Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)

[7] Dogs and cats have been wiped out in a plague and apes have replaced them as pets. More like slaves, actually. Conquest is the least feasible scenario in the original Apes saga, but if you can swallow the setup,…
Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)

Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)

[5] The last film in the original Apes franchise is also the most disappointing. Roddy McDowall returns as Caesar, trying to lead apes and humans in peaceful coexistence. It's interesting to see how the movie ties into all the previous…
The Amityville Horror (1979)

The Amityville Horror (1979)

[6] James Brolin and Margot Kidder move their family into a house with an evil past. The previous family was murdered in the house, and now evil spirits are determined for history to repeat itself. I could have done without…
Serpico (1973)

Serpico (1973)

[6] Al Pacino stars in the true story of Frank Serpico, a New York City cop who discovers a city-wide bribe scheme police are profiting from and rejects becoming part of it. But in doing so, he loses the trust…
The Mephisto Waltz (1971)

The Mephisto Waltz (1971)

[6] Jacqueline Bisset (The Deep, Bullitt) stars as the wife of a music journalist who becomes convinced her husband's body has been inhabited by another man, a famous concert pianist, through the use of dark magic. Alan Alda plays the…
The House on Skull Mountain (1974)

The House on Skull Mountain (1974)

[2] This low-rent, paint-by-numbers snooze-fest features a foursome of estranged family members brought together to the eponymous location after the death of their matriarch. But little do they know someone in the house is practicing voodoo magic to kill everyone…
Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)

Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)

[6] This first Planet of the Apes sequel is a mixed bag, but the second half wins me over. The first half of the movie is an uninspired retread of the first film, with James Franciscus replacing Charlton Heston as…
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

[8] Philip Kaufman enhances the creepiness and desperation in this superior retelling of the classic tale of alien menace and paranoia. The terrific cast includes Donald Sutherland, Jeff Goldblum, Veronica Cartwright, Brooke Adams, and Leonard Nimoy. Ben Burtt provides the…
Live and Let Die (1973)

Live and Let Die (1973)

[6] Roger Moore makes his debut as James Bond in Live and Let Die, a weird blend of voodoo magic and blaxploitation that stands apart from any other entry in the Bond ouvre. Moore does an admirable job taking over…
The Hills Have Eyes (1977)

The Hills Have Eyes (1977)

[8] Stranded in the desert on their way to California, a family is attacked by savage cannibals in Wes Craven's brutal, low-budget horror flick, The Hills Have Eyes. I love the setting and tone of the film. The isolation of…