Spider Island
– (2026) – Influencers attending a new island resort encounter a murderous breed of arachnid, which the owner finds a minor inconvenience. Takes some digs at the annoyances of online attention whores, but there’s not much actual horror taking place. The spider activity is incredibly sparse, cheap, and ineffective, while the drama can’t handle the bulk of the remaining length.
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 longing to watch 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 sinister 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.
– (2010) – Someone’s picking off really old high school students during a birthday party. Handles social situations well, but the horror aspects never accomplish anything remotely frightening. Blood is spilled and boobs are shown, but never in a extraordinary way.
– (2001) – A criminally insane man is used as a doctor’s experiment in a halfway house. Too talky in all stages, and seems to confuse on purpose. The closer the lead gets to solving his insanity, the further we get from caring, but there are some unique moments here and there.
– (1981) – A space crew drawn to a desolate planet discovers aliens. One of the earlier Alien clones that fails miserably in comparison and on its own. Some of the FX are okay, but there’s too much character wandering and extensive boredom.
Skinned Deep
– (2004) – A young woman is abducted by a twisted family that can seemingly alter reality. An odd concoction of obnoxious characters and over-the-top antics that’s probably best enjoyed on heavy drugs. Forgotten not because it’s atypical, but because it tries too hard to come across as offbeat while lacking any merit in story or characters.
Stung
– (2015) – Big wasps become bigger wasps when they bore into humans and tear their way out. A small scale outing that mainly features a few characters trying to outlast a monster invasion from within a mansion. The cutesy banter between the leads is as familiar as the mayhem around them, but some jokes work and the pace is brisk.
Zombie Cop
– (1991) – A dead cop takes on the voodoo priest who cursed him back to life. Too many scenes drag, and the dirt-cheap production gets in the way of ambition, but there are some good ideas on display and a mostly-fun tone. By far one of the better shot-on-video films of the era, but still suffers from too many imperfections.
The Skeleton Key (2005)
– (2005) – A woman is hired to care for an elderly man in a house of hoodoo secrets. Some parts of the mystery are intriguing, and the conclusion is bizarre, but the overall pace makes every second feel like an hour. Best when dealing with atmosphere, since the character stories leave much to be desired.
Mr. Jingles
– (2006) – Stoners make trouble for a girl who was previously victimized by a killer clown. Has an okay concept that’s ruined by a terrible script and shallow, lowlife characters. An irritating excuse for (sometimes nifty) gore.
Devoured: The Legend of Alferd Packer
– (2005) – College kids are forced to explore the realm of an infamous, murderous gold miner. Does a fair enough job setting up a notorious killer and his newest victims, but the action is slow and the murders bloodless. The mine atmosphere isn’t bad, but there’s too much quietness going on.