The Visit (2015)

The Visit (2015)

[7] M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Signs) returns to form after over ten years of sub-par and crappy output. The Visit is a small-scale but clever character-driven thriller about two children who go for a week-long visit with grandparents they've…
Murders in the Rue Morgue (1971)

Murders in the Rue Morgue (1971)

[4] American International Pictures uses Edgar Allan Poe's story as a backdrop for what is really an original mystery story about actors in a turn-of-the-century Grand Guignol theater who are being murdered one by one. Jason Robards headlines as one of…
Now You See Me 2 (2016)

Now You See Me 2 (2016)

[4] Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Mark Ruffalo, Dave Franco, Morgan Freeman, and Michael Caine all return for another game of magicians playing cat and mouse. (Isla Fisher is noticeably replaced with a new character played by Lizzy Caplan.) I enjoyed…
Get Out (2017)

Get Out (2017)

[7] Jordan Peele of Key and Peele comedy fame takes an auspicious stab at writing and directing a horror film with Get Out, the story of a young black man who starts to get the heebie jeebies after being introduced…
The Third Man (1949)

The Third Man (1949)

[8] Joseph Cotten uncovers a conspiracy surrounding a deceased friend in The Third Man, a masterfully crafted film noir thriller from author Graham Greene and director Carol Reed. Reed keeps the story moving at a brisk pace, surrounding Cotten's character…
Island of Lost Souls (1932)

Island of Lost Souls (1932)

[7] Charles Laughton plays H.G. Wells' mad scientist in the first film version of The Island of Dr Moreau. It's a reasonably faithful adaptation until the halfway point, where it gets as loose as the Demi Moore version of The…
The Deep (1977)

The Deep (1977)

[5] Nick Nolte and Jacqueline Bisset play deep sea divers who stumble upon a sunken supply of morphine and Spanish treasure. They enlist the help of Robert Shaw (in one of his final performances) to excavate their findings, all while…
Capricorn One (1977)

Capricorn One (1977)

[4] Inspired by conspiracy theories that the moon landing was a hoax, Capricorn One depicts a fictitious manned trip to Mars. Hal Holbrook gives a face to the evil government who forces astronauts James Brolin, Sam Waterston, and O.J. Simpson…
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…