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.
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.
– (2010) – An orphaned teen moves in with relatives only to discover a serial killer living nearby. Attempts a gritty edge by having a child shown the ways of murder, but the only offense is in ripping off dozens of other torture flicks. Takes it self seriously, but never grips since every advancement causes eyes to roll.
– (2005) – The dead are learning new skills on their quest to invade a city of the living. The character set-ups feel rushed and the plot is rather thin, but the pace moves quickly and ample gore is provided. Generally messy, but holds its own against the previous Dead entries.
– (2003) – A man is hired to kill for a mobster, but after a double-cross ends up getting tortured in more ways than one. Has an involving premise and turn of events, but not too much happens overall. Starts well, but the revenge plot eventually becomes ho-hum.
Close Encounters of the Inbred Redneck Kind
– (2012) – A mullet from a redneck planet turns regular people into white trash. There isn’t much horror involved, which isn’t as bad as the notion that there isn’t much comedy either. A dull and unintriguing low-low-low-budget venture.
Alligator II: The Mutation
– (1991) – A large alligator feeds on a community where a wealthy realtor is trying to sell expensive homes. The characters and all of their actions are bona fide cliches, but there is some amusement in how new this tries to feel. Unapologetically rips off every tired antic of cop dramas and monster movies.
Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead
– (2014) – Zombies with soft skulls force the non-infected to outlast them by any means. Has a lot going on, moves fast, and is well-made from a directorial standpoint, but the story is a common drag. Emotional and humorous situations feel forced, and nothing relevant is known of any character aside from brief flashbacks.
Zombie Nightmare
– (1986) – A guy who’s struck down by a car is resurrected to exact revenge on his assailants. Fails to generate much interest, mainly because the lead villain is killed only two-thirds in. The slow pace doesn’t help, but some of the stupidity is amusing.
Scary Movie 2
– (2001) – Students and their perverted professor spend a night in a haunted house. A complete rush-job, as there’s virtually no narrative during the 75-minutes of varying gags. Moves fast, however, and provides quite a few scattered laughs throughout.
Killer Nerd
– (1991) – A complete imbecile who’s ridiculed by morons goes on an obnoxious killing spree. Instead of entertaining the audience, this dud dares the viewer to outlast its plentiful annoyances. Pathetic on every conceivable level, from awful comedy to cheap horror.