(Nia DaCosta, 2021)
Sequel/reboot to the popular 90's franchise that starred Tony Todd as a supernatural force who kills anyone who summons him. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II stars as the classic movie starving artist, who finds inspiration in the urban legend of Candyman, a presence that eventually takes hold of him and those around him. The cinematography and score are fantastic, but that screenplay needed some serious work. The film can't quite decide exactly who or what Candyman is. It has some moments that soar (those opening shots of the city!), but probably best not to think too hard about the storyline. The terrific Teyonah Pariss also appears. GRADE: B-
CENTIGRADE
(Brendan Walsh, 2020)
An author and his pregnant wife become trapped in their vehicle for days after a winter storm causes the doors to freeze shut and snow to pile on top of that. Based on a true story, the claustrophobic setting is used well and there's a potent gross-out moment late in the film. Beyond that, the film is a little too slight and the predicament plays out almost exactly as one would expect. Genesis Rodriguez and Vincent Piazza star. GRADE: B-
THE CONJURING: THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT
(Michael Chaves, 2021)
Latest installment in the popular franchise that strained believability in the second installment and sadly goes even further this round. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson reprise their roles as paranormal investigators The Warrens, this time used in the defense of a murderer who claimed demonic possession. The actual story pretty much showed The Warrens for being the grifters they were, but the film kind of sidetracks to another storyline and forgets about the court case. Probably a smart move, but the second story is too generic. If they do a fourth outing, please ground it in reality a little more! John Noble also appears. GRADE: C
DEADLY FRIEND
(Wes Craven, 1986)
I think I have only 2 more Wes Craven films to see after this - Deadly Blessing and Vampire In Brooklyn. Oh, and Hills Have Eyes 2. I should probably rewatch Serpent and the Rainbow at some point, too. I saw that almost 20 years ago, and I think I fell asleep. This one is a "Frankenstein"-esque story about a brilliant young man and his robot friend. The "Frankenstein" theme is a bit ironic given the studio forced Craven to add scenes of gore. He intended for it to be a science fiction love story, and it ended up being closer to horror. He and the screenwriter ultimately disowned the film. Nevertheless, I found it pretty entertaining, the big gore scene has to be seen to be believed. With Matthew Labyorteaux and Kristy Swanson. GRADE: B
HORIZON LINE
(Mikael Marcimain, 2021)
Allison Williams and Alexander Dreymon (he's hot!) plays exes who must take a small plane to a destination wedding together. When the pilot dies of a heart attack midflight over the ocean, they must find a way to survive and safely land the plane despite minimal experience flying and no sign of land. Survival thriller that flip flops between believability to "uh huh, sure", and from special effects utilized well to "well, that looked like a cheap Syfy movie". I'm still not sold on Williams as an actress, as she has some unintentionally hilarious moments here. GRADE: C+
(Andrew Traucki, 2010)
I watched the director's Black Water films during last Horrorfest and was lukewarm on both of those croc features, but this was much better. Aussie horror about a group of friends stranded over the Great Barrier Reef after their sailboat capsizes. Deciding to swim to an island miles away, they must brave shark-infested waters. It's based on a true story, and how's this: apparently it leans very closely to what actually happened, and many shark experts say its a realistic portrayal of how sharks behave. Not "movie sharks" like Deep Blue Sea or The Shallows. (Though I certainly enjoy those.) There's a sequel currently in post-production, so hopefully I can check that out in time for next year's fest. The underwater photography and authentic shark footage adds to the realism, but what was impressive was the way it uses the vast horizon and calm of the ocean to yield suspense. I just wish it had done a bit more with its characters, as they are mostly empty. The lead actor is named Damian Walshe-Howling, which might be the most horror-ific name you can give a child. GRADE: B
TALES FROM THE CRYPT PRESENTS 'RITUAL'
(Avi Nesher, 2002)
Did you know there was a third Tales From the Crypt movie? Yeah, neither did I. I'm not sure how I even found out about this movie, but I was shocked it was real and that it was available on DVD from Netflix. Turns out it wasn't intended to be a TFTC movie, they just added the Cryptkeeper segments prior to release. Otherwise, this is a very basic and poor Direct-To-DVD horror about a doctor who had her medical license revoked and takes a job in Jamaica caring for the sick members of a wealthy family. As she discovers, they might not actually be sick, but cursed by a voodoo cult. Way too long, pretty racist, and never scary or interesting, it's not a surprise this film has been buried and forgotten. With Jennifer Grey and Craig Sheffer. GRADE: D
THE VEIL
(Phil Joanou, 2016)
Jessica Alba plays a documentary filmmaker who takes the sole survivor (Lily Rabe) back to the location of a cult's mass suicide that happened 25 years prior. Thankfully, it wasn't done in the found footage style, but the film has that ugly, brownish gray tint that so many films of the genre seemed to have for the past decade. Everything looks like it was covered a in layer of grime. So gritty! So scary! So..not either of those things but trying so damn hard. Definitely one of the lesser Blumhouse entries, even with a solid cast that also includes Thomas Jane, Reid Scott and Shannon Woodward. GRADE: C
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