After being disappointed by so many horror anthologies, I have become reluctant to seek them out. At Death’s Door only reinforces that hesitation, prompting me to reconsider the anthology films currently in my screener queue. But let’s get into the unavoidable.  

Shadows the Clown
Felicia is a distraught young woman. Seated against a stark white backdrop that makes the scene feel unfinished, she trembles and struggles to speak as her therapist forcefully presses her to confront her memories. Images of her beloved father bringing her into a new house in a protective manner, Felicia is frightened of shadows. Apparently, this is the product of a killer clown who ends up slaughtering her father and giving way to her blocked anguish.  

This calculating therapist clearly has a personal motive for pushing Felicia to confront her repressed trauma: she wants Felicia to admit that she killed her father and invented the phantom clown to deflect blame.  

The characters feel shallow, exaggerated, and unconvincing. Although the father is portrayed as heroic, his unsettling behavior from the outset suggests that deeper pain from the past may remain buried. It felt cringy and eerie from the first frame and eight minutes in…I was only subjected to this shrewd woman demanding Felicia to go deeper into her past. Repetitive, long-winded, and painfully dragged on.

Time to move on…  

Everyone Has One
On a winter day, loner Rusty returns to his secluded cabin and calls his mother, who insists on hearing every detail of his shift as a janitor. However, “janitor” may be a stretch: Rusty says he was sent to a house for a “clean-up” after a young couple left it in disarray. Showing us blood splattered pants and a creepy context in his voice, Rusty glosses over some of the specifics while sharing his nightly escapades as an ax wielding slasher.

Meanwhile, his mother eagerly recalls meeting Rusty’s father—love at first…kill? Apparently, murder is a family trait. Amid all this nonsense, I was left wondering: why should I care?  

Beyond is Calling
The most compelling story in At Death’s Door, this segment follows radio host Johnny and his sidekick, Violet. Claiming to have become a medium after his wife Amy’s sudden death, Johnny invites callers to test his abilities by asking him to contact their deceased loved ones.  

Johnny is a typical hustler who exaggerates his abilities and disguises vague guesses as insights from beyond the grave. When a mysterious caller challenges him to reveal the truth about Amy’s death and explain how he communicates with her and other spirits, Johnny’s confidence gives way to uncertainty—and ultimately, his own demise.  

Room Number 4
The final story opens with another seemingly composed woman sitting in her car and listening to hard rock for several tedious minutes. She eventually gathers herself and approaches the Airbnb she booked for the night. As the kitschy owner eyes her suspiciously before letting her in, she gives ominous warnings evoking a scene from Stephen King’s 1408.

Soon after she checks into Room 4, flashbacks reveal her severe financial troubles, her husband’s death—treated more as a burden than a tragedy—and her fragile state of mind as she appears to be fleeing a major crisis. The setup again recalls stronger films, particularly Psycho, in which Janet Leigh’s character steals a large sum of money, checks into a seedy motel, and meets a fate worse than arrest.

Unfortunately, all four stories in this 77-minute film begin with promise but end flatly. Each relies on flashbacks to recount its sordid tale, yet none advances the plot before stopping abruptly and unsatisfyingly. At Death’s Door should remain locked.