Let Me In (2010)

Let Me In (2010)

[6] Matt Reeves, the director of Cloverfield, makes the second stab at John Ajvide Lindqvist's novel about a twelve-year-old boy who unwittingly befriends a vampire girl. (A Swedish film version, Let the Right One In, was released in 2008.) The…
Poltergeist III (1988)

Poltergeist III (1988)

[4] There really isn't a compelling reason for those ghosts to continue haunting poor little Carol Anne (Heather O'Rourke). But if it were a stand-alone movie outside a famous franchise, Poltergeist III might not have been half bad. There's inventive…
Cursed (2004)

Cursed (2004)

[5] There's a good concept at the core of this Wes Craven/Kevin Williamson (Scream) collaboration -- a brother and sister coming to terms with the fact that they may be werewolves. But serious werewolf fans will bemoan the cheesy Hollywood…
The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)

The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)

[8] A young man's soul is transferred to a mysterious portrait that bears the decay and debauchery of his lifestyle. The most interesting thing about this Oscar Wilde tale is that you are never told what Dorian Gray's sins are,…
From Beyond (1986)

From Beyond (1986)

[6] The 'alternate universe' aspect of Lovecraftian horror is something I don't think I'll ever appreciate, but if that's your bag, Stuart Gordon's From Beyond might float your fancy. I like the psycho-sexual stuff going on, especially when everyone's pineal…
Wolf (1994)

Wolf (1994)

[5] An odd and perhaps ill-fitting choice of material for director Mike Nichols (The Graduate). Jack Nicholson and Michelle Pfeiffer give decent performances, but James Spader leaves a greater impression as a backstabbing protege. Wolf focuses more on the psychological…
Evil Dead (2013)

Evil Dead (2013)

[7] As much as I hate remakes on the whole, this new Evil Dead movie greatly surprised me with how well made it is and how genuinely scary and tense it is. It also avoids contemporary horror pitfalls -- the…
Ghost Story (1981)

Ghost Story (1981)

[7] Four old men and their families are haunted by the ghost of a woman the men accidentally killed decades ago in this John Irvin film of the Peter Straub story. It could have benefited from a more visionary director,…
City of the Living Dead (1980)

City of the Living Dead (1980)

[4] A priest's suicide triggers a zombie apocalypse in this loose sequel to Zombie (aka, Zombie 2), both directed by Lucio Fulci. The story here is silly and the movie takes a lot of detours. The dead priest opening the…
The Monster Squad (1987)

The Monster Squad (1987)

[6] When classic movie monsters invade their town, a group of kids band together to keep them from finding a magical amulet that will enable the creeps to rule the world. The Monster Squad is an ebulient if uneven little…