Over the last few years, there’s been a wave of indie horror anthologies, a reboot of Creepshow, and sequels to Tales from the Hood. Even the V/H/S franchise is back. Most anthologies have one or two segments that are strong, while the rest are forgettable. That’s not the case with Grave Intentions. To my delight and surprise, each segment impresses.

The anthology even has its own horror host, Madame Josephine (Joy Vandervort-Cobb), a Voodoo-magician who owns a shop containing dark artifacts. She introduces each of the five stories by describing what one of the customers purchased. Between segments, she describes the lessons learned by the hapless characters. She makes for a good horror host, and while the five stories are different, they all deal with moral comeuppance in some form or another.

For the most part, nearly every story contains a human type of horror, as opposed to the supernatural. In the first segment, “The Bridge Partner,’ directed by Gabriel Olson, a woman is paranoid that another woman is going to kill her. Few people believe her, and it’s unclear whether she’s just paranoid. The ending leans into ambiguity. In one of my favorite segments, the Australian production “The Disappearance of Willie Bingham,” directed by Matthew Richards, criminals aren’t jailed or executed. Instead, they’re dismembered and paraded in front of high school classrooms to warn students to stay on the straight and narrow path. Kevin Dee plays Willie, a convicted rapist who first loses a hand and then one body part after another. It’s an incredibly unnerving segment, especially when the criminal is wheeled in front of a classroom as a warning.

The rest of the segments, while not necessarily scary, are at the very least entertaining. “Violent Florence,” directed by Jaime Snyder, has one of the craziest feline attacks I’ve ever seen on screen. The segment is as short and explosive as a punk rock song. The best entry comes last, however. The final segment, “Marian,” directed by Brian Patrick Lim, is a good old-fashioned ghost story about a spook who lives under a little girl’s bed. Marian (Johanah Basanta) is tormented by her abusive aunt, while something supernatural causes strange occurrences around the house. Hailing from the Philippines, this short works well for so many reasons. The old house is incredibly atmospheric. The ghost looks darn cool, and Basanta’s acting is top-notch. You know what they always say. Save the best for last. That’s certainly true of “Marian.”

Overall, Grave Intentions is one of the stronger horror anthologies that I’ve seen in some time. It entertains, and I found two specific segments, “The Disappearance of Willie Bingham” and “Marian,” to be quite memorable. In a rare feat, the crew managed to create an anthology without a single weak segment. I wouldn’t mind a sequel to Grave Intentions or seeing a little more of Madame Josephine as a horror host. Pay this hall of horrors a visit, and be mindful of what you’re putting out there in the universe.

8 Out of 10 Voodoo Dolls