20 Million Miles to Earth (1957)

20 Million Miles to Earth (1957)

[6] An army rocket returning from Venus crash lands in the Mediterranean, releasing a Venusian creature that wreaks havoc in Italy. This matinee monster movie is better than most of its kind. The first thirty minutes are surprisingly strong, building…
The Crazies (2010)

The Crazies (2010)

[6] A farming town falls victim to an airborne toxin that turns everyone into homicidal maniacs in this remake of George Romero's 1973 original. The film is directed by Breck Eisner (son of former Disney CEO Michael Eisner), and while…
The Sixth Sense (1999)

The Sixth Sense (1999)

[8] A young boy who can see and hear dead people confides in a child psychologist who comes to believe the boy's curse is a gift. The strength of The Sixth Sense lies most prominently in the scenes between Toni Collette…
Saw IV (2007)

Saw IV (2007)

[3] The fourth Saw film isn't nearly as clever as it tries so desperately to be, and the death traps for which the series is so famous are woefully uninspired. The movie also deflates the mystique of its central character,…
Misery (1990)

Misery (1990)

[8] Kathy Bates delivers a spooky Oscar-winning performance in Rob Reiner's film based on the novel by Stephen King. Screenwriter William Goldman builds a tremendous amount of tension and suspense with barely more than two characters and one room. The…
28 Days Later (2002)

28 Days Later (2002)

[7] 28 Days Later is a bright feather in the multi-colored cap of director Danny Boyle, who also gave us Trainspotting, Sunshine, and Slumdog Millionnaire. Cillian Murphy wanders post-apocalyptic England after a virus has turned most of the population into…
The Return (2006)

The Return (2006)

[4] Sarah Michelle Gellar (TV's Buffy the Vampire Slayer) stars as a woman who has visions of a murder, eventually coming to realize the murderer may be coming for her, too. This supernatural thriller is okay for the first half-hour, but…
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)

The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)

[5] This monster romp was the first solo effort by effects wizard Ray Harryhausen. All the stop-motion animation has the usual Harryhausen charm, including a famous scene where the dinosaur rages down Wall Street and chomps on a policeman. Unfortunately,…
King Kong (1933)

King Kong (1933)

[8] King Kong, the grandfather of all monster movies, is an ambitious visual effects extravaganza servicing a fast-paced adventure story. The film's action set-pieces have inspired generations, whether its Kong's clashes with prehistoric creatures on spooky Skull Island or his…
The Relic (1997)

The Relic (1997)

[7] If you love creature features as much as I do, you'll enjoy Peter Hyams' The Relic. Penelope Ann Miller stars as an anthropologist who teams with a cop (Tom Sizemore) to stop a supernatural creature after it wreaks havoc…