“Sideshow” (**1/2 out of four) was a reasonably engaging pulp comedy about two inept criminals (April Pearson and Nathan Clarke) who break into the home of a drunken has-been stand-up comedian psychic (Les Dennis) in search of cash but find more than they bargained for and the psychic seeks to utilize it as a chance at personal/spiritual/career salvation. Wacky mix of comedy and melodrama doesn’t fully succeed but is enthusiastically performed and written and directed with a nice sense of bounce and humor by Adam Oldroyd. The kind of film Guy Ritchie used to make but doesn’t much anymore.

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“Sorority Sister Killer” (** out of four) was an obvious, empty suspense thriller about a college girl (Sarah Fisher) whose best friend (Paige Kriet) is murdered under mysterious circumstances and she has to sort all this out and find out which one of the various sorority sisters (Grace Montie, Triana Browne, Brylee Russell, and others) may be responsible before she’s next or is charged with her murder herself. Picture-perfect definition of direct-to-DVD mediocrity with decent filmmaking and acting but predictable plot points at every turn. Horror filmmakers should “pledge” to come up with some different film ideas once in a while.

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“The Retreat” (**1/2 out of four) was a moderately compelling horror melodrama about a lesbian couple (Tommie-Amber Pirie and Sarah Allen) who are trying to maintain their rocky relationship go to a wedding retreat and end up having to set aside their differences and unite when a group of serial killers target them. Ultimately never transcends its standard conventions and genre cliches but is more proficient than others of its kind, with good acting and stylish touches from director Pat Mills and cinematographer David Schuurman. Takes its time at the beginning but fairly gripping once it gets going.

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“Aquarium Of The Dead” (*1/2 out of four) was a waterlogged horror thriller about workers and managers (Vivica A. Fox, D.C. Douglas, Erica Duke, and others) who find themselves under siege when a scientific experiment leads sharks and other sea creatures in an aquarium to turn into bloodthirsty killers! Utterly by-the-numbers thriller rips off both “Deep Blue Sea” and “Jaws 3” in equal measure; if you’re going to copy someone’s homework, you may as well copy from the smart rather than the dumb. Even Fox looks like she’s just going through the motions; this film is an “aquarium” of horror-movie cliches.

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“Share Or Die” (*1/2 out of four) was a crummy horror melodrama made from the “anyone can make a horror movie school of filmmaking”: a mysterious post begins circulating online on social media and anyone who doesn’t share it dies while a group of curious teenagers (Noah Diggs, Logan Van Dyke, Danielle J. Bowman) try to figure it out and stay alive. Promising idea for a chilling horror story and an ironic commentary on today’s social-media culture is crippled by weak script and acting. You can only think what the Wes Craven of “Scream” would have done with this material. Don’t bother “sharing” this time-waster.

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“Spiral: From The Book Of Saw” (** out of four) was a mild horror thriller about a world-weary police detective (Chris Rock) working on a case of suspicious torture deaths that bring back terrifying memories for him when he himself was held hostage and tortured. Could these be the ongoing works of Jigsaw or one of his sick imitators? More of a police procedural drama than “Saw” torture-porn and remains watchable but never builds to a satisfying whole or takes off. Rock ranges from effective to (unintentionally) funny at times but it’s a strange vehicle for him to star in; Samuel L. Jackson provides some welcome style and laughs as his father. Still, even series fans will likely feel as if they “saw” this one many times already.

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“Secrets On Sorority Row” (*1/2 out of four) was a pretty stale suspense thriller about a tragic accident that leaves one sorority sister dead (Holly Tatem); 22 years later, one of the surviving sorority sisters (Kristi McCamie) is now the dean of the university and when her daughter (Kate Edmonds) attempts to pledge for the same sorority, mysterious events and murders start occurring. Intriguing premise is blunted by routine execution and predictable plotting and film’s climax is an unintentional howl. No relation byetheway to (the much better) “Sorority Row” even though it has a very similar storyline.

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“An Amityville Poltergeist” (*1/2 out of four) was a leaden horror show about a young brat (Parris Bates) who takes a housesitting job from a deranged old woman (Rebecca Kimble) and then soon finds that the house is haunted by all sorts of loud shock effects and paranormal activity and he has to try to keep his sanity and get out alive. Yet another film that cashes in on the “Amityville” name without adding anything to it; in fact this was originally titled “No Sleep” in production but had its title changed by some clever producer at the controls. Film, unfortunately, has no cleverness of its own and is slapdash and weak. For die-hard “Amityville” completists and horror geeks only.

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“Antidote” (**1/2 out of four) was a better-than-average horror melodrama about a young woman (Ashlynn Yennie) who is held captive in an underground medical facility in which people are being mutilated and then attempted to be healed using a secret antidote of which no one knows its long-term effects. Ultimately too muted to really take off and excel but film has a creepy and eerie resonance and atmosphere and a tangible and cerebral aura that harks back to early Cronenberg. Striking cinematography by Lucas Pitassi is another undeniable plus.

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“Burning Lies” (** out of four) was an innocuous suspense thriller about a woman (Annika Foster) whose life is saved by a handsome firefighter (Mark Hapka) who turns overprotective and jealous and (to the surprise of no one) turns out to be a sociopath/psychopath intent on dominating and ruining her life. Yet another well-made and well-acted “Fatal Attraction” wannabe that has virtually no impact because it has no surprises whatsoever. Not the worst of its kind but seems practically spit out of a computer.

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