in and tells a wild story about seeing visions of deaths involving a killer wearing an old lady mask called the "Granny Killer.". He claims to see these murders before they actually happen, and the psychiatrist begins to question whether this boy is telling the truth or if he's somehow involved with the killings. First off, the killer is just plain freaky; I mean, just look at the pics! And spewing lines like "Come to Granny" and "Don't worry, it's just Granny!" before killing his victims for some reason sends shivers up my spine. The voice is cheesy, but somehow works. I've always felt that using the elderly or their likeness in horror films is very underused. Predictable? You bet. Enjoyable? Oh yeah! The story is the shortest, but it still beats some of these slashers we get on DVD now-a-days.



So, in the end Terror Tract is just a good, fun way to waste an hour-and-a-half of your life. The stories are predictable, but they're still fun to watch, and the wraparound segment alone is worth a viewing. "Make me an offer!!"

The film is very predictable and doesn't deliver much in the blood and guts department, but it's still a fun watch thanks to its interesting stories and hilarious wraparound segment. Check this out.