It’s unabashedly artificial, yet works oh-so-well to both charm and chill anyone open to the Friday night frights of a movie engineered entirely for pure popcorn matinee thrills.

It’s a gorgeous gorge on theatrical poeticism, though that definitely doesn’t translate into the most visually arresting narrative.

“Fear Itself” is the film equivalent of a Jackson Pollock painting: a stream of consciousness spatter whose scalable artistic value is purely subjective.

With horror this half-hearted, it’s no wonder that the impression left by “The Witching” doesn’t even make an indentation.

As skilled as "The Monster" is at tightening intensity between its two leads, suspense timing is way off once the beast drops between them.

Connecting with its creepiness requires a deep appreciation of tiptoeing down haunted hallways, constant creaking, the persistent metronome of a pendulum clock, etc.

“My Father Die” is rough around the edges, though on that jagged edge is precisely where its unflinching grit demands to live.

Awareness that the director was only 16 during filming seems essential in understanding why “Therapy” is the rather green movie it is.

Serbian mystery-thriller “Incarnation” can be spoiled by revealing the ending isn’t the revelatory missing link you desperately want it to be.

When its themes aren’t fully in the foreground, in-between scenes induce a mood of malaise where the film falls out of its eccentric groove.

An improbable twist plus an improbable premise equals an improbable chance of this film finding an appreciative audience.

Immense credit goes to the film’s complete cast for keeping comedy tuned with subtlety so it doesn’t detract from the drama.

Having a few PBRs and a couple of friends on hand wouldn’t hurt to help with finding the fun in something so good-naturedly absurd.

Describing "Bedeviled" as by-the-book isn’t quite right as it never turns past the first page of being pat, predictable, and pedestrian in every sense as a supernatural slasher.

“Lake Bodom” is what a savage slasher film looks like when the kids aren’t caricatures and the murderer isn’t a merchandisable masked maniac.

“Happy Hunting” takes a confidently big bite out of the competition when it comes to “Most Dangerous Game” thrillers.

Earnest homage, entertaining performances, and some nailbiter setups of suspense make for a cheeky crowd-pleaser of surprise shocks and humorous horror.

“Trash Fire” is about confronting challenges in relationships, both romantic and familial, and the frightening honesty in its fiction can be unsettling to see.

“Ouija: Origin of Evil” ranks alongside “The Conjuring” as a memorably mesmerizing thriller with substance to match its style.

Not only does “Patient Seven” collect seven strong shorts worth watching, it includes a proper wraparound tying everything together in a creatively clever way.