Jaws 2 (1978)
[8] For a studio-enforced, obligatory sequel to a damn-near perfect film, you could do a lot worse than Jaws 2. (Try Jaws 3 or Jaws 4!) The first half of the movie embroils us in the affairs of the Brody…
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…
Mad Love (1935)
[7] Peter Lorre stars as a doctor so obsessed with an actress (Frances Drake), that after a train wreck destroys her husband's hands, Lorre offers to perform a transplant. Problem is, the new hands once belonged to a murderer, and…
Battle Royale (2000)
[8] In a not-too-distant future Japan, the government cracks down on adolescent shenanigans by randomly selecting one 9th grade class per year to duke it out on a remote island until only one student is standing. Battle Royale starts off…
The Happening (2008)
[3] One of the now-many thuds on M. Night Shyamalan's fall from Hollywood grace was this apocalyptic tale of (drum roll) plants exacting revenge on humankind... because they're mad... or something. It's hard to believe that it never occurred to…
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.…
The Creature Walks Among Us (1956)
[3] The Gill Man's second sequel starts off okay and gets progressively worse. It's cool enough while a team of scientists are hunting the Creature, especially when they catch him on fire (the highlight scene of the movie), but once…
Revenge of the Creature (1955)
[4] This sequel to The Creature from the Black Lagoon finds the Gill Man captured and put on display in a Florida theme park. Before long, he escapes, takes a woman hostage, and terrorizes the local community. Away from the…
Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
[8] Pools of water are often used as symbols of our collective subconscious. Since Creature from the Black Lagoon is about a humanoid creature who emerges from the depths to kidnap a beautiful woman, you might then say the Creature…
The Reflecting Skin (1990)
[8] Imagine Twin Peaks from a child's perspective, paired with the visual austerity of Days of Heaven, and that might give you an idea of what to expect from this odd but utterly compelling little movie. Jeremy Cooper stars as…