Hours away from the chopping block, apprentice graverobber Arthur (Dominic Monaghan) recounts his small-hour scrapes with ghouls and ruffians to Ron Perlman's priest. The storytelling frame allows a genial, ain't-it-cool pile-up of occasionally antic episodes, most of which build to Arthur and his partner Willie's glorified shock takes at frisky, impeccably made-up undead. Set in the feckin' 19th century and buffered by raise-your-flagon pub scenes (apparently shot in the East Village at the Scratcher), the setup is like snack food for horror hobbyists—Angus Scrimm turns up, and (producer) Larry Fessenden plays old-hand Willie. It's rather hard for anyone who has ever chanced upon a Poe anthology on cable and only lasted through one or two cheeky tales. First-time director Glenn McQuaid is especially enthusiastic about the duo's rivals (a Burton-esque family of rogues dubbed "The House of Murphy"), but the editing rushes through the best bits and trips up Arthur and Willie's partnership.... More >>>