Another anthology, here we come! Terror Films and writer/director Luka Bursac bring us Videotheque, Slavic folklore wrapped up in a American-style horror movie. Through the lense of Eastern Europe, we see three tales and a wrap-around about people’s troubles, whether it is wanting more from life, or just basic survival.
Fleeing the police, a small-time thief hides in an abandoned video store. Stuck for the night he decides to play three strange films.
Videotheque, IMDB
Being an anthology film, Videotheque is divided into four sections:
- Video Store – The main wrap-around, where a minor thief escapes from the police by hiding in a defunct video store. He passes the time watching a series of VHS tapes.
- Balanar – A stranger stranded in the wilderness finds refuge at an old man and his blind daughter’s home. A disturbing, god-like presence is there in the woods, and things turn deadly.
- Dubai – A man decides to risk it all for a better life, unwittingly trading lives with an older criminal leader and losing his youth and his beloved girlfriend in the process.
- The Prophecy of the Kupres – A man who has committed a series of terrible crimes is an utter mystery to the police.
Like many of these types of films, Videotheque has four unique storylines, four unique feelings, and even four unique filming styles (according to IMDB, it was shot both digitally and on 16mm film, giving certain sequences a slight edge to them). For example, the wrap-around felt rather modern with a techno music background, police shootouts, and a premise that quite frankly didn’t matter too much, but worked to move the story along. Balanar was completely different, in an ancient wilderness and featuring a monster and gritty survival tactics. Dubai was akin to a lesson-learned, where the end result was the main character learning the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. The Prophesy was modern, but mysterious, and a lot to take in in such a short time.
Now, Videotheque is a Serbian film, so you need to be prepared to read some subtitles. While some sections didn’t require much, others were dialog heavy. Regardless, the writing fit the stories well and didn’t distract or add unnecessary information. Visually, Videotheque was dark and uninviting. It felt somehow very Soviet — and I mean that in the best way. This is a horror movie, after all, so it helps to have a setting that is more on the bland side and paints the picture of people in dire straits.
Out of the four shorts, my favorites were Balanar for its rugged wilderness landscape and ancient deity element, and Dubai for its recognizable “careful what you wish for” storyline. I thoroughly enjoyed those two, and was glad the middle was packed with such exciting moments. That doesn’t mean the other two shorts were lacking though; they provided a great buildup for the rest of the movie, and a cooldown that leaves you wondering.
Videotheque‘s anthology setup isn’t something I usually expect from Eastern European horror films, but it succeeded in bringing the hopeless grayness of Serbian horror to something my American self could easily digest. It is close to a slow burn in areas, so probably not for fans of high-paced slashers and such. It is, however, a good fit for those looking for something just a little different.
Videotheue premieres today across multiple platforms including Chilling, Scare Network TV, Kings of Horror, Watch Movies Now, Shocks & Docs, TFR’s official AVOD YouTube channel, and others. For more information, follow Terror Films on Instagram and web.
