“The Offering” has no room remaining on its recycled template of tame terror to include an original stamp of its own.
PHANTASM II (1988)
“Phantasm” may be the only series where nonlinear narratives are specifically part of the structure and continuity is as expendable as a Red Shirt on the Enterprise.
HOUSE OF DARKNESS (2016)
The hitch to “House of Darkness” is recognizing that it is a movie made to slot in between “Seduced by My Sister’s Husband” and “I Swiped Right on a Stalker.”
SHARKANSAS WOMEN'S PRISON MASSACRE (2016)
Can the movie be considered any “good?” Depends on your definition of the word “good.” Maybe it also depends on your definition of the word “be.” Or “the.”
SCHERZO DIABOLICO (2015 - Spanish)
“Scherzo Diabolico” is so fearless about melding two moods that otherwise shouldn’t work together, it creates a uniquely appealing viewing experience not soon to be forgotten.
KRAMPUS (2015)
A wicked, wild, even whimsical take on holiday traditions that is as much of a fable about family values as it is an energetic and eerie terror tale.
RESTORATION (2016)
It’s the right way for Zack Ward to cut his teeth as a neophyte in genre entertainment generation. “Restoration” just isn’t the most thrilling thriller that this genre has ever seen.
BITE (2015)
“Bite” takes the fear of where that weird bump on your arm came from and amplifies it to an extreme certain to have you brushing a bit harder next time you feel a phantom tug on your skin.
THE PHOENIX INCIDENT (2015)
“The Phoenix Incident” blends fact and fake in such a skillfully slick way that some viewers may walk away wondering if the fictional characters are dramatizations of actual people.
PANDEMIC (2016)
From Allen’s odd accent to the curious choice to film in first-person, “Pandemic” can be strangely engaging even though it isn’t impressive.
DARLING (2015)
“Darling” is a minimalist mood piece playing best to an arthouse audience hypnotized by ambiguous artistry.
PARADOX (2016)
“Paradox” feels like part of a Saturday syndication sandwich circa 1998 bookended by reruns of “Poltergeist: The Legacy” and “Earth: Final Conflict.”
HARDCORE HENRY (2015)
“Hardcore Henry” is in truth a one-trick pony, though it deserves to be said that its one trick is undeniably impressive.
HOLIDAYS (2016)
If only the stories took their suspenseful setups to captivatingly creepy conclusions instead of frustratingly mediocre ones, “Holidays” could have been a classic good for any time of year.
SLENDER (2016)
I would sign on to see this cast in a scary, well-constructed “found footage” film. “Slender” is not that film.
10 CLOVERFIELD LANE (2016)
“10 Cloverfield Lane” seethes with the kind of suspense that can curl fingers into claws embedding nails into seat cushions.
THE DROWNSMAN (2014)
“The Drownsman” has a visual polish rivaling big-screen mainstream features and there is enough uniqueness in the water phobia theme to make the movie memorable.
CHERRY TREE (THE DEVIL'S SORCERESS) (2015)
What makes “Cherry Tree” so interesting is how its murky execution is able to inexplicably inspire allure as often as it does confusion.
HUSH (2016)
The movie unleashes intensity both loud and quiet with exhilarating efficiency as a smart, stripped-down thriller.
MIDNIGHT SPECIAL (2016)
“Midnight Special” emphasizes the “human” in superhuman with a realistically grounded look at how extraordinary powers might affect ordinary people.
It's reductive, yet not inaccurate, to describe the movie as two grown men excessively arguing in between bouts of wrestling with alien puppets.