(Johannes Roberts, 2017)
Sisters (Claire Holt and Mandy Moore) go cage diving off the coast of Mexico, but a break in the line causes the cage to plummet to the bottom of the ocean floor. The only way out is up where countless sharks are swimming the waters looking for food. After last year's successful sleeper The Shallows, this film did pretty well given it was supposed to go direct to home viewing. The Shallows it ain't. While the sharks are surprisingly realistic, the film generates very little suspense. It's a shame because this is a decent concept. GRADE: C
(Matty Beckerman, 2014)
Found footage horror in which a family's trip to North Carolina is cut short after witnessing the Brown Mountain Lights (it's a real thing!) and the next day coming face to face with aliens. Silly but hugely effective yarn, and the camera is being held by the family's autistic son which adds a valid reason why he keeps filming. I've said here before alien abduction stuff actually works for me, and this one has several well done sequences. There's a chilling sequence in which the family pulls up to a tunnel where the remains of the other abductees' cars sit like a graveyard. If you are not into abduction stories, your mileage with this may vary. GRADE: B
(David F. Sandberg, 2017)
Superior prequel to 2014's lackluster Annabelle, the film shows the origins of the Annabelle doll first shown in the first The Conjuring film. Tracing back to a desolate farmhouse in which the owners have recently tragically lost a daughter and the group of orphans they take in, this prequel has a really fun final act. I just wish they had done more that scarecrow! Scarecrows are sadly underutilized in horror. I also wish Miranda Otto's exposition scene had explained a little more about the family contacting evil to get their daughter back. Between this and Ouija: Origin of Evil, there's hope for mediocre horror movies if you give them a prequel. GRADE: B
(Sean Byrne, 2017)
Metal music causes a man to murder, and after he's caught, the new inhabitants of his home find themselves haunted. Probably a little too short for its own good (it's only 80 minutes), the film didn't quite go the direction I thought it was going with the storyline. I assumed Ethan Embry's character would pick up a guitar and take things from there, but it didn't happen. Embry looked really hot, even with the ridiculous wig. Pruitt Taylor Vince and Shiri Appleby co-star. GRADE: B-
(Trey Edward Shults, 2017)
In a world wiped out by a virus, a family's sheltered existence in a cabin the woods is interrupted by the arrival of a young family. Tense and realistic indie with a terrific cast, this won't be everyone's cup of tea as it's not standard horror and is about as bleak as can be. I still haven't seen Shults's Krisha as it's not available on DVD? WTF? Joel Edgerton, Carmen Ejogo, Christopher Abbot and Riley Keough star. Pay attention to the aspect ratios! I wish IMDB was still around so I could see what other people that the significance of the change was. GRADE: B+
(Julia Ducournau, 2017)
A young vegetarian starting veterinary school in France discovers a taste for human flesh in this grisly character study. Feels like a European version of Ginger Snaps given the sisterhood storyline, but minus the werewolves. The lead actress, Garance Marillier, is terrific, but big props to the film for its portrayal of her gay roommate, played by Rabah Nait Oufella; he's out, sexually active, sexy and unapologetic. This film could teach American films a lesson or two in that regard. Great ending scene, too! GRADE: B+
(Gregg Bishop, 2016)
Spinoff of the first short in the first V/H/S film, this film makes up for that short's misogynist tone by turning the tables on a bachelor party looking for a night of debauchery. The "Siren" is some kind of creature - this film seems to suggest Biblical - that can lure men into a trance before killing/eating them. She was much creepier in the short where she was more mysterious. I think this debuted directly on Chiller, but it does have nudity and swearing. It's story is all over the place, going from religious fanaticism, to creature feature, to feminist revenge and none of it quite lands. Thinking back, it's like a lesser From Dusk Till Dawn. GRADE: C
(Jay Lender and Micah Wright, 2016)
Comedy/horror focusing on a House Hunters International-esque reality show where the cast and crew try to escape a small town in Moldova that might be cursed by a witch. The idea of combining a lampooning of HGTV with a horror plot is definitely something custom made for me, and the film for most of its running time has a breezy feel. However, it throws in everything but the kitchen sink and tone veers from found footage horror to Borat-like mocking of small European towns. I wish the team behind What We Do In the Shadows had done a rewrite of this because that could've been something truly special. As it is, though, it's still enjoyable. GRADE: B-
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