The first of these stories is about a heir who resurrects his family. Of course, resurrections in horror movies never go as well as intended and they only end up compounding problems. Somehow, the director manages to make a familiar plot into a hazy mess, and the acting is definitely on the hammy side. It has a few good moments (Maria Ford bares it all before tentacles and worms break out of her skin), but aside from that, it's hard to take this part seriously.

The next story starts off interesting enough with a woman who must live in a cold, darkened environment, but once she has relations with a mad scientist who must kill people for their spinal fluid, it just gets dumber by the minute. Even though David Warner is a good choice as the scientist, his effective performance is not enough to save this segment. The end is no surprise and only marks the nadir of this movie.

The third story is a confusing and extremely gory sequence of events involving a pregnant police officer who has a nasty encounter with aliens. As far as blood and guts are concerned, it's on a par with "Dead Alive". Unfortunately, the story comes across as ridiculous and toggles between being imaginary and being real several times. Also, Don Calfa, who was very good in "Return of the Living Dead", is wasted here.

The bottom line: Overall, "Necronomicon" is a disappointing anthology, and it is safe to say that it hardly does Lovecraft any justice.

** NOTE: The more dots, the higher the rating. A dozen dots mean that the movie is a masterpiece while one or no dots means that the movie is about as much fun as kissing an electric fence. **