Leviticus
– (2026) – Two young men are terrorized by an apparition that appears as each other. Begins by offering insights into homosexuality and religion, but not long after becomes just another tale of who’s who among drab characters in any form. It’s well made and has spouts of violence, but the whole time I kept wishing I watched It Follows instead.
Amityvillenado
– (2026) – A few who visit the site of a murder house that was wiped out by a tornado become possessed by evil forces. Has points of progression and moves relatively fast while doing as much as it can with a meager budget. Still, there’s nothing here one hasn’t seen before, aside from a guy who’s possessed with dire Hershey squirts. Mostly easy to withstand, despite an overlength of 111-minues.
Wizard of Death: Tinman’s Rise
– (2026) – A small family is hunted by a killer who’s donned in tin and sporting an ax. An experience not unlike banging your face against concrete, since there’s virtually nothing to observe that’s meaningful or memorable. Characters often scream, a stiff villain kills them in unimaginative ways, and the credits finally roll. There’s virtually nothing of substance here.
Pinocchio Unstrung
– (2026) – An orphaned kid is introduced to a boy made of wood who hopes to become human by ingesting human flesh. A remarkably dull jaunt that asks us to either care about children we barely know over a goddamn puppet. As horror this is okay since there is a lot of bloody violence, but as a narrative drama this lacks everything that could possibly create a single emotional experience. Kudos to the practical FX, but the script is garbage.
Dream Scenario
– (2023) – Many people in a small community are dreaming about the same mild-mannered professor, which is a quirk for all until their dreams become violent. Begins as a curious comedy that darkens as it goes while consistently building sympathy for the hapless protagonist. Has some issues with pacing and tone, and the conclusion isn’t fully embraceable, but this is often humorous, sad, and surprising in all the right ways.
Popeye IV: Resurrection
– (2026) – The survivor of a mutant killer becomes entangled with a cult that revives said killer. Most of this is a contrived drama about helping others as a means of persevering, but try not to lose track of how many times you yawn through the dull progressions. Gets slightly better when violence finally arrives, but only because there are less derivative characters to put up with. The worst entry in a series of absolute wretch.
– (1989) – A teenager who works in a mortuary is confronted by bullies both dead and alive. Attempts to tell an okay story and has some likeable leads, but most of what occurs is too drab and ordinary. Sadly, the camp comes off as corn.
– (1959) – Sherlock Holmes investigates a cursed family and the dog that perpetually hounds them. A slow going caper with a dark edge that takes too long to make simple deductions. Most of the action occurs during the bookends, while most everything in between drags.
– (1988) – Murders that duplicate Jack the Ripper have police tracking a twin who’s after his brother’s killer. Has a few mysteries going on that always hold attention despite a crawling pace. Nothing mind blowing occurs, but the structure is mainly solid.
The Laksman
– (2026) – A group of friends attend a Halloween attraction where a masked killer lurks. While that’s the basic premise, there’s little follow through to an actual story since most scenes consist of a female hick who simply won’t shut up. Her perpetual screeching would ruin any particular scene, yet she appears in the bulk. That annoyance aside, this is still an abysmal output since the killer has no central meaning and his murders are few.
Python 2
– (2002) – A married couple with a truck is hired to contain a genetically enhanced snake. There isn’t much horror, and none of the actions are remotely unique. Moves relatively fast, but is fueled by unoriginal crud.
Resident Evil: Vendetta
– (2017) – Familiar characters return to stop a man who lost his wife from spreading a deadly virus. A bland blend of vapid action scenes, dragging exposition, and a plot that generates no concern. Despite all the activity, there’s never a moment of excitement or dread.
Snake People
– (1968) – Women turned into zombies through voodoo mildly terrorize island locals. The ritual scenes show signs of life, but most everything else is bland and incurious. Wastes an okay premise by not doing much.
All Hallows’ Eve
– (2013) – Anthology of three stories that focus on captive women, an alien invader, and a driver terrorized by a clown. The Halloween wraparounds are absorbing, but the stories themselves repel the overall enjoyment. Holds attention, but is rather chintzy and never instills fear.
Chillers
– (1987) – Anthology of five stories that focus on a dead driver, a deranged scout leader, vampires, summoned corpses and a possessed college student. Each tale is pretty lame, mostly on dull levels, but there’s enough cheese here and there to almost save the day. Almost.