Housebound

(2014) ****

After multiple attempts at reform have failed, Kylie is sentenced to home detention in her childhood house, now inhabited by her mom and stepfather.  Her pleasant, slightly dotty mom believes the house is haunted.  Kylie is irritated and skeptical, until unexplained events begin to pique her curiosity.

Mr. AC found this delightful horror-comedy gem from New Zealand.  It delivers genuine scares along with consistent wry humor.  The protagonist is initially unlikable, but earns our sympathy as the mysteries of the house begin to unfold.  Thoroughly satisfying.

Sin City

(2005) ****1/2

Rogues, thieves, cops, prostitutes, and murderers populate interlocking tales of mayhem, revenge, and redemption in and around Basin City.

Sin City's never been written up on the blog, and though it is noir rather than horror, I think it has enough horror elements (cannabalism, torture, gore, high body count) to be worth discussing here.  Well-cast and visually sumptuous, this faithful adaptation of three of Frank Miller's graphic novels is an over-the-top, ultraviolent thriller. It's one of those movies I can see repeatedly and never tire of; hope and assume I'm not the only fan?

Cemetery Man

(1996) ***1/2

Francesco Dellamorte and his mostly-mute assistant Gnaghi take care of the cemetery in the small Italian town of Buffalora.  Their duties include dispatching "returners," cemetery denizens that rise from the dead to attack the living.  Francesco and Gnaghi have a comfortable if odd routine that is disrupted when their love lives and professional lives intersect.

Another interesting take on comedy/horror.  I'm glad I hung in there after the relatively slow first act, because the movie picks up once things start to get really weird. And it would be remiss to skip a shout out to the gorgeous Anna Falchi (perched above on Rupert Everett, who being gay might not have fully appreciated this job perk). If we were still handing out stars for breasts (have we grown out of that?), this movie would be *****.

Attack the Block

(2011) ****

A tough London neighborhood is overrun with big alien gorilla wolf motherfuckers, and a teenage gang may be only hope to block the invasion.

Blog opinion has been split on this one, but I found it very entertaining, a goodly blend of sci-fi, action, humor, and horror.  Could serve as a great palate cleanser after one too many lame, disappointing, or disturbing flicks.

Night of the Creeps

(1986) ***1/2

An alien experiment gone awry in the 1950s is about to affect the lives of 2 college students in the 1980s.  How, you may ask? Well, it will be quicker for you to watch the movie than for me to explain it.  

Yes, it's been reviewed on the blog, but somehow it never caught my attention, and so glad to have remedied the omission!  This perfect 80s B-movie spoof-homage has everything: humor, gore, stereotypical frat boys and sorority girls, aliens, zombies, slugs, and an embittered older cop... Great stuff.  Often I have difficulty deciding star ratings, but this one virtually screams 3.5 star movie, way better than just good enough, but still miles from excellent.  And if you lived through the 80s, it's a must-see.

Poltergeist

(1982) ***3/4

Suburban family starts to experience weird and inexplicable occurrences around their home.  The incidents start benignly enough, but quickly become threatening to the safety of the family members.

Loved revisiting this classic, which scared me plenty as a kid.  Found it entertaining enough this time though the second hour drags a bit with the supernatural jibber-jabber and unnecessary explanations.  The depiction of early 80s suburbia, lightened by humorous touches, was spot on and nostalgic. No, it's not that scary, and there are no deaths, but it's still a pretty satisfying watch.

The Canal

(2014) 

Film archivist David and his beautiful, pregnant wife Alice move into their dream home.  Five years later, David becomes aware that Alice's affections might be drifting, and also discovers that the house has a very grim history.

Argh, could have been excellent, but lost me at the end.  Overall a well-acted and interesting twist on haunted house, with suspense and ambiguity over whether mental illness or the supernatural is responsible.  I do think some will like this better than I did so if it's on your list, proceed.

13 Sins

(2014) 

Passive Elliot loses his job at the worst possible time: he is about to get married, his girlfriend is pregnant, and he is responsible for his mentally challenged brother and aging father.  When his cell phone rings and a cheerful voice offers him the opportunity to take on a variety of increasing challenges for increasing payments, Elliot thinks this is the answer to his problems.  Of course, we know better.

One of the finds of this year's Horrorthon, thanks to Catfreeek! There is a definite streak of black humor, the challenges ramp sharply in intensity and seriousness, and Elliot's responses to the challenges ring true. Not a dull moment throughout. I think everyone on the blog should at least consider checking it out!

A Nightmare on Elm Street

(1984) ****

Teenagers are haunted in their dreams by a scarred figure with knives for fingers.  When the kids start to die, Nancy realizes that the figure from her nightmares is somehow causing the deaths, but she can't get anyone to believe her.

Slashers are one of my least favorite sub-genres, but in Nightmare, the horror doesn't come from gore or cheap scares, it comes from the characters being at risk, and adds suspense by blurring reality and dreams.  I had to dock a star for the mediocre acting.  Johnny Depp's realism in his small role made the rest of the cast look pretty crappy.  But otherwise a movie that deserves its place as a horror classic. Great fun.

Darkman

(1990) ****

Dr. Westlake's quest to perfect artificial skin is interrupted by a violent attack on his lab, leaving the doctor horribly burned and presumed dead.  Leaving rehab, he sets out to reconnect with his girlfriend and exact revenge on the criminals who cost him his former life.

Coming from Sam Raimi, I was expecting more horror, but thoroughly enjoyed this well-cast, highly energetic B-movie. I had never seen it before, how is that possible?  I was torn between 3 and a half and four stars, but the cameo at the end pushed it solidly into four-star territory for me.

The Dead

(2010) ****

Fleeing a zombie outbreak, an American mercenary crash lands on the shores of infected territory.  Battling to survive long enough to communicate with the outside world, he runs into another man searching for his son.  Between the zombie hordes and the inhospitable African climate, the two men face nearly insurmountable obstacles on their journey.

This is one of the better-done zombie movies I've seen.  Loved the acting and the African setting, the characters felt real, and were relatively competent and made good decisions (with a couple of exceptions). Highly recommend.

Tucker and Dale vs Evil

(2010) ***1/2

Two hillbillies planning to work on their fixer-upper "vacation home" are beset by a group of college students who've seen one too many slasher films in this entertaining horror-comedy.

In the Mouth of Madness

(1994) ***1/2

Confident insurance investigator John Trent (Sam Neill) is hired to investigate the suspicious disappearance of successful horror writer Sutter Cane (Jurgen Prochnow), but fiction and reality begin to overlap in this Lovecraftian story tinged with black humor.

Rosemary's Baby

(1968) ****

When a young couple moves into the Bramford, a New York apartment building with an unsavory history, housewife Rosemary is unwittingly and irrevocably drawn into a Satanic conspiracy.

Magic

(1978) ***1/2

Anthony Hopkins mesmerizes as a shy but unstable magician whose ventriloquist partner Fats takes on an increasingly central and increasingly unwholesome role in his life.

The City of Lost Children

(1995) ***1/2

Beautifully acted and wildly inventive, but also at times confusing and hard to follow, CoLC is a surreal fantasy adventure following the quest of strongman One and sidekick Miette to rescue One's little brother from an evil dream-stealer.

Ginger Snaps

(2000) ****

Two death-obsessed teen sisters have their own pact against the conventional world until older sister Ginger gets bitten and everything begins to change in this gory and often darkly funny werewolf movie.

The House of the Devil

(2009) ****1/2

This deliciously suspenseful film, about a young woman to whom a highpaying babysitting gig seems like answered prayer, is a loving and surprisingly effective homage to classic 80s horror.

The Haunting

(1963) ****

A malevolent mansion with a bloody history works its evil mojo on a curious group gathered by paranormal researcher Dr. John Markway in this gripping, well-acted classic.

TrollHunter

(2010) ***1/2

Three students attempting to film a suspected bear poacher discover a dangerous secret being kept by the Norwegian government.