“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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“Axeman At Cutter’s Creek” (* out of four) was a horrendous horror thriller about a group of none-too-bright friends (Elissa Dowling, Justin Theney, Tiffany Shepis, and others) who go for a vacation in the middle of nowhere (cue that ominous music) and are hunted by an axe-wielding local murderer who was (yawn) thought to be an urban legend. Annoying characters and performances make one root for the murderer to put these morons out of their misery one-by-one and you’ll likely feel the same if you make it to the end of this clinker. Theney also wrote, produced, edited, and directed; he’s the one who really deserves the axe.

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“Apex Predators” (* out of four) was a disastrously lame horror thriller about a new beach resort which is under siege by a series of vicious sharks and a group of beach bums and workers (Dawna Lee Heising, Brinke Stevens, Shawn C. Phillips, and others) all fight to stay alive. Yet another movie about killer sharks but this one is so crummy and slapdash it makes you think that maybe “Jaws III” and “IV” maybe weren’t so bad after all. Film’s original title actually was “Jaws Of Los Angeles” until Universal threatened legal action.

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“Killer Concept” (*1/2 out of four) was an inept horror comedy about three friends (Cody Bishop, Coley Bryant, and Casey Dillard) who team up to write a screenplay about a series of gruesome murders in their town but they soon come to realize that one of them may be a murderer themselves and may be behind actual recent killings going on and is documenting this in their script. Potentially juicy and sharp material for a satire is undone by annoying characters and a limp screenplay. You could only imagine what a ruthless director like Christopher Guest or Woody Allen would have done with this material; this falls flat and turns out to be a “killer” mistake.

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“Death Rink” (* out of four) was a crude, stupid horror thriller about the closing staff workers (Amanda Courtney, Caedmon Holland, Alan Humphrey, and others) at a local skating rink who are stalked and slayed one by one on one endless night. Throwback to ’80’s horror movies makes you realize why the ’80’s eventually faded and came to an end. No suspense or scares but plenty of unintentionally hilarious dialogue and awful acting. Film’s screenplay was actually written in 2007 and then put on the shelf where it should have stayed.

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“Those Who Wish Me Dead” (** out of four) was an overstuffed melodrama about a young murder witness (Finn Little) who is pursued by deadly assassins (Nicholas Hoult and Aidan Gillen) throughout the Montana wilderness while a deadly forest fire is raging and a survival expert (Angelina Jolie) tries to help him stay alive. Vibrantly and crisply shot by Ben Richardson with solid work from Jolie but film wanders too much and is too unfocused with too many characters and subplots to keep you involved. A mixed bag overall but still remains watchable.

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“The Djinn” (*1/2 out of four) was a luckless horror thriller about a mute 12-year old boy (Ezra Dewey) who is left alone at home by his single father (Rob Brownstein) and conjures the title djinn (John Erickson) which leads to an onslaught of (yes) paranormal activity and terror. So sluggish and inert and so little happens that it’s almost bewildering; film is recommended for anyone (such as this critic) who thought any of the “Amityville Horror” or “Paranormal Activity” imitations were too tame. A real bore, despite Julian Estrada’s colorful cinematography.

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“Great White” (** out of four) was a not-so-great horror thriller about five friends (Katrina Bowden, Aaron Jakubenko, Te Koke Tuhaka) whose seaplane is destroyed in a freak accident and they become stranded at sea on a raft in which vicious and bloodthirsty sharks are lurking below the surface. Unusually strong character development and emotional investment for this type of thriller but is otherwise just another run-of-the-mill killer shark movie. In fact- this has virtually the exact same story as 2018’s “Stranded.” Nearly 50 years later, the grand daddy shark movie “Jaws” still outchews all its imitators.

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