The Gate (1987)
[6] Two boys accidentally uncover a portal to hell and then have to fend off the demons that emerge from it. Probably for budgetary reasons, The Gate takes place almost entirely in one house, but the menace really needed to…
Clash of the Titans (1981)
[8] Special effects maestro Ray Harryhausen brings Greek myths to life in Clash of the Titans. The story centers on heroic Perseus, favored son of Zeus, who must accomplish several deadly chores in order to save his beloved Andromeda from…
Troll (1986)
[6] Troll is a dark fantasy confined to an apartment building where an evil Troll is sacrificing the tenants to open the doors to another dimension. The makeup effects are a bit hit and miss, with the main troll character…
Them! (1954)
[6] Often regarded the best of the atomic age 'giant critter' flicks, Them! is best in the beginning, during two police officers' discovery of a little girl roaming the desert in a catatonic state. Looking for her family, they come…
Piranha 3D (2010)
[6] Gore, boobs, and monsters have always been a recipe for success -- at least a moderate degree of it. Piranha 3D, Alexandre Aja's remake of Roger Corman's cult classic, proves the recipe may well be immortal. This flick is…
Jaws: The Revenge (1987)
[3] I went into Jaws: The Revenge (the fourth movie in the series) thinking, 'Hey, it can't be worse than the third one.' And I was right. It's exactly as bad as the third one. Though for slightly different reasons.…
Jaws 3-D (1983)
[3] The shark is back, this time working its way into Sea World in Florida where it threatens the tourists. Now, I'm okay if you want to keep bringing back the same shark for four movies, even though it is…
Kong: Skull Island (2017)
[3] Hello, it's the 1990s. We want our big, stupid action movie back. I really, really disliked this movie. It's so devoid of emotion and tediously boring, I thought about leaving before it was over. It's like Con-Air for the 2010s…
Alien: Covenant (2017)
[5] Ridley Scott returns to the franchise he created with Alien: Covenant, which is equal parts Alien remake, Alien prequel, and Prometheus sequel. The plot is a retread of both the original 1979 film and the 2012 prequel: a group…
Island of Lost Souls (1932)
[7] Charles Laughton plays H.G. Wells' mad scientist in the first film version of The Island of Dr Moreau. It's a reasonably faithful adaptation until the halfway point, where it gets as loose as the Demi Moore version of The…