Cast a Deadly Spell (1991)

Cast a Deadly Spell (1991)

[6] This made-for-cable fantasy/noir yarn features Fred Ward as a private detective searching for a book of spells in an alternate 1940s Hollywood where monsters and magic are part of everyday life. Think Who Framed Roger Rabbit with magic instead of…
Dagon (2001)

Dagon (2001)

[7] A frantic man (Ezra Godden) stumbles into a Spanish coastal village where the inhabitants are metamorphosing into sea creatures. As far as Lovecraft adaptations from Stuart Gordon (From Beyond, Re-Animator) go, I like this one best. The script is…
The Watcher in the Woods (1980)

The Watcher in the Woods (1980)

[4] An American family moves into a British mansion with an old woman (Bette Davis) whose young daughter disappeared over thirty years ago. When the American family's two daughters begin hearing and seeing things, it quickly becomes obvious that Davis'…
Manhunter (1986)

Manhunter (1986)

[8] Michael Mann (Miami Vice, Heat) brings Thomas Harris' novel Red Dragon to the big screen, introducing movie-goers to Hannibal Lecktor for the first time. Manhunter stars William Petersen (CSI) as an FBI profiler trying to stop a serial killer…
Midnight Special (2016)

Midnight Special (2016)

[6] Writer/director Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter, Mud) serves up a supernatural drama about a father (Michael Shannon) trying to smuggle his son cross-country while avoiding both the government and the religious cult from which they escaped. Turns out the boy…
Buried (2010)

Buried (2010)

[7]  For the entirety of this film, you never leave a pine box buried in the desert. It's a gimmick, but it's a good one. Star Ryan Reynolds and director Rodrigo Cortes work magic to build drama and suspense in…
The Hole (2001)

The Hole (2001)

[4] Four teenagers decide to lock themselves in an underground bunker for three days of a good time, but when a mutual acquaintance doesn't return to let them out, things start to get hairy. The concept is okay, but the…
In the Heat of the Night (1967)

In the Heat of the Night (1967)

[7] Sidney Poitier plays a black Northern detective who reluctantly aides a white Southern sheriff (Rod Steiger) in solving a murder case. The mystery itself is a bit thin, but it's bolstered by good performances from the leads and a…
Lost Things (2003)

Lost Things (2003)

[3] A super-low budget Australian flick that tries very, very hard to be a heady psychological thriller. From start to finish, there are only five characters and a single beach setting, so the movie ends up feeling claustrophobic in a…
True Crime (1999)

True Crime (1999)

[6] Clint Eastwood tackles one of the most hackneyed of all movie subgenres, the race-the-clock death row rescue thriller, and breathes at least enough life into it to keep you engaged. Isaiah Washington puts in a good performance as the…