Everything comes down to whether you can become enmeshed in the minor mystery and how much of an effect the moderately macabre mood has on you.

As much as I wanted to see "Lisa Frankenstein” slam it out of the park, the movie only taps a squibber through the infield on this swing.

“The Woman” chews on challenging commentary about toxic masculinity and antiquated gender roles through a story that’s bitter, tense, and brutal.

The thin narrative is nothing more than a setup for slaughter as “Offspring” becomes a canvas for creating a nihilistic horror show of savage brutality.

It’s funny that the original poster proclaims “Only in Theaters” when everything about “I.S.S.” screams “straight-to-streaming” from the get-go.

It’s not a meal on its own. It’s a low-calorie dessert topping for diehards who have already feasted plentifully on Dario Argento’s filmography.

Sometimes, dead is better. And sometimes, mediocrity is fine, so viewers might want to adjust their anticipation accordingly.

I hope the horror trivia hosts don’t ever test my memory of this mid movie, otherwise I’ll be turning in a blank piece of paper.

“Destroy All Neighbors” benefits from a precise calibration of a viewer’s mindset beforehand, preferably influenced by that person’s vice of choice.

Slow and steady may win the race, but it takes the teeth out of the movie’s mouth, and the film can’t have any bite with soft gums alone.

If anyone’s enjoyment of “Thanksgiving” hinges on the iffy whodunit, they’ll miss out on the murderous merriment that is really the movie’s main course.

“No One Will Save You” is a widely praised frightener that’s cleverly crafted yet not necessarily hot enough to heat everyone’s cup of tea.

Drink up the movie like a light Christmas cocktail spiking its horror highball with jamon iberico-washed bourbon for just a slight hint of ham.

Despite my personal connections, all I really have to say about “Five Nights at Freddy’s” is “eh, whatever” like I would any other ordinary horror film.

If “The Mean One” had been last in line among a dozen such films on my watch list, I probably wouldn’t be anywhere near as jolly about it.

Working against its outstanding technical achievements, “Demeter” paints itself into a disappointingly dull corner by echoing an all-too-familiar story.

Mass-market fright films built for mainstream audiences are made to be marketable more than they’re made to be memorable.

“The Amityville Curse” is essentially what you’d think the average offspring of a marriage between Amityville and Tubi would look like.

Heaven help the creatives who still have to deliver two more sequels. Maybe they should hope for help from Hell instead. How much worse off would they be?

“Pet Sematary” fires a straight shot through the meatiest beats while ensuring deeper themes about dealing with death always get their due.