WFG RATING: B-

Dark Star Pictures presents a Golden Gate Motion Pictures production in association with The Haunted Cinema and GoViddo. Directed by Ludovica Musumeci, Airell Anthony Hayles, Andy Edwards, and Jake West. Produced by Vinod Malgewar. Written by Airell Anthony Hayles, Andy Edwards, and Jake West. Cinematography by Vince Knight. Edited by Andy Edwards and Jake West. 

Stars Richard Cotton, Mark Hampton, Chiara D’Anna, Roisin Browne, Christopher Lloyd James, Ocean Harris, Miki Davis, Derek Nelson, Jamie Bacon, Crispin Holland, Sarah Diamond, Ryan Oliva, Bethann Walker, and the voice of Zach Galligan.

A businessman is taken through three horrific stories mixing fantasies and death in this anthology.

Graham White is a businessman who feels down and out and has nothing left to live for. When he gets his wallet stolen during a drunken stupor, he runs into his best friend Miles. Graham notices a message from Miles from a “black rabbit”. When Miles explains to Graham what exactly the “black rabbit” is, Graham wants nothing to do with it and decides to head back to the hotel. However, going down a dark alley, he comes across a “midnight peepshow” building and goes in.

Upon entering, Graham is treated to three stories. One involves a couple with relationship problems that soon become worse when they are held at gunpoint by a mysterious stranger. The next story involves a blushing bride who finds herself in a deadly game with her husband, her ex, and a stranger. Finally, there is the story of who exactly the Black Rabbit is and how it will change Graham’s life forever. 

Anthologies can be a hit or miss. There are some great ones like Creepshow, Creepshow II, and Tales from the Hood. There are also some misses like Creepshow III and Tales from the Hood 3, which tended to be more either rushed or just done to capitalize on the trend. This particular film takes three stories meshed with the main plot of a businessman who wanders into a “rabbit hole” if you will and finds himself viewing three stories.

The first story, Airell Anthony Hayles’ “Personal Space” is quite a fascinating piece about a wife, played by Roisin Browne, who has grown tired of her husband’s smothering ways and not letting her out of his sight for even one split second. However, their world is about to be turned upside down when Joe, a mysterious stranger, played by Ocean Harris, forces the couple at gunpoint which leads to a shocking discovery. 

The second story, Andy Edwards’ “F**k Marry Kill” is clearly inspired by Saw but also takes the trending game of the titular story. In this one, Miki Davis’ blushing bride Helen is forced into a deadly game with her husband, ex, and a mysterious stranger. The voice behind the deadly game, the Games Masters, is played by a legend in the form of Zach Galligan of Gremlins fame. 

The final story, Jake West’s “The Black Rabbit” becomes the wrapper of the film and actually involves our protagonist Graham, played by Richard Cotton, and his history with the titular dark web site as it involved his wife Isabel, played by Sarah Diamond. The titular man responsible decked out in a rabbit mask and clearly is Eastern European (why is this such a thing in the genre?), is played by Ryan Oliva. Oliva gives off the creepy vibe and it is a precursor as to what to expect from him as he will be seen on screens later this year as the titular role in Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey II.

The stories are meant to combine sexual fantasies with horror style violence. However, what’s interesting here is that there is no nudity of the film but rather clothed simulation and for the most part, until the finale of “The Black Rabbit” story, the deaths are mostly tame. The only crazy bit is that the filmmakers used CGI for the gore factor and it looks to be mostly laughable but yet cringeworthy at the same time. In other words, most of the deaths are done to make the viewer imagine how things are going to go and depending on your taste, it could be a good or bad thing. 

Midnight Peepshow may not be as exploitative as one may hope. However, it does deliver its premise quite well and if you’re waiting for Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey II, this is just a preview of what to expect from Ryan Oliva as he amps up the creepy factor as the Black Rabbit. 

The film is released on Digital on February 13.