AMUSEMENT

AMUSEMENT: During their hey-day in the late ‘60s British film studios specialized in horror anthology pictures, gathering up four or five scary stories loosely tied together in a Twilight Zone-type package. And for half its running time, Amusement admirably carries the torch, putting fresh spins on urban legends like “The Hitchhiker” and The Babysitter” with the sort of class and style you’d never expect from a direct-to-video film. Then the script (by Jake Wade Wall of The Hitcher remake) just takes a 90-degree turn in favor of Saw-inspired torture and a cackling over-the-top villain right out of the Adam West Batman era. This inexplicable tonal shift from old-school scares to sado-horror is disappointing, but it doesn’t diminish the wet-your-pants effectiveness of the film’s first two chapters, including a particularly chilling “evil clown” sequence sure to inspire a few phobias. Even the acting by the typical troupe of too-good-looking teen actors is above par. All the more frustrating since the movie felt the need to be a linear copycat of current horror trends rather than sticking to the classics. No extras to speak of, but the Warner Blu-ray looks very, very good. Try this instead of Saw V...you won’t be disappointed.