Writer-director Joshua Nelson’s Dating Horror Stories begins with three middle-aged women complaining about dating at their age. They then scan the room and guess what the other couples on dates are talking about. Each couple the trio focuses on becomes one of the segments of this horror anthology.
The first tale involves Michael the Magnificent (Richie Bruno), an amateur magician who takes his date, Tara (Chelsea O’Neill), to see his act. He even convinces her to volunteer for one of his tricks. But instead of being sawed in half, Tara’s head is cut off. As it turns out, Michael has been killing innocent “dates” for a while now. But Tara’s ghost is trying to warn off the magician’s next victim, Beth (Nicole Ciuppa). Is she successful, or does Michael claim another victim?
“…instead of being sawed in half, Tara’s head is cut off.”
This section is fine but has a few plot holes that are hard to ignore, the most pressing of which is about Michael’s execution of his dates. They happen on stage, and he acts as if something legitimately goes wrong with the act when it does. So, what does the audience think happened? Why aren’t medical responders or law enforcement called? It makes no sense, and for as good as Bruno, O’Neill, and Ciuppa are, the idea that this guy performs every few weeks or so at the same place and no one has caught him is hard to swallow. Still, the creepiness of Tara’s ghost appearances and the danger Beth is in feels real.
The next story in Dating Horror Stories is about competitive eater Lee (Jon Reisch). He begins seeing Emily (Noelle Cappuzzo), and things go quite well. However, a mysterious, pretty lady keeps having elusive conversations with Lee. This makes Emily and her best friend, Phoenix (Julia Wyrzuc), suspicious that he’s cheating. But the truth of the matter is much more ominous: the lady, Valentina (Mohini Navnit), is an agent for a most lucrative eating contest. The problem is that the menu consists of… people. Due to this, Lee is reluctant to participate despite needing the money.
"…breezes by..."
