The six tales that make up the horror anthology Theater Bizarre are delightfully demented, if sometimes slightly predictable. The story that holds them together is that of an unstable young woman who wanders into an abandoned theater one night. Inside, a strange marionette hosts a vaudeville show; each act is a short film.
The first is director Richard Stanley’s Mother of Toads, based on a grim fairy tale. A young couple traveling through the French Pyrenees crosses paths with a shape-shifting shrew (her alternate form is a giant she-frog with claws for hands and four teats across her chest). A potion prompts the young man to have slimy frog sex with the shrew (it gets worse), only to wake up the next morning and find out he’s not just a sex toy, he’s also breakfast.
Oh, we’re not spoiling anything for movie-goers by giving away Mother of Toads’ ending. For one thing, the plot is telegraphed from the moment we see the shrew lay her lusty gaze on the young couple. For another, we haven’t told you about the five other shorts or the crazy young woman sitting in the theater. We will say that watching the show proves to be a transforming experience for her. 11:55 p.m. Friday and Saturday. River Oaks Theatre, 2009 West Gray. For information, call 713-866-8881 or visit www.landmarktheatres.com. $10.
Fri., Feb. 3, 11:55 p.m.; Sat., Feb. 4, 11:55 p.m., 2012
This article appears in Feb 2-8, 2012.