Wolfen (1981)

Wolfen (1981)

[5] Albert Finney, Gregory Hines, Edward James Olmos, and Diane Venora star in this thriller about ancient shapeshifters lashing out at New York land developers for encroaching on their sacred ground. The wolf attacks are depicted with steadicam point-of-view shots…
Razorback (1984)

Razorback (1984)

[6] Razorback is a passable midnight horror movie from Russell Mulcahy, who would go on to direct the cult fave Highlander a few years later. Razorback is about a giant boar that terrorizes the Australian outback. After an American reporter disappears,…
Zombieland (2009)

Zombieland (2009)

[7] A zombie apocalypse road trip movie with amusement park overtones? Oh, hell yeah. With its strong character humor and plenty of sight gags, Zombieland is a joyously exploitative horror comedy that deflects any serious criticism. Jesse Eisenberg and Woody…
The Howling (1981)

The Howling (1981)

[7] Dee Wallace plays a TV reporter who escapes to the country after a traumatic experience. Unfortunately, the country turns out to be filled with werewolves! The Howling is a well-made horror flick from director Joe Dante (Gremlins), who likes…
The Phantom of the Opera (1962)

The Phantom of the Opera (1962)

[6] Hammer Film's loose adaptation of Gaston Leroux's story focuses on revenge and doesn't really touch upon the subversive romantic potential between the Phantom (Herbert Lom) and Christine (Heather Sears). Since that's kind of the whole point, the film largely…
Near Dark (1987)

Near Dark (1987)

[7] Director Kathryn Bigelow (Strange Days, The Hurt Locker) serves up a stylish, brooding vampire tale set in the southwest. I dig Bigelow's tone, atmosphere, and terrific casting. Bigelow tapped into the Aliens ensemble to cast Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen,…
Amityville II: The Possession (1982)

Amityville II: The Possession (1982)

[6] Part two in the Amityville franchise is actually a prequel exploring the grisly deaths of the previous family who lived in the cursed home. The first half of the movie builds to a pretty shocking climax, where the oldest…
Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (1987)

Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (1987)

[8] This is more of a remake than a sequel, but most fans agree that it tops the original. Director Sam Raimi continues his imaginitive use of camera angles and movement, sound effects, and low-budget visual effects, but the winning…
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…
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994)

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994)

[6] Kenneth Branagh directs and stars in this somewhat faithful adaptation of Shelley's spectacular novel. While it hits most of the plot points, it doesn't quite capture the essence of Shelley's work -- that if you tinker irresponsibly with nature…