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.
– (1989) – A brother and sister move into their grandparents house and soon discover that the old folks kill people. The premise isn’t too bad, but none of the characters or situations are fresh or welcoming. A slow mess with a low IQ.
– (1980) – A film crew betrays one another while shooting a snuff film. Familiar actors are a plus, as are some genuine surprises, but the story is too muddled and choppy to get involved in. The length is short, though, and some subtle entertainment is provided.
– (2017) – Johnny Rico and his troopers try to outlast bugs and a politician who wants to wipe out Mars. For every moment of interest there are several of repetitiveness and rock bottom dialog. Has a rather sensitive moment featuring a past character, and the visuals are cool, but there’s little new here.
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.
Bats
– (1999) – Scientifically engineered bats tear apart a small town fang by bloody fang. Close to exciting during moments of mayhem, but subsequent scenes are crippled by lousy dialog and routine characters. Not exactly innovative, but often amusing.
The Midnight Hour
– (1985) – A group of high school friends inadvertently awaken undead vampires on Halloween. The plot is flimsy and not much makes sense, but the 80’s atmosphere is thick and the pace is quick. A goofy, mostly-fun time.
The Kiss
– (1988) – When the sister of a dead woman moves in with her sibling’s family, people begin to die. The plot isn’t very sound, and the voodoo motif makes no sense, but much of what’s here is worthwhile on a low level. Has an almost-exciting ending, but that too comes up short.
Clowns of Halloween
– (2019) – Anthology of three stories that focus on a killer clown, a killer doll clown, and another killer clown. The first story shows some signs of life, but the second is a basic repeat only with a toy, while the third is a stagnant bore. Yet another backyard effort by those with no clue how to tell one tale, let alone three.
Actium Maximus: War of the Alien Dinosaurs
– (2005) – Interplanetary turmoil leads to many assassination attempts and alien gladiator fights. Whatever plot exists is told through mumbling humans and subtitled robots whom are of equally nil importance. The FX are astoundingly terrible, and can’t warrant respect even when considering the budget. Garbage.