The Burning (1981)

The Burning (1981)

[7] This stand-alone slasher flick from Bob and Harvey Weinstein (the first Miramax film production) rivals the best of the Friday the 13th fare. The requisite nubile flesh and gory kill scenes are here, but the teen protagonists are more…
Flowers in the Attic (1987)

Flowers in the Attic (1987)

[8] This film version of V.C. Andrews' popular novel is considerably toned down, but it's still a wonderfully creepy and sadistic melodrama. A widower takes her four children to live with their grandmother, who views them all as vile sinners.…
Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

[8] Frank Oz directs the film version of Howard Ashman's dark musical comedy (which was in turn based on Roger Corman's original film). Rick Moranis plays a hapless flower shop employee who discovers an exciting new plant that brings much…
The Entity (1982)

The Entity (1982)

[7] Barbara Hershey plays a single mother who is repeatedly sexually assaulted by an invisible force. I was impressed with how brutal and explicit the attacks are, right down to some creepy special effects that simulate the squeezing of Hershey's…
Friday the 13th: The Franchise (1980-2009)

Friday the 13th: The Franchise (1980-2009)

#12: Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)  [2] This is the worst of the Fridays. The subtitle is a misleading marketing gimmick, as Jason only arrives in Manhattan for the last twenty minutes. Those twenty minutes are…
Scanners (1981)

Scanners (1981)

[6] A scientist sends a man with dangerous telepathic powers on a mission to destroy a renegade adversary with similar powers. David Cronenberg (Videodrome, The Dead Zone) wrote and directed Scanners, so you know it's sure to be a bit…
Urban Cowboy (1980)

Urban Cowboy (1980)

[6] John Travolta and Debra Winger star as impetuous young lovers who meet at a Houston honky-tonk bar, get married, and struggle to keep their relationship together. I enjoyed the first half of the movie more than the second. You…
Altered States (1980)

Altered States (1980)

[4] William Hurt makes his big-screen debut in this blend of psychedelia and cockamamy psychology based on a novel by Paddy Chayefsky (Network). Hurt plays a college professor of science who experiments with drugs inside isolation tanks to, oh, I…
The January Man (1989)

The January Man (1989)

[3] I don't know what the hell I just saw. I could tell you what it's about, but it'd be misleading. See, it's about a discharged cop (Kevin Kline) who is roped back into the police to help them find…
Ghostbusters II (1989)

Ghostbusters II (1989)

[5] The gang is back for another outing, five years after the enormous success of the first Ghostbusters. But its a mediocre follow-up at best. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis, Annie Potts, and…