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…
Nosferatu (1922)

Nosferatu (1922)

[7] Of the handful of silent films that still have shelf life, Nosferatu is perhaps the most popular. It's the cornerstone of the entire horror genre, as well as the first time audiences ever saw a vampire on film. It's…
Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker (1982)

Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker (1982)

[8] An orphaned teen (Jimmy McNichol) becomes fearful of his aunt (Susan Tyrrell) after she kills a man in their home. But that just scrapes the surface of Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker. Add in that the aunt has incestuous desire for the…
Happy Death Day (2017)

Happy Death Day (2017)

[5] Happy Death Day is Groundhog Day meets Scream, but not as interesting as either of those films. Jessica Rothe stars as a sorority girl who relives her birthday over and over again, each time ending in her death at…
The Void (2016)

The Void (2016)

[4] A motley group of townsfolk fall under siege at a nearly-abandoned hospital surrounded by mysterious, hooded cult figures brandishing knives. Before they can figure out who the cultists are or what they want, strange creatures start popping out of…
The Experiment (2001)

The Experiment (2001)

[8] Twenty men who work menial jobs participate in an 11-day sociological experiment in which they are divided into two groups: prisoners and guards. The prisoners are told they will not have civil rights during the experiment and the guards…