I don’t know whether to emphasize “this” or “the,” but this is the humorous holiday horror movie you definitely want to enjoy at Christmastime.

If a Vietnam War movie doesn’t include Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son” on its soundtrack, is it even a Vietnam War movie?

“Bone Lake” comes across as a genuinely committed attempt to craft a slick little film streaked with some slaughter and a slight touch of self-aware silliness.

“Coyotes” builds a stale-tasting nothingburger with moldy buns of humor, curdled condiments of horror, and meat missing from the middle.

Mimicking common “found footage” mistakes by merely going through the motions is the curse afflicting “Dream Eater.”

More of a ”side of the road” stop than destination entertainment, “Shelby Oaks” would fit well in a faux documentary marathon, just not as the main draw.

Confidently surfing a tidal wave of brazen gags, Tina Romero’s horror-comedy creates a partygoer personality as chic as its colorful characters.

Guillermo del Toro’s creative freedom to be as artistically indulgent as he wants becomes a double-edged sword in this case.

“Black Phone 2’s” crossover into “A Nightmare on Elm Street” territory works well on the surface, but not as well for the familiar fiction operating underneath.

This is an unentertaining sequel that’s poorly designed as a movie, and unnecessarily plodding as a story.

“Good Boy” rises above its gimmick label by adding thematic heft to what could otherwise have been a one-and-done stunt.

It’s rare for a horror movie to run this deep on themes of friendship, finding hope in oppressive darkness, and refusing to be broken by bleakness.

What if we take “The Strangers” and do the exact opposite of everything that made “The Strangers” suspenseful and successful in the first place?

“Vicious” erases potential resonance with inessential stuffing that’s overlong, unnecessarily ambiguous, or just plain boring.

Summing up the movie’s “no duh” declarations: Violence as entertainment is bad. Exploitation is bad. Fanaticism is bad. “Him” is also bad.

“V/H/S/Halloween” represents the series’ rebound, as it’s easily the franchise’s strongest and most consistent collection in years.

“The Conjuring: Last Rites” purports to be “based on a true story,” although it’s anyone’s guess where facts are supposedly included in the fiction.

“The Toxic Avenger” feels like a true Troma film, but older, wiser, and with a lot more wit to go along with the grossouts and B-movie bloodbaths.

The real thing these shorts have in common is that they're all too long by about 20%, and some have nearly nothing to do with the supposed sci-fi frame.

The result is a consecutive collection of incongruent stories whose tenuous connection is just that they're sheltering under the same thin umbrella.