First Blood (1982)

First Blood (1982)

[8] Spoiler Review! Sylvester Stallone further cemented his action super-star status with this smart, character-driven thriller about a former Green Beret suffering from post-traumatic stress who gets bullied by a small mountain-town sheriff and his deputies. When the soldier finally…
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…
Don’t Breathe (2016)

Don’t Breathe (2016)

[7] Fede Alvarez (The Evil Dead remake) directs the hell out of this claustrophobic thriller about three horrible, stupid, awful twenty-somethings who break into a blind Gulf War veteran's home to steal $300,000, only to realize they've severely underestimated their…
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…
The Plumber (1979)

The Plumber (1979)

[5] This Australian TV movie from Peter Weir is a subdued psychological thriller about a woman who grows increasingly frustrated and fearful of an eccentric plumber. Weir (Witness, Dead Poets Society) throws in a little commentary on the issue of…
Cape Fear (1962)

Cape Fear (1962)

[7] Gregory Peck plays a prosecutor terrorized by Robert Mitchum, a recently released convict Peck sent to prison eight years ago. Director J. Lee Thompson (Guns of Navarone) takes his cues from Hitchcock and crafts a film that can compete…
Scream 4 (2011)

Scream 4 (2011)

[6] You really aren't supposed to return to a well too many times. But in the case of the Scream franchise, I was still thirsty. So I drank... and the water's still good! Of course the novelty has worn off,…
The Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)

The Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)

[4] Director Renny Harlin's cut of this film is more quickly-paced and energetic than Paul Schrader's (both films feature the same story and most of the same cast), but it has the misfortune of stepping in a big pile of silly…