Hereditary (2018)
[7] Writer/director Ari Aster brings us one of the more original and interesting horror movies of the last few years -- I just wish it moved faster than molasses in January. Toni Collette stars as a woman who finds herself…
Cat People (1982)
[6] Nastassja Kinski stars in this slow-moving tale of a woman who discovers her sexual urges transform her into a black leopard. Kinski learns her brother, played by Malcolm McDowell, shares the same curse and wants to forge a sexual…
Wolfen (1981)
[5] Albert Finney, Gregory Hines, Edward James Olmos, and Diane Venora star in this thriller about ancient shapeshifters lashing out at New York land developers for encroaching on their sacred ground. The wolf attacks are depicted with steadicam point-of-view shots…
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,…
Amityville II: The Possession (1982)
[6] Part two in the Amityville franchise is actually a prequel exploring the grisly deaths of the previous family who lived in the cursed home. The first half of the movie builds to a pretty shocking climax, where the oldest…
Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (1987)
[8] This is more of a remake than a sequel, but most fans agree that it tops the original. Director Sam Raimi continues his imaginitive use of camera angles and movement, sound effects, and low-budget visual effects, but the winning…
The Amityville Horror (1979)
[6] James Brolin and Margot Kidder move their family into a house with an evil past. The previous family was murdered in the house, and now evil spirits are determined for history to repeat itself. I could have done without…
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994)
[6] Kenneth Branagh directs and stars in this somewhat faithful adaptation of Shelley's spectacular novel. While it hits most of the plot points, it doesn't quite capture the essence of Shelley's work -- that if you tinker irresponsibly with nature…
Happy Death Day (2017)
[5] Happy Death Day is Groundhog Day meets Scream, but not as interesting as either of those films. Jessica Rothe stars as a sorority girl who relives her birthday over and over again, each time ending in her death at…
The Void (2016)
[4] A motley group of townsfolk fall under siege at a nearly-abandoned hospital surrounded by mysterious, hooded cult figures brandishing knives. Before they can figure out who the cultists are or what they want, strange creatures start popping out of…