Alien 3 (1992)

Alien 3 (1992)

[6] After surviving two terrifying rounds with the alien xenomorphs, Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) crash-lands on an all-male prison planet where a few dozen convicts have found God in an abandoned mining facility. But God can't save them from the alien…
Aliens (1986)

Aliens (1986)

[10] Writer/director James Cameron accomplishes a rare feat with a sequel that doesn't shame the original and succeeds on its own merits. Aliens is so different in tone than the original Alien, I think of it as a sequel only…
Scream 3 (2000)

Scream 3 (2000)

[5] The Scream franchise creaks and bows under the strain of an increasingly incredulous plot in the concluding chapter of the original trilogy. Yet another killer is donning the Ghost Face mask, this time preying on the cast and crew…
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

[7] Writer/director Steven Spielberg follows up his immensely successful Jaws with this tale of extra-terrestrials and government conspiracy. Richard Dreyfuss stars as a family man whose encounter with a UFO brings him into contact with a grieving mother (Melinda Dillon)…
The Quick and the Dead (1995)

The Quick and the Dead (1995)

[7] Sharon Stone and Gene Hackman star in this stylized western revenge tale from director Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead, Darkman). Stone plays a gunslinger who enters a ramshackle frontier town's dueling tournament where she hopes to slay Hackman's character,…
Jagged Edge (1985)

Jagged Edge (1985)

[6] Jeff Bridges' wife is murdered and Glenn Close goes to court to prove his innocence. Meanwhile, Peter Coyote's convinced that Bridges is the killer and Robert Loggia is doing investigation on the side to help Close's case. And dang…
Near Dark (1987)

Near Dark (1987)

[7] Director Kathryn Bigelow (Strange Days, The Hurt Locker) serves up a stylish, brooding vampire tale set in the southwest. I dig Bigelow's tone, atmosphere, and terrific casting. Bigelow tapped into the Aliens ensemble to cast Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen,…
Prince of the City (1981)

Prince of the City (1981)

[5] Sidney Lumet (Network, Dog Day Afternoon) directs the true story of a New York cop seeking redemption for some corrupt deeds. The undercover cop, played by Treat Williams, reluctantly becomes an informant for a special investigatory committee, only to…
Pumpkinhead (1988)

Pumpkinhead (1988)

[9]

As far as monster movies go, this is the one to beat. It’s the only film directed by the late Stan Winston, the special effects wizard who brought so many creatures and otherworldly characters to life in movies like Jurassic Park, Terminator 2, and Edward Scissorhands.  I always wished he’d directed another movie, because Pumpkinhead is creepy as hell, a superb dark fairy tale that’s drenched in atmosphere.Â