“Lullaby” presents a package of intriguing Jewish folklore on the outside, but inside the foil wrapper sits a bar of plain nougat coated in cliched chocolate.
PREY FOR THE DEVIL (2022)
“Prey for the Devil” puts the “O” in “boring” by ensuring uncontrollable yawns spend 90 minutes making that shape.
SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT 3 (1989)
You might think the film was made in as little as eight hours, since it’s about as go-through-the-motions generic as a slapped-together slasher can get.
ADULT SWIM YULE LOG (2022)
When “The Fireplace” burns a fully bonkers blaze with crazy kills and snicker-inducing surprises, there’s a fair bit of humorous heat to be felt.
CHRISTMAS BLOODY CHRISTMAS (2022)
If you’ve seen a Joe Begos movie before, then I don’t have to tell you what kind of gunk-spattered neon nightmare he has in store.
THE HARBINGER (2022)
“The Harbinger” uses a mold of quarantine-related phobias, but its clay really comes from the worry of wondering what impact, if any, we leave on the world.
A WOUNDED FAWN (2022)
“A Wounded Fawn” is very much a movie where mood will directly determine which way your thumb points when it’s all said and done.
THE KILLING TREE (2022)
The upholstery-themed insanity of “Killer Sofa” will have company for the holidays now that the Christmas-themed kookiness of “The Killing Tree” has announced, “Hold my egg nog.”
HALLOWEEN: RESURRECTION (2002)
More than anything, “Halloween: Resurrection” fails to satisfy franchise fans because it doesn’t resemble “Halloween” in any meaningful way.
PEARL (2022)
Its uniquely weird flavor would have hit my tongue even harder if I didn’t have “X’s” plain taste already in my mouth beforehand.
SMILE (2022)
Any discussion about “Smile” between two people who’ve seen it must include one of them asking, “Can you imagine being at that birthday party?”
RUN SWEETHEART RUN (2020)
Cherie gets tied to so many tropes in such a short period of time that “Run Sweetheart Run” floats away into absurdist overkill territory almost immediately.
THE LAIR (2022)
“The Lair” asks the question, are “serviceable” and “forgettable” interchangeable adjectives for describing this movie?
BARBARIAN (2022)
Put on a blindfold and descend into “Barbarian’s” dark corridors for a creatively clever creeper that’s certain to rattle your nerves.
V/H/S/99 (2022)
The five shorts feel like separate entities fighting to fit into the framing device, both as VHS “found footage” and as stories that are supposed to be set in 1999.
HALLOWEEN ENDS (2022)
In addition to its dramatic depth, “Halloween Ends” delivers a unique experience unlike anything else in any of the Michael Myers continuities.
SPIRIT HALLOWEEN: THE MOVIE (2022)
“Spirit Halloween: The Movie” is a lot like the store. It’s moderately charming, a little chintzy, and stuffed with cheap fluff that’s occasionally still good for a gag.
HELLRAISER (2022)
The franchise contains so many flops that being a slightly above average horror movie means it’s outstanding as far as Hellraiser films go.
MR. HARRIGAN'S PHONE (2022)
This is a sentimental Stephen King story about death, grieving, and guilty consciences that’s closer in tone to “Stand by Me” than “Pet Sematary.”
MY BEST FRIEND'S EXORCISM (2022)
A breezy 90-minute lark streaming on Amazon doesn’t provide a properly tuned piano for hitting all of the intended notes of horror, humor, and heart.
If a B-movie bomb detonates on home video and there’s nobody there to watch it, does it make a sound?