Horror Movies

Mainstream ‘Last House on the Left’ (2009) still harrowing 

As with Wes Craven’s 1972 original, director Dennis Iliadis’ “The Last House on the Left” (2009) might be underrated because of its rape scene. Although

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‘Open Water’ (2004) might be too realistic for some 

“Open Water” (2004) has among the fewest shark special effects – probably little more than false fins – of any shark movie. Yet a case

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‘The Hills Have Eyes’ (2006) a tasty cannibal remake  

The Naughties (2000-09 in horror films) were a cynical time of slick remakes. But entries like director/co-writer Alexandre Aja’s “The Hills Have Eyes” (2006) remind

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Ryder’s ‘Gone in the Night’ will age well 

Director/co-writer Eli Horowitz’s “Gone in the Night” starts in one place – a couple arrives at their rental cabin only to find it’s been accidentally

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‘Triangle’ (2009) untethers us from safety blanket of time 

Before the original run of “The X-Files” (1993-2002), weird horror movies stood out. Afterward, they we more likely to get lost in the shuffle (although

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‘Deep Blue Sea 3’ (2020) wises up to cap smart-shark trilogy 

Because I can’t leave my readers hanging like one of those hapless characters dangling above a shark’s maw – as happens at least once in

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‘Exorcism of Emily Rose’ (2005) puts Derrickson on map 

“The Exorcism of Emily Rose” (2005) makes many lists of elite exorcism films, but in broader circles it’s under the radar. It gets lost in

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‘Bait’ (2012) plants hook of grocery-store shark horror 

As the shark subgenre of horror became increasingly glutted in the 21st century, it became important for a new movie to stand out, to have the

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‘Black Water’ films (2007, 2020) are a croc (in a good way)

Australian writer-director Andrew Traucki got on the map with “Black Water” (2007), a gripping low-budget feature about a killer croc (no, not that one) stalking

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Minimalist ‘The Shallows’ (2016) maximizes thrills 

“The Shallows” (2016) is minimalist shark horror as high art. Surfer/med student Nancy (Blake Lively) gets stranded on a rock two football-field lengths from a

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