Splice (2010)
[7] Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley throw moral caution to the wind by creating the first animal-human hybrid, a creature they call Dren. Of course, once they open their genetic can of worms, things begin to go very badly. Dren,…
The Human Centipede (2009)
[6] A demented German surgeon connects the gastro-intestinal tracts of two hapless American women and a Japanese man to create a 'human centipede' in this sick little horror flick from Dutch director Tom Six. The film is most horrifying before…
The Mummy’s Shroud (1967)
[4] An expedition team discovers the body of an ancient Egyptian prince, but when they bring it back to England, a mummy starts picking then off one by one. This Hammer horror sequel gets off to a shaky start with ten…
Psycho II (1983)
[4] I don't think a Psycho sequel could ever possibly work, but that doesn't stop screenwriter Tom Holland from giving it the old college try. The script paints Norman Bates (a returning Anthony Perkins) very sympathetically -- reformed, recently released,…
1408 (2007)
[5] This haunted hotel room flick, based on a short story by Stephen King, brings nothing new to the haunted house subgenre. It even veers straight into cliches like dramatic temperature changes, ghostly images of murders past, and (my favorite)…
Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
[3] Linda Blair's still got demons, and Richard Burton's trying to figure out what happened to the nice priests who got pea soup all over them in the first movie. Exorcist II: The Heretic is convoluted and esoteric, the action…
I Saw What You Did (1965)
[3] Director William Castle, better known for gimmicky horror flicks like The Tingler, tries his hand at a straight-forward thriller. The story centers around three girls who make a night of prank calling people and telling them, "I know who…
Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)
[6] Like the first movie and The Blair Witch Project before it, PA2 utilizes a faux verite approach to exploit some of our most primal fears. I'm not sure I want this crude, unpolished treatment to become a full-blown sub-genre,…
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…