A Collection of Short Stories
An anthology film is structured like a collection of short stories rather than a single, feature-length novel. It presents a series of distinct, self-contained segments, each with its own plot, characters, and resolution. These short films are packaged together as a single cinematic experience. The challenge and artistry of the anthology format lie in creating a cohesive whole from these disparate parts, which is typically achieved through a unifying element.
Anthology film: Unifying Devices
To prevent the film from feeling like a random assortment of shorts, anthology films use several types of linking devices:
- Thematic Link: Each story explores a different facet of a single, unifying theme, such as love (Paris, je t’aime), death, or a particular sin.
- Framing Story: A central narrative provides a context for the individual segments. For example, a character might be reading the stories from a book, telling them to another character, or watching them on a television. This is a classic device in horror anthologies.
- Location or Object Link: All the stories are tied to a specific place (like a hotel room) or a single object that passes from character to character.
- Authorial Link: The segments are unified by the vision of a single creator or a group of well-known directors, with the film serving as a showcase for their distinct styles.
Popularity in Horror
The anthology format has been particularly enduring and successful within the horror genre. The short-story format is perfectly suited for delivering a quick, potent burst of terror, a shocking twist ending, or a memorable monster without the need for feature-length plot development. This allows for a variety of tones and subgenres—from supernatural horror to psychological suspense to gory creature features—all within one film.
Anthology film: Key Examples
- Dead of Night (1945): A highly influential British horror anthology that perfected the use of a chilling framing story.
- Creepshow (1982): A loving homage to 1950s horror comics, with segments written by Stephen King and directed by George A. Romero.
- The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018): The Coen Brothers’ anthology of six distinct stories set in the American West.
- V/H/S (2012): A modern ‘found footage’ horror anthology where the segments are presented as recordings on a collection of VHS tapes.
Historically, this format is also referred to as a portmanteau film, a term that was more common in the mid-20th century.