its narrative styles from Tales from the Crypt and Amazing Stories, captures a surreal quality usually missing from this type of anthology. Scriptwriter John Shirley sets his stories in a dark world where innocence and guilt are turned topsy-turvy, where sex and retribution are the standards of the night. The only connecting link is a storyteller called simply "The Host," but he's an odd duck, having none of the cackling charm of the Cryptkeeper. No, this creepy yarnmeister is in dire need of a shave, haircut, and bath as he wanders through the upper story of a run-down mansion surrounded by old newspapers with screaming headlines that recount the tales he spins." Allmovie gave the film two out of five stars and claim it "offers up three spooky stories." Reelfilm gave the film two and a half out of four stars in October 2001, and wrote "What really kills Twists of Terror is the painfully dull second story, which just seems to go on and on for far too long. And by the time the twist comes, it's really hard to care. The third tale isn't bad, but after that second one, all of my interest had vanished and was replaced by growing irritation. Mancuso was good, though, as was Rubin (she was also in the dreadful Little Witches - it's really a shame that she's getting typecast as a horror chick)." Canuxploitation.com wrote an unfavorable review, stating "As with much of his work, Jackson manages to put a nice professional sheen on Twists of Terror, but like so many Canadian direct-to-video timewasters, the film falls victim to its lack of resources--from an underdeveloped script to unconvincing actors and a wretched synthesizer score. The films trio of terrible tales may not be as flagrantly stupid as those in Freakshow, but they also fail to live up to the promise of The Uncanny, which managed to integrate an interesting wraparound vignette with its well-thought-out (if not always successful) stories. Too uninteresting and sanitized to recommend to the horror fans that might be interested in it, Twists of Terror is a triple disappointment." Apollo Guide gave a rating of 31/100. Emanuel Levy awarded the film three out of five stars. The book DVD & Video Guide 2005 (Ballantine Books) gave the film two and a half out of five stars. References External links 1997 television films 1997 horror films English-language Canadian films