The Best Segment From 32 Great Anthology Movies

I am a sucker for a good anthology movie, which gives you multiple stories for the price of one. While I tend to gravitate towards horror anthology movies, I also love films that present collections of shorts from all different genres. The question is, what is the best story from each of the best anthologies in cinematic history?

Sin City, "Hartigan And Nancy's Story"

While the definitive and most heartfelt segment from 2005's Sin City is actually named after its brightly colored main antagonist (played by Nick Stahl), it is better known as the tale of Det. Hartigan (Bruce Willis) and Nancy Callahan (Jessica Alba). Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller's striking adaptation of Miller's noir-inspired graphic novels is bookended by the two-parter in which a hard-boiled detective goes to jail for a young abuse victim and remains devoted to protecting her from her attacker years later.

Creepshow, "They're Creeping Up On You!"

Is it any wonder that the creepiest segment from director George Romero and writer Stephen King's 1982 classic, Creepshow, applies the word "creepy" in its literal definition? "They're Creeping Up on You!" stars E. G. Marshall as a wealthy, germophobic, cantankerous recluse whose penthouse becomes infested with cockroaches.

Monty Python's The Meaning Of Life, "Mr. Creosote"

The final film written by and starring all six members of Monty Python, 1983's The Meaning of Life, presents a series of sketches with a philosophical throughline... when they are not reveling in pure absurdity. That being, the most iconic and, arguably, hilarious bit is also the most shamelessly ludicrous and disgusting. It stars director Terry Jones as Mr. Creosote, a cartoonishly obese frequent patron of a fancy French restaurant who arrives for a dinner that he never finishes, due to his incessant vomiting, which finally ends when he explodes.

Twilight Zone: The Movie, "Nightmare At 20,000 Feet"

The 1983 feature adaptation of Rod Serling's quintessential horror anthology TV show is often overshadowed by the disastrous production of John Landis' segment, during which three people died in a helicopter crash. However, the film should be noted for its amusing reinterpretations of classic Twilight Zone episodes, especially George Miller's version of "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," starring a brilliant John Lithgow as the disturbed man who spots something sinister on the wing.

The French Dispatch, "The Private Dining Room Of The Police Commissioner"

With The French Dispatch, director Wes Anderson presents five stories in one, framed as articles run in the final issue of the titular news publication. One of the most widely renowned segments stars Academy Award nominee Jeffrey Wright as a food critic wrapped up in a ransom plot.

Heavy Metal, "Den"

Not all animated anthology movies are for kids. Just look at the mature animated movie classic from 1981, Heavy Metal, which is made up of various bizarre sci-fi fantasy stories, such as "Den." John Candy voices the title role of this segment, who is a meek, lanky teen who finds an orb that sends him to another planet where he is transformed into a hulking hero.

Paris, Je T'aime, "Bastille"

Paris, je t'aime is a collection of shorts from various filmmakers that involve romance in the titular French city, which range from funny to even scary. Yet, one of the most acclaimed segments is a bittersweet short from director Isabel Coixet about a man (Sergio Castellitto) who is prepared to leave his wife (Miranda Richardson) for his mistress (Leonor Watling), until she reveals something that changes him forever.

Coffee And Cigarettes, "Cousins"

Jim Jarmusch’s Coffee and Cigarettes from 2003 is a collection of shorts starring celebrities as themselves, with "Cousins" being one unique exception. While Oscar winner Cate Blanchett does portray herself here, she also disappears into the role of her fictional brunette relative, Shelly, as they both meet at a hotel lobby for an awkward reunion.

V/H/S, "Amateur Night"

One of the most popular contemporary horror anthology film franchises is the V/H/S series, which is a collection of short found footage thrillers. The most revered segment from the 2012 original, which was later adapted into the 2016 feature Siren, is called "Amateur Night," in which three male friends, one of whom wears glasses equipped with a hidden camera, unwittingly bring a hungry succubus (Hannah Fierman) to their motel room.

Fantasia, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice"

Fans of Disney animated movies probably cannot get enough of 1940's Fantasia, which is a showcase of the studio's best animated shorts up to that point. The signature segment, which loosely inspired a live-action feature starring Nicolas Cage, is "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," which stars Mickey Mouse as the assistant to a magic-wielder who tries to get out of doing chores with his boss' enchanted hat, but ends up causing more trouble.

Four Rooms, "Room 309: The Misbehavers"

Some anthology movies tell one complete story with their individual tales, such as 1995's Four Rooms, which follows the misadventures of a bellhop named Ted (Tim Roth) at Los Angeles' Hotel Mon Signor on New Year's Eve. The quartet of segments are directed by Allison Anders, Alexandre Rockwell, Quentin Tarantino, and Robert Rodriguez, the latter of which helmed, arguably, the funniest segment, "The Misbehavers," in which Ted is asked to babysit the devilishly unruly son and daughter of a wealthy couple (played by Antonio Banderas and Tamlyn Tomita).

Tales From The Hood, "KKK Comeuppance"

Tales from the Hood is an enduring classic of Black horror cinema starring Clarence Williams III as an eccentric funeral director who entertains three young men with stories about his most bizarre clientele. One of its scariest, funniest, and most refreshingly socially conscious segments stars Corbin Bernsen as a racist Southern senator taunted by dolls possessed by the souls of slaves who used to work at the plantation home he now uses as an office.

The Kentucky Fried Movie, "Scot Free"

From director John Landis and Airplane! masterminds Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker, 1977's The Kentucky Fried Movie is a classic parody film featuring uproarious vignettes and some of the most amusing fake commercials in pop culture history. For instance, one faux ad promotes a board game called Scot Free, which challenges players to successfully carry out a political assassination without getting caught.

Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas, "Mickey And Minnie's Gift Of The Magi"

A fun straight-to-video '90s movie that would soon become a holiday tradition in my home is 1999's Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas, which presents a trio of heartwarming holiday tales narrated by Kelsey Grammer and starring some of Disney's most iconic animated characters. Mickey and Minnie lead the strongest segment, based on O. Henry's seminal short story, "The Gift of the Magi," which is a wonderful reminder of the true value of exchanging presents, complemented by a rousing rendition of "Jingle Bells" led by Mickey on harmonica.

The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs, "The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs"

Joel and Ethan Coen returned to the Western genre with 2018's Netflix original release, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, which tells multiple stories set in the Old West. Perhaps the best of the bunch is the first segment, which shares its name with the film's title and stars Tim Blake Nelson as the eponymous singing cowboy who makes a surprising impression on a small town.

Black Sabbath, "The Drop of Water"

Indeed, the influential heavy metal band Black Sabbath named themselves after Mario Bava's 1963 horror anthology hosted by horror movie icon Boris Karloff. The Italian thriller is most revered for a deeply unsettling segment called "The Drop of Water," in which a nurse pays the ultimate price when she snatches a ring off the finger of a recently deceased medium.

New York, I Love You, "Segment Eleven"

The American counterpart to Paris, Je T'aime, 2008's New York, I Love You, goes out with a bang in its final and, arguably, best segment from director Josh Marston. It is a tender portrait of a bickering elderly couple, played by Eli Wallach and Cloris Leachman, walking to Coney Island on their 63rd wedding anniversary.

Batman: Gotham Knight, "In Darkness Dwells"

Celebrated Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy plays the Caped Crusader in all six animated segments from the underrated Batman movie, 2008's Batman: Gotham Knight. It is truly challenging to pick a favorite, but if we want to go off of excitement alone, I would choose director Yasuhiro Aoki's "In Darkness Dwells," in which the Dark Knight takes on Killer Croc, who has been infected by Scarecrow's fear toxin.

Tales From The Darkside: The Movie, "Lover's Vow"

Easily my favorite segment from 1990's feature-length counterpart to creator George A. Romero's hit horror anthology series, Tales from the Darkside, is "Lover's Vow." It stars James Remar as a struggling artist who witnesses his friend being killed by a gargoyle, which offers to let him live if he promises never to tell a soul about what he saw. Soon after, he meets the love of his life (played by Rae Dawn Chong), and soon becomes tempted to reveal his dark secret to her. This modern interpretation of a Japanese folk legend known as "Yuki-onna" concludes with a killer twist.

Predator: Killer Of Killers, "The Shield"

Director Dan Trachtenberg's animated anthology flick, 2025's Predator: Killer of Killers, might be the franchise's best since the 1987 original, if not ever, for the way its stunning tales deepen the lore behind one of cinema's scariest aliens. Before all three decades-spanning segments culminate into one grand finale, Viking warrior Ursa's story, "The Shield," succeeds as a beautifully animated, strikingly choreographed, and ultimately heartbreaking tale of vengeance that features one hulking behemoth of a Predator.

Kinds Of Kindness, "R.M.F. Eats A Sandwich"

Anyone who has ever seen a film by Yorgos Lanthimos typically knows what sort of insanity to expect from the Greek filmmaker, but he really lays it on thick with one increasingly perplexing story after another in 2024's Kinds of Kindness. The third, final, and most bizarre story would have to be "R.M.F. Eats A Sandwich," which is the story of an attempt to bring a deceased person back from the dead.

Kwaidan, "Hoichi The Earless"

Most fans of the 1964 classic Japanese horror movie Kwaidan consider the strongest segment to be "Hoichi the Earless," which is a visually entrancing story of a blind musician asked to perform an account of the Tale of the Heike by a group of spirits.

Cat's Eye, "Quitters, Inc."

Writer Stephen King teamed up with Cujo director Lewis Teague for a trio of stories connected by the appearance of a stray feline... and Drew Barrymore in multiple roles. The segment from 1985's Cat's Eye that best represents its freakishly bizarre and darkly comedic edge is "Quitters Inc.," starring James Woods as a man who enrolls in a program to crush his smoking habit and discovers there are grave consequences for breaking the rules.

XX, "The Box"

XX is a collection of four short horror films directed by women, which I, admittedly, wish I liked as much as I hoped to when I first heard about it. However, I was still quite impressed with writer and director Jovanka Vuckovic's mysterious and deeply upsetting adaptation of author Jack Ketchum's short story, "The Box," in which a boy takes a look inside a box held by a stranger on a subway and, from that point on, refuses to eat.

The Animatrix, "The Second Renaissance - Part I And II"

The mysteries of The Matrix are further revealed in a 2003 collection of animated shorts aptly known as The Animatrix, the most amusing tale being writer and director Mahiro Maeda's two-parter, "The Second Renaissance." Serving as a prequel to the groundbreaking 1999 film, it explains how the oppressive machines that created the Matrix came to be from a more empathetic perspective, tracing their rise from personal assistant robots to harbingers of the apocalypse after struggling to achieve independence and co-existence among mankind.

Three... Extremes, "Cut"

Three of the most provocative filmmakers in the history of Asian horror cinema – Fruit Chan, Park Chan-wook, and Takashi Miike – team up for a trio of intense tales released in 2004 as Three... Extremes. A segment that especially helps the anthology live up to its name is Park's "Cut," starring Lee Byung-hun as a filmmaker held captive by a vengeful background actor he has worked with in the past.

Ghost Stories, "Dibakar Banerjee"

Named after the filmmaker who helms, arguably, the best segment from the spooky, Hindi-language anthology film, 2020's Ghost Stories, "Dibakar Banerjee" is the socially conscious, allegorical tale of a man who finds himself in a rundown village where two children, a boy and a girl, claim they are the only survivors of a transformative, deadly phenomenon. It started when the girl's father suddenly took on beastly qualities and began eating the locals, while the remaining adults, to avoid ending up on the menu, started indulging in the same feeding habits, causing them to undergo the same metamorphosis.

Amazon Women On The Moon, "Mondo Condo"

Multiple directors contributed to the 21 sketches featured in Amazon Women on the Moon, the 1987 spiritual successor to The Kentucky Fried Movie that begins with, arguably, its funniest and most wonderfully cartoonish bit. Comedian and future late-night TV host Arsenio Hall leads this uproarious display of physical comedy as a man experiencing one increasingly horrific instance of bad luck after another.

All Hallows' Eve, "Terrifier"

Years before the hit creepy clown movie Terrifier and its sequels took the slasher genre by storm, Art the Clown was first introduced in a short film of the same name by Damien Leone in which he stalks an innocent woman traveling down an isolated road at night. The terrifying tale would later appear in, and serve as the best segment from, Leone's 2013 anthology film All Hallow's Eve, which involves the horrifying harlequin (then played by Mike Giannelli) as a recurring presence throughout.

Lust Stories, "Anurag Kashyap"

Arguably the strongest segment from the Emmy-nominated, romantic Indian anthology, Lust Stories, comes from director Anurag Kashyap and follows a woman (played by Radhika Apte) indulging in extramarital affairs.

Body Bags, "The Gas Station"

Horror master John Carpenter stars in 1993's Body Bags as the ghoulish host of the made-for-TV anthology, originally optioned as a series for Showtime, who presents the stories behind the latest clientele at a morgue. Carpenter also directs the strongest and most grounded segment, starring Alex Datcher as a convenience store graveyard shift attendant having her first day on the night a serial killer is announced to be on the loose.

Twenty Bucks, "Jimmy And Frank"

There is no known, official title for what is widely considered the best of the interconnected tales from 1993's Twenty Bucks, which is a star-studded comedy following the travels of a $20 bill and the stories it stumbles upon along the way. The story in question follows a pair of thieves named Jimmy (Christopher Lloyd) and Frank (Steve Buscemi), whose distrust in one another over the eponymous bill proves to be their downfall.