March 9, 2026 “Amityville Chupacabra” (* out of four) was an unendurable horror show about a team of “cryptozoologists” (Julie Anne Prescott, Will Collazo Jr., Michael Ochotorena) who capture the title creature in a remote facility but (naturally) it soon escapes causing all Hell to break loose. Latest film to cash in on the “Amityville” name but actually the film it rips off most is “Dawn Of The Dead” and it bears little (if any) resemblance to the 1979 original “The Amityville Horror.” Collazo, Jr. also wrote co-wrote and directed and bears most of the blame for this amateurish mess. Continue reading →
March 9, 2026 “He Kills At Night” (*1/2 out of four) was a grindingly monotonous psychodrama about a woman (Levi Heaton) on the road to see her mother and is abducted by a serial killer (Roger Bingham) who demands she help him flee the country. Two good performances can’t help this hapless film from quickly stalling and running out of gas. “Locke” with Tom Hardy told similar story with more passion and panache. Continue reading →
March 9, 2026 “Sharks In Da Hood” (* out of four) was an absolutely dreadful horror comedy about a flooding in Compton that unleashes a ravenous group of bloodthirsty sharks and many of the locals (Dustin Ferguson, Omar Gooding, Jennifer Moriarty, and others) unite to try and flush them out. With a title like that, you obviously know not to expect Oscar fare but film isn’t even fun on a tacky level. Packed with terrible acting and shoddy special effects that really need to be seen to be believed. Film makes the awful “Jaws IV” look like “Citizen Kane” by comparison. Continue reading →
March 9, 2026 “Curious” (** out of four) was a lurid melodrama about a husband-and-wife (Anthony Applewhite and Terri Arcelia) who meet a new woman (Lindsay Diann) and they all enter into a dangerous sexual triangle together that challenges all of their sense of sexual security and sanctuary and eventually leads them all into danger. In 2011- David Cronenberg told virtually this same story far more skillfully and vividly in “A Dangerous Method”; film is attractively shot and made but carries little in the way of traction or lasting charge. Continue reading →
March 9, 2026 “Who Hurt Me?” (*1/2 out of four) was a disjointed suspense psychodrama about a woman (Ciera Angelia) who awakens from a coma and relies on her best friend (Ebony Tates) for help but soon comes to suspect and realize that her best friend and others are trying to make her go insane and try and twist her reality inside-and-out. By the end of this garish clunker, you’ll understand (all-too-well) how she feels. Film derives (i.e. rips off) elements from “Memento” and “Shattered” without any of their originality or passion and winds up a waste of time. Angelia is a knockout in the lead but you’ll still most likely be “hurt” by the film itself. Continue reading →
March 2, 2026 “Deadbolt” (*1/2 out of four) was a banal procession of half-hearted horror-movie cliches about a young woman (Rebecca Liddiard) seeking a fresh start who moves into a new house when (yawn) she notices strange occurrences keep happening that affect her sleep and eventually her sanity. More fun and more scares may have ensued if she had asked her doctor for a prescription for ambien instead; she certainly could have watched the movie for help with sleep. Liddiard’s sincere performance is one of film’s only virtues. Continue reading →
March 2, 2026 “The Raven” (** out of four) was a languid retelling of the classic Edgar Allen Poe horror story about a grieving man (Kristos Andrews) haunted by the death of his wife who has recurring visits from a raven and soon finds himself spiraling into madness and insanity as the line between the supernatural and the sane is blurred and he finds himself longing for death. Good production values and stark cinematography from Will Barratt fail to enliven or enrich this tired story. About on par with the 2012 John Cusack adaptation but neither are much to “rave” about. Continue reading →
March 2, 2026 “Phantoms” (** out of four) was a not-bad horror psychodrama about two siblings (Casey McCullum and Tra’Waan Coles) who return home for their father’s (David E. McMahon) retirement but instead find a group of intruders (Taylor Murphy, Gonzalo Betancor, and others) who are hellbent on killing all of them. Too predictable and derivative to really score but stylishly made and proficient enough to hold your attention and keep it watchable. No relation to the Godawful 1998 Ben Affleck thriller of the same name but owes more than a bit to “Desperate Hours” and (especially) “The Strangers.” Continue reading →
March 2, 2026 “Ted Bunny” (*1/2 out of four) was a mirthless horror thriller about a documentary filmmaker (Diana Roman) who meets a woman (Dee Wallace) who claims to be one of Ted Bundy’s famous victims and is lured to her abandoned farmhouse where both her and her crew are mauled one-by-one by the title killer. You know you’re in trouble when film’s title is the most clever thing onscreen! Pretty gruesome and pretty dumb in equal measure. Wallace looks great at nearly 80 years old but she would have probably fared better re-appearing at “Howling” conventions instead of in this trifle. Continue reading →
March 2, 2026 “Nighttalk” (**1/2 out of four) was an intuitively done suspense psychodrama about a detective (Ashley Bryant) who has to go undercover on a dating app to track down an elusive (and unseen) murderer and finds herself entangled in a dangerous romance with a seductive online user (Al Mukadam) who may or may not be the killer but provokes all sorts of hidden and provocative secrets from her. Film eventually gets lost in its own sordid and muddled entanglements but is sharply written and well-acted and better than most of its ilk. Bryant’s strong lead performance helps you overlook some of film’s shortcomings. Continue reading →
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