Don't Listen (2020)

A couple and their son move into a huge estate to flip it, but the boy is having trouble adjusting. He's hearing voices that often direct him to draw things and sometimes lie to him in his father's voice. When he drowns in their pool, Mom moves out but Dad has to stay and complete the renovation. And then Dad starts hearing voices.

It's a very creepy and interesting idea, especially because they go a "scientific" route. The Dad requests the help of an expert in supernatural communication, who comes to investigate. But, ultimately, it's a haunted house story without a compelling conclusion.

C-

The Call (2013)

A 911 operator makes a critical error on the job which results in the caller's death. Months later, another call comes in from a teen trapped in a car trunk and the operator is determined to get it right this time.

Up until the every end, I was really impressed with this story. The abductee and the operator were working well together and the things they were doing to pinpoint the car's location were just smart. But I'm so tired of childhood sexual trauma being the explanation for every damn psycho.

C

The Mist (2007)

A dense mist descends on a small town after a storm. A few dozen people in a grocery store discover that the mist is home to terrifying creatures. They work together for a while, but soon the ravings of the local nutjob begin to make sense to some of the people so now there's danger from without AND within.

It's pretty effective when not depending on prideful contrariness. That device of people being so sure that warnings are deliberate lies always makes me crazy. I must concede, however, that the last 6 years or so have proven that simply loudly denying verifiable truth really really works on some people. That's scarier than any monster lurking in the fog.

C+

Ginger Snaps (2001)

There's a dog-killing animal on the loose in town and two death-obsessed sisters run across it one night. Soon, Ginger (the older sister -- get it??) is exhibiting some alarming changes and the younger gets to work finding a cure.

This would've been so much better if it'd been about 20 minutes shorter. It just kept hitting the same beats.

C

Sweetheart (2019)

Girl washes ashore on a deserted island along with another guy who quickly dies of injuries. She's practical -- just gets down to figuring out what she's going to do -- and I liked her for that. But the island's not as deserted as she thought. When the sun's down, an amphibious monster is on the prowl.

I liked how tight and no-nonsense this was. My main complaint was the amount of open-mouthed acting the lead did. Shock? Fear? Surprise? I now know they can all be expressed by arranging your mouth into a silent "ahhhh." I don't think they should be expressed that way, but they obviously can be.

C+

The Son (2019)

Lorenzo, a middle-aged painter with an ex-wife and estranged children, has found love again and they are expecting their first child together. She rejects a series of doctors and insists that -- since she's a scientist -- she can best administer her own prenatal care. The further along she gets, the more Lorenzo is removed from the decision-making. Eventually his studio is relocated to the attic and she's moved in her own childhood nanny, with whom she converses in Norwegian (which Lorenzo doesn't speak).

It's a highly effective film. It jumps back and forth between pre-birth and post, so we find out that there's a restraining order on Lorenzo and then jump back to see the lead-up to that event. I thought we were getting another one of those "guy with friends who love and trust him ridiculously refuse to believe him" movies, but as more of the story gets revealed, it's difficult not to sympathize with those friends.

Though the ending seems a bit abrupt and somewhat unresolved, I enjoyed the ride.

B

Nope (2022)

After a freak accident kills his father, Otis Jr. (OJ) takes over the family "Hollywood Horses" business and his sister Emerald comes back home to assist. But things aren't going great: he's been forced to sell off some of his horses to the nearby "Wild West"-themed attraction and the horses they have left are behaving strangely.

It's an alien movie with some interesting ideas. Stoic OJ understands animals, which gives him insight on how to beat this extra-terrestrial foe. The UFO's method of hiding in plain sight was truly cool. I also really enjoyed the quick and easy friendship the siblings formed with the electronics store employee who helped them set up their new surveillance system.

But, ultimately, as with Peele's last film, it's a cool idea that just kind of peters out to "that's it?"

B-

Till Death (2021)

In winter, on their anniversary, an unhappily married couple travels to their remote lake house for a romantic evening. Despite herself, the wife begins to thaw as she's reminded of happier times. In the morning, however, her warm feelings are slammed back into the deep freeze.

Fox is not a compelling actress, but that doesn't matter much in this escape room of a film. It's all "how is she possibly going to get out of this," which works for a while. But, once other people get involved, it goes downhill fast. An OK diversion, but I'm unlikely to ever think of this again.

C+

Willy's Wonderland (2021)

Willy's Wonderland, a small-town Chuck E. Cheese-type place, has been closed down for years for good reason: its animatronic characters are possessed by bloodthirsty killers. In exchange for their safety, the town has made a deal to feed the robots. They do this by booby-trapping a road with a spike strip, having the mechanic say they don't accept cards, and offering the stranded driver the chance to "work off" the charge in exchange for cleaning Willy's.

Positively ridiculous story, which is exactly why Nicolas Cage was the correct casting choice.

C+

Hush (2016)

It's a home invasion movie with a twist: the target is deaf. Another twist: the target is smart. One last twist: the killer is also pretty smart.

Rather than being terrified by this, I just dug it in terms of strategy. Yes, it's scary, but it's neither silly nor exploitative; it's "this is what's happening and this is how I'm handling it." Unlike most run-from-the-killer movies, this target's actions made sense.

I'd call it a perfect Halloween choice.

B+

Jungle (2017)

Three adventure-seekers in the early 80s meet in Bolivia and become fast friends. When a guide approaches Yossi (one of the trio) offering to lead him through the rainforest, the three decide to take him up on it. They're soon behind schedule due to injury and inexperience and, eventually, Yossi's swept down the rapids and on his own.

Daniel Radcliffe is terrific as Yossi. What he went through would be near unbelievable if it weren't a true story, complete with updates and photos at the end of the film.

B

The Stranger (2022)

Henry gets to talking with a guy while traveling. When his new friend offers to introduce Henry to his employers, Henry agrees while stipulating he doesn't "do violence." We're soon meeting a small subset of what appears to be a large criminal organization, and Henry's paired with Mark on several small jobs.

This story is told so well, but I was honestly confused for a while due to the shifting timelines and the necessity of reevaluating the story in light of revealed information. What seemed weird in the moment would make total sense upon reflection.

It's a brilliant story and that it's based on real events makes it even more amazing. 

A-

Choose or Die (2022)

A couple of friends are enticed to play an '80s video game in hopes of claiming the cash prize for beating it. The game's sentient & evil though, y'all.

Extremely dumb. Only saved from an "F" rating because the initial scene had so much promise.

D

Don't Look Now (1973)

A couple lose a daughter to drowning. When they're later in Venice, a blind psychic claims to see their little girl laughing and happy between them. And then it gets even weirder.

There's a serial killer on the loose, alleyways that disappear, sex just this side of porn (Julie Christie is luminous while Sutherland comes off as lecherous), what seems to be a split timeline, and such dizzying camerawork that I could barely keep my lunch down. 

This is about as 70s as it gets but it landed on the side of "cheesy" rather than "groovy."

C-

Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin (2021)

Abandoned by her mother as an infant, Margot is hoping to make a documentary about the Amish-type community from which she came. She and the two crew people are invited to stay and film, but they're kept on a fairly tight leash. Eventually she discovers that the community had been seeking her for years and that her arrival was engineered.

The mystery, once revealed, turns out to be pretty interesting, but there are so many things going against it (the length of time it takes to get to any kind of explanation, the amateurish filming, and the terrible, terrible acting of the lead) that it's just not worth the time.

D+

Coming Home in the Dark (2021)

A family on a daytrip know immediately that they're in trouble when a couple of men walk into their picnic area. Though calm, they're obviously dangerous and the family does its best to comply with their demands. As events proceed, focus is placed on the father's history and the men's agenda shifts.

The story is almost too tense to bear at times. The acting is excellent and the film is very tightly edited, but the way things peter out is a bit of a letdown. It's probably the most believable way for this event to conclude and I'm not sure what I'd change, but I was ultimately dissatisfied.

B

Winchester (2018)

Sarah Winchester (of Winchester Repeating Arms Company) lives in a mansion under perpetual construction. The reason for this is that souls who've been killed by a Winchester gun dictate plans for rooms identical to the ones in which they died, Sarah commissions them to be built, then the soul can inhabitant said room and somehow find peace, at which point the room is torn down. Sometimes the souls don't find peace, though.

Whatever. Though based on a real person and place, it's supremely stupid -- and not in a fun or scary way. 

F

Little Monsters (2019)

A directionless guy volunteers to chaperone his nephew's field trip in hopes of getting to know the hot teacher. He gets more time to accomplish this than expected as they're soon trapped in the gift shop while zombies do their best to reach them. Also in the gift shop is a famous children's show host who is not what could be called "kid-friendly."

Lupita Nyong'o is charming as the teacher. Other than that: it's kind of humorous, but felt way longer than it was.

C+

Before I Wake (2018)

Cody has been through a few foster homes and lands with a couple who lost their own son when he was about Cody's age. The thing about Cody is: what he dreams about is manifest while he dreams. For example, if he's dreaming about butterflies then butterflies are gonna be in the house. If he dreams about the dead boy who used to live in his new home, the dead boy's gonna show up.

It's a pretty cool idea that doesn't quite work, but I'm not sure why. The effects are good and the acting is decent, but something just makes this feel too slight -- and, honestly, kind of silly -- to really matter.

C-

Army of the Dead (2021)

Las Vegas has become a wasteland filled with zombies, so it's about to be bombed into oblivion. In the last hours, a small group is hired to grab the cash out of one of the casino's safes. 

While most of the zombies are the types we seen before, there's also a new breed that's not mindless and are clearly working together within their own society. That's kind of interesting. The movie as a whole, however, IS mindless and difficult to watch. I wondered at several different points whether it was shot on a phone. 

D+

Under the Shadow (2016)

In 1980s Tehran, Shideh is barred from continuing her education to become a doctor due her former activism. Her husband is called to serve his yearly duty in the army, so she's cooped up in her apartment with their young daughter Dorsa and the threat of air raids constant. After a missile bursts through the roof of their building but fails to explode, strange things begin to occur. Dorsa's favorite doll goes missing and a new child in the building tells her that she needs protection from djinns. Shideh often hears things and glimpses movement in her apartment. Dorsa has conversations with people unseen by Shideh.

The mood was oppressive and the overall effect one of true fright. Though there are a couple of jump scares, they weren't overused. Instead, we begin to feel dread and concern. When you add in the extreme patriarchal setting of Iran in the '80s, you have a recipe for a satisfying horror movie that doesn't rely on shocks.

B-

The Night Eats the World (2018)

A man falls asleep in a back room during a party and wakes up to a world full of zombies. He's resourceful, relatable, and I just liked him a lot. Maybe it's his natural tendency toward solitude that makes this new world livable for him, but he eventually needs society. When a zombie gets trapped in the apartment's elevator (the kind with a metal gate), Sam visits and chats with him regularly. And then, when a young woman ventures into the building, he's eager to take her in.

We've this story many, many times -- but the difference here is that Sam is a wonderful avatar. His reactions are practical and I enjoyed spending time with him. It's a worthy addition to the genre.

B+

Orphan: First Kill (2022)

In this prequel to Orphan, Esther escapes from her incarceration as the "most dangerous" patient in an Estonian mental institution. By researching missing children, she finds one who's been gone long enough that her changes in appearance can be attributed to normal aging and assumes her place in the family, who seem happy to have her back.

It's pretty bananas in an extremely entertaining way. Though the practical effects (actual child in longshots) are obvious and the deception would be dead with a simple swab, no matter. It's the audacity of the storyline that makes this work at all, so just sit back and enjoy.

B-

Into the Deep (2022)

In 2016, Peter Madsen was in a race to get a rocketship privately built and was also working on a homemade submarine. In 2017, a reporter doing a story on Madsen (Kim Wall) took a ride on his submarine and never returned. Director Emma Sullivan, who thought she was making a doc about an eccentric inventor, wound up in the right place at the right time capturing real-time reactions from those working with Peter and many telling interviews with Peter himself.

The dramatic miniseries "The Investigation" on this same subject was so well-done and fascinating, that I was eager to see this documentary. I do think that watching the series then the documentary is the proper order, but it's compelling and horrible either way.

B+

Gatlopp (2022)

A group of friends who haven't seen each other for a while reunite for an evening. One of their former joys was playing drinking games & one such game just so happened to be stashed in a recently acquired piece of used furniture, so no brainer, right? It's soon clear that the game is playing them and they've no choice but to stick with it until someone wins.

It's absolutely ridiculous, but also pretty fun in a "local theater with some decent talent" kind of way.

B-

Jacob's Ladder (1990)

Viet Nam vet Jacob is falling apart. He's mourning the death of his young son and has left his wife and other two children for a relationship with a co-worker. He's also experiencing hallucinations and terrifying flashbacks to a battle that left much of his platoon dead.

Though I generally dislike unreliable narrators, Tim Robbins is very very good here. That the film finally resolves to a well-trod trope, getting there is not as annoying as it could've been. But it's still just not my thing at all.

C+