The Hotel New Hampshire (1984)

The Hotel New Hampshire (1984)

[6] Intentionally bizarre and overwrought, I'm not sure what to make of this adaptation of John Irving's novel about an extended, eccentric family that moves into a down-trodden hotel. I liked a previous Irving adaptation, The World According to Garp, much better.…
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 Scarlet Letter.…
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 fighting off…
A Woman Rebels (1936)

A Woman Rebels (1936)

[6] Katharine Hepburn plays a woman determined to dodge marriage and make a career for herself. She gets pretty far, until an unexpected turn of events turns her into a single mother. A Woman Rebels presents a peek at the feminist persona…
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 to play…
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 cartoons. As…
I Eat Your Skin (1964)

I Eat Your Skin (1964)

[3] A doctor working on a cancer cure in the Caribbean discovers a snake venom that turns his patients into zombies. Beneath the Lewtonesque title is a gitchy rip-off of James Bond meets the Scooby Doo Mysteries. It's not nearly as bad…
Matinee (1992)

Matinee (1992)

[7] John Goodman stars as a schlock filmmaker previewing his latest atomic horror flick during the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The script by Charlie Haas draws clunky parallels between the real life threat of nuclear destruction and the crass aims…
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 tight and…
Kill and Go Hide (The Child) (1977)

Kill and Go Hide (The Child) (1977)

[3] A young housekeeper learns that her boss's daughter is instructing zombies from a nearby graveyard to kill at her command. There are some neat moments and ideas in this mess of a movie, scenes where the housekeeper dreams she is dancing…