I don’t know whether to emphasize “this” or “the,” but this is the humorous holiday horror movie you definitely want to enjoy at Christmastime.

Mimicking common “found footage” mistakes by merely going through the motions is the curse afflicting “Dream Eater.”

Confidently surfing a tidal wave of brazen gags, Tina Romero’s horror-comedy creates a partygoer personality as chic as its colorful characters.

Guillermo del Toro’s creative freedom to be as artistically indulgent as he wants becomes a double-edged sword in this case.

This is an unentertaining sequel that’s poorly designed as a movie, and unnecessarily plodding as a story.

“Good Boy” rises above its gimmick label by adding thematic heft to what could otherwise have been a one-and-done stunt.

“Vicious” erases potential resonance with inessential stuffing that’s overlong, unnecessarily ambiguous, or just plain boring.

Summing up the movie’s “no duh” declarations: Violence as entertainment is bad. Exploitation is bad. Fanaticism is bad. “Him” is also bad.

“V/H/S/Halloween” represents the series’ rebound, as it’s easily the franchise’s strongest and most consistent collection in years.

“The Toxic Avenger” feels like a true Troma film, but older, wiser, and with a lot more wit to go along with the grossouts and B-movie bloodbaths.

The real thing these shorts have in common is that they're all too long by about 20%, and some have nearly nothing to do with the supposed sci-fi frame.

The result is a consecutive collection of incongruent stories whose tenuous connection is just that they're sheltering under the same thin umbrella.