... filmmakers Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado slide so much casual intensity into such simple concepts that their film transcends the tropes and transforms into a wickedly stylish thriller.

Irredeemable as art and as entertainment, “The Ganzfeld Haunting” is an insultingly disastrous way to spend an hour and a half, and a dangerous way to dumb down one’s own senses.

“Flowers in the Attic” is overacted, on the nose, and at times eye-rollingly indescribable.  And yet ... I find myself ashamedly eager to bite Lifetime’s next ham and cheese sandwich in wonderment over what happens next in this absurdly intriguing saga.

“Quarantine” mirrors the story and format of [REC] while injecting its own moments, but it falls short of duplicating the same level of exceptional appeal.

The fact that it does “found footage” so well is just one more jewel in a crown that [REC] wears proudly as a truly great horror film no matter what format.

Those looking for Sasquatch suspense will leave feeling cheated and those onboard with the switcharoo will have their attention spans depleted to zero before the climax can pay off.

“Dead of the Nite” does have an honest attempt on display of trying to liven up the tired haunted house investigation formula, yet its experiment of dabbling in multiple formats never fully succeeds in creating an enveloping experience.

It is not true that if you’ve seen one zombie movie, you’ve seen them all.  But if you have seen one zombie movie, then you have seen “The Last Days on Mars.”

Part psychological thriller and part cold case murder mystery, the temperature is only lukewarm enough for a cable television movie and never anything more.

“Raze” is an intelligent action movie deliberately dipping its toe in only enough depth to prevent it from being empty girl on girl violence.

“Carrie” plays it far too safe to ever have a shot at standing out for audiences en masse, but it finds more than one way to work as big budget entertainment telling a relatable story to a modern audience.

Killer scarecrows are to horror movies what Arby’s is to cuisine. We know better than to indulge in something we will regret later, but we just cannot help ourselves and do it anyway.

It is fittingly appropriate that voodoo is occasionally debased as “mumbo jumbo” because “Voodoo Possession” has plenty of it.  Mumbo jumbo, that is.  Voodoo, not so much.

... in between the doldrums of whiny voices and overexposed views out a windshield, the too real terror of helplessness at the hands of a twisted stalker reflects a grim depiction of frighteningly relatable horror.

“You’re Next” bobbles a garden variety first act with a nearly nonsensical second, but redeems itself in the final third by replacing its straight slasher setup with a stylistic flourish of personality.

“Antisocial” misses the very opportunity it creates for itself by choosing to bite weakly as typical Armageddon terror instead of fiercely as savvy social media satire.

“The Monkey’s Paw” ticks every box on its To Do list of offering simple chills and suitable charms with a well-produced interpretation of a classic story fitting finely into a Friday night of horror entertainment.

“Ritual” needed a richer back half and a faster track to getting there.  A prolonged buildup to the discovery already revealed by the film’s own synopsis negates any tension and nothing along the way justifies the extended journey.

Big boys of isolated woodland horror have nothing to fear from this small indie, but it is a filling enough piece of bite-sized entertainment for anyone not too gorged on the young woman in peril premise.

Favoring realism over entertainment makes for a movie that had a good idea for a location and an updated take on the rote ghost hunt template, yet forgot to include genuine suspense anywhere in that formula.