The Nightmare on Elm Street Movies

                                                     A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

 
In the dreams of his victims, a spectral child murderer stalks the children of the members of the lynch mob that killed him.

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                               A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)

A teenage boy is haunted in his dreams by Freddy Krueger who is out to possess him to continue his murdering in the real world.

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                                      A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)

Survivors of undead serial killer Freddy Krueger - who stalks his victims in their dreams - learn to take control of their own dreams in order to fight back.

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                                 A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master: (1988)

Freddy Krueger returns once again to terrorize the dreams of the remaining Dream Warriors, as well as those of a young woman who may know the way to defeat him for good.

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                                        A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child:

Alice, having survived the previous installment of the Nightmare series, finds the deadly dreams of Freddy Krueger starting once again. This time, the taunting murderer is striking through the sleeping mind of Alice's unborn child. His intention is to be "born again" into the real world. The only one who can stop Freddy is his dead mother, but can Alice free her spirit in time to save her own son?

                                             

                                            Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare: (1991)

Freddy Krueger returns once again to haunt both the dreams of his daughter and Springwood's last surviving teenager.

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                                                              New Nightmare (1994)

A demonic force has chosen Freddy Krueger as its portal to the real world. Can Heather play the part of Nancy one last time and trap the evil trying to enter our world?

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                                                                   Freddy vs. Jason

Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees return to terrorize the teenage population. Except this time, they're out to get each other, too. 

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Crowsnest (2012)

Five young friends venture into a forest for a booze-fueled birthday celebration, but instead find pure terror in this found-footage shocker from director Brenton Spencer (Never Cry Werewolf).

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Grave Encounters (2011) / Grave Encounters 2 (2012)

A team of phony paranormal investigators has their skepticism put to the test in this mockumentary-style horror opus. Collingwood is a mental institution in Maryland that has been closed for more than half a century. Local legend had it that the hospital is haunted, and the former caretaker (Bob Rathie) and a number of folks who live nearby claim that they've seen and heard signs of paranormal disturbances in the night. Jerry Hartfeld (Ben Wilkinson) is a television producer specializing in reality shows who arranges for a team of basic cable ghost hunters, led by host Lance Preston (Sean Rogerson), to shoot an episode of their show Grave Encounters at Collingwood. It doesn't take long for Preston and his crew to tip their hands as fakes who are happy to stage phony interviews and set up special effects "disturbances" for the cameras. But they discover Collingwood really is home to forces beyond their understanding, and they're in very real danger as the night wears on. The first feature film from the writing and directing team of Colin Minihan and Stuart Ortiz (aka The Vicious Brothers), Grave Encounters was an official selection at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival.

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A researcher investigating the case of the film crew that vanished while exploring Collingwood Psychiatric Hospital receives a disturbing video that promises to answer all of his most pressing questions -- if it doesn't prove the death of him first -- in this shocking supernatural sequel. Upon receiving a clip that appears to show a still-living Sean Rogerson trapped somewhere deep in the bowels of the notorious asylum, Alex Wright (Richard Harmon) agrees to meet enigmatic blogger "DeathAwaits666" at Collingwood, and brings along a few friends to document their excursion. Shortly after arriving at the hospital, however, Alex and his friends realize they will soon meet the same grim fate as Sean and his crew unless they use their knowledge of the previous events to escape the nightmare that's fast closing in.

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Bigfoot County (2012)

Three documentary filmmakers investigating Bigfoot sightings in Siskiyou County capture terrifying proof of the creature's existence in this found footage frightener from writer/director Stephon Stewart.

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Undocumented (2011)

A documentary film crew experiences the harrowing plight of illegal immigrants firsthand while following a group of Mexicans attempting to illegally cross the border into the U.S. When the truck carrying the filmmakers and the undocumented immigrants is unexpectedly detained, the horrors that follow won't soon be forgotten.

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The Barrens (2012)

A family camping trip into the pine forests of Southern New Jersey becomes a harrowing battle against the supernatural when a wicked urban legend emerges from the darkness of the deep woods. Rumor has it that 400 years ago, Satan himself sired the Jersey Devil. The name alone is enough to strike fear into the heart of anyone from the region, but adventurous urbanite Richard Vineyard (Stephen Moyer) is determined to get his kids off the couch and have them experience the outdoors. Shortly after journeying deep into the forest for the perfect camping site, however, Richard has a run-in with the Jersey Devil that leaves him deeply shaken. Later, as Richard's behavior grows increasingly erratic, his terrified wife and children begin to fear that they will never make it out of the forest alive. Allie MacDonald, Mia Kirshner, and Erik Knudsen co-star in this shocker from director Darren Lynn Bousman (Mother's Day, Repo! The Genetic Opera).

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Candyman (1992)

 

Bernard Rose followed his moody fantasy-thriller Paperhouse (1988) with this modern horror tale, based on Clive Barker's short story "The Forbidden". Compiling a thesis on urban legends, University of Illinois in Chicago graduate student Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen) becomes aware of the prevalent superstition surrounding the legend of "Candyman" (Tony Todd)--a hook-wielding phantom who will appear if his name is recited five times into a mirror--among the tenants of Chicago's Cabrini Green project. A senior professor, hearing of Helen's research, explains the historical basis for the legend, detailing how Candyman is believed to be the vengeful spirit of a former slave who, though initially respected in academia, was set upon and mutilated by an angry mob when accused of taking a white mistress. When the clinically-detached Helen flaunts her intellectual confidence by reciting Candyman's name five times, she sets in motion an inevitable series of supernatural events -- culminating in a series of grisly killings, after which Helen is invariably found holding the bloody murder weapon. Though she is captured by the police, it becomes evident to Helen that Candyman is guiding her fate every step of the way.
 
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Review By Cavett Binion

Haunting, intelligent and poetic, Candyman's strength lies in its ability to deliver a powerful social message primarily through imagery (Helen's realization that each room in her ritzy high-rise is the "mirror image" of its counterpart in Cabrini Green is a telling example), while managing to deliver the horror goods with hair-raising suspense, graphic shocks, and a chillingly seductive yet painfully human monster -- all qualities which affirm Candyman as the finest Barker adaptation ever committed to film -- far superior to its disappointing sequel Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1994).

Pumpkinhead (1988)

A bereaved farmer enlists the aid of a terrifying demon to help avenge his son's death in this stylish horror movie that contains a strong moral. It all begins as gentle widowed farmer/general store owner Ed's beloved 10-year-old son is involved in a fatal hit-and-run accident with an careless unknown motorcyclist. Ed nearly goes berserk with grief and to bring back his son heads to the cabin of a wise old witch to see if she can rejuvenate the youth. Unfortunately, it is beyond her considerable powers so Ed, now equally desperate for revenge, invokes the legendary Pumpkinhead, a terrifying demon with the power to make the biker pay. One by one, Pumpkinhead dispatches the terrified cyclist and his friends, leaving Ed to reconsider his rashness. He tries to call the demon back, but by then it is far too late.... The film is the directorial debut of Oscar-winning special effects wizard Stan Winston.

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Review By Josh Ralske

 Pumpkinhead, the directorial debut of special effects wizard Stan Winston, is a routine horror film. It opens well, establishing a touching father/son relationship between Ed Harley (horror movie stalwart Lance Henriksen) and his little son Billy (Matthew Hurley). Then along comes a careless and rude group of fresh-faced, dirt bike-riding post-teens, and things get fairly predictable from that point. The swampy rural setting is used to nice effect, and Henriksen, as usual, does solid work, but none of the other actors make much of an impression (not even Mayim Bialik [TV's Blossom] in a small role as a hillbilly kid). The unruly kids being picked off, one by one, by a monster from the depths of hell is a motif that had already been seen before, countless times, in the string of knockoff slasher movies that followed Halloween. Pumpkinhead (Tom Woodruff Jr. wearing the suit), the creature itself, is less scary then it should be. Rather than creating something creepy and homespun like the backwoods witch who summons the demon, Winston opted for something far too otherworldly, and too evocative of the monsters in Aliens (for which Winston did the makeup effects). Some kind of shambling hick monster would have been more appropriate for a demon spawned from a backwoods cemetery, more believable, and, in the end, scarier than the invincible high-tech superbeing that wreaks havoc in Pumpkinhead.

Graveyard Disturbance (1987)

Five young robbers spend a whole night in a dark catacomb to win a priceless treasure. They will have to fight against lots of ferocious zombies and vampires. At the end they will meet the Death in person!

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Near Dark (1987)

In Kathryn Bigelow's tale of vampires in the American Southwest, the creatures of the night aren't elegant, cloaked aristocrats. They're a gun-toting gang that dresses and acts like a motorcycle gang. Caleb (Adrian Pasdar), a restless young man from a small farm town, meets an alluring drifter named Mae (Jenny Wright). She reveals herself to be a vampire, who "turns" Caleb into one of her kind rather than kill him. But the rest of her "family" is slow to accept the newcomer. The ancient leader, Jesse (Lance Henriksen), and his psychotic henchman Severen (Bill Paxton) lay down the law; Caleb has to carry his own weight or die. However, he can't bring himself to kill. He manages to win the gang's approval when he rescues them from certain death in a daytime gunfight during a spectacular motel shoot-out in which every bullet hole lets in a deadly ray of sunlight. When the vampires threaten Caleb's real family, he's forced to choose between life and death. The film avoids the complex vampire mythology of such films as Interview with the Vampire. Instead, it emphasizes the intense, seductive bond that forms between Caleb and the violent but tightly knit gang. Bigelow would later utilize this powerful dramatic device in her 1991 film Point Break.

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Review By Lucia Bozzola

Kathryn Bigelow's Near Dark (1987) crosses the Western with the horror film in one of the most intriguing and smartly scripted films in the vampire subgenre (although the "v" word is never spoken). While the velvety shadows and expressive lighting effects enhance the eeriness of the undead drifters' night world, Bigelow's keen visual sensibility is also displayed in her stylish Western landscapes; the romance between Caleb and Mae may be gothic, but it's Southern-Western Gothic. In this hybrid atmosphere, the complex relationships among the vampire "family" shift sympathies away from the usual human "heroes," even as the deliberately paced story is shot through with violently frightening and blackly humorous scenes of vampire mayhem. The charismatic crew's hedonistic world has its seductions, even if former human Caleb cannot adopt the lifestyle. As vampire initiate Caleb becomes increasingly strung-out from avoiding blood, and the specter of blood exchange invokes death, Near Dark becomes a timely allegory of disease and drug addiction as well as a tale about broken families and Western isolation. Though not a hit in 1987, Near Dark has become a cult favorite and one of the most highly regarded films in Bigelow's genre-twisting oeuvre.

Demons (1985)

Italian horror auteur Dario Argento produced and co-wrote (with director Lamberto Bava) this gory, nightmarish horror film set almost entirely within the "Metropol," a huge, cathedral-like Berlin cinema showing an invitation-only screening of a rather lame slasher film. The difference, of course, is that the cheap scares on the Metropol's screen are child's play compared to the horrors which soon emerge to lay hold of the unsuspecting filmgoers: when a young woman is scratched by part of a display in the theatre lobby, she begins to mutate into a fanged, slavering creature who then attacks other audience members, spreading the demonic infection until only a handful of survivors are forced to combat rampaging armies of inhuman beasts, making the latter portion of the film resemble Night of the Living Dead. A handful of sequels followed; there's a little "reward" for those who stick around for the end credits.

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Review By Patrick Legare

Demons is a cult classic among gore fans in spite of its somewhat senseless story line. Perhaps the most amazing thing about it is that it took four writers to create the screenplay. Lamberto Bava, the son of Italian filmmaking great Mario Bava, shows none of his father's style or suspense in making a splatter film that is strictly about the splatter. Claws and fangs slash through flesh. Fingers are bitten off. Innocent humans transform into slime-spewing demons. There are scalpings, slashings, beheadings, impalings, and disembowelings -- all up on the screen for your viewing pleasure. There's also plenty of bad acting and howlingly funny dialogue. "Because of that scratch, she became a demon, an instrument of evil," a Shaft-lookalike comically proclaims. The paper-thin story is set in a movie theater whose patrons find themselves trapped inside with a plethora of demons. As each person is attacked, they too transform into the creatures from Hell. While producer/co-screenwriter Dario Argento's influence on this mess is obvious (particularly the hard rock soundtrack that includes tunes by Mötley Crüe, Billy Idol, and others), a bigger inspiration would appear to be George Romero's Dawn of the Dead. That horror classic also featured extreme gore, a familiar public setting (a shopping mall), and similar action sequences (an indoor dirt-bike ride to kill the ghouls). Just one problem: Demons has absolutely no logic to its madness. The special makeup effects by Sergio Stivaletti are suitably sick and get plenty of screen time with the highlight being a spectacular back-bursting scene in which a demon pops right out of a young woman. 

Ghoulies (1985)

Joe Dante's box-office fantasy Gremlins had barely left American cinemas before Charles Band's B-movie factory, Empire Pictures, rushed out this cheap knockoff. While Dante's film benefited from the director's wry sense of humor and the high-concept clout of executive producer Steven Spielberg, Band's tawdry little creature feature boasts lower production values than a high-school haunted-house fundraiser. The title monsters are a pack of obnoxious demons -- enacted by a handful of rubber dolls covered with KY jelly -- summoned up by the metaphysical shenanigans of college student Jonathan Graves (Peter Liapis) after he discovers his late father's occult paraphernalia at the family estate. Jonathan later invites a group of annoying friends to participate in an all-night party, during which he intends to perform an elaborate parlor trick -- actually a satanic ritual through which he hopes to acquire his father's supernatural powers. This doesn't sit well with Dad, who bursts violently from his grave (a nice touch) to have a chat with his wayward son while legions of ghoulies (well, four or five, anyway) descend upon the revelers. Considering the entire production revolves around the antics of the ghoulies themselves, the alleged puppetry involved is laughable -- the inarticulate puppets do little more than open drooling mouths full of pointy teeth before offscreen stagehands fling them at the heads of cast members. The film's main points of interest lie with the supporting cast, which includes Bobbi Bresee as a supernatural seductress (sporting an eight-foot tongue!) and Eraserhead's John Nance as a bizarre gardener. Somehow, this became one of Empire's top moneymakers, spawning no less than three sequels.

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Poltergeist (1982)

With Poltergeist, directed by Tobe Hopper, Steven Spielberg had his first great success as a producer. Released around the same time as Spielberg's E.T., the film presents the dark side of Spielberg's California suburban track homes. The film centers on the Freeling family, a typical middle class family living in the peaceful Cuesta Verde Estates. The father, Steve (Craig T. Nelson), has fallen asleep in front of the television, and the dog saunters around the house revealing the other family members -- Steve's wife Diane (JoBeth Williams), sixteen-year-old daughter Dana (Dominique Dunne), eight-year-old son Robbie (Oliver Robins), and five-year-old Carol Ann (Heather O'Rourke). Soon strange things begin to happen around the house; the pet canary dies, mysterious storms occur, and Carol Ann is summoned to the TV set, where a strange shaft of green light hits her and causes the room to shake ("They're he-e-ere!"). As curious events continue, Carol Ann is repeatedly drawn to the television, where she begins to talk to "the TV people." Soon Carol Ann is sucked into a closet, disappearing from this reality plane. Unable to find his daughter, Steve consults Dr. Lesh (Beatrice Straight), a para-psychologist from a nearby college. Lesh finds that paranormal phenomena is so strong in the Freelong household she is unable to deal with it and sends for clairvoyant and professional exorcist Tangina (Zelda Rubinstein) to examine the house in hopes of finding Carol Ann. Tangina makes a horrifying discovery: Carol Ann is alive and in the house, but is being held on another spectral plane.

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Review By Brendon Hanley

Though directed by Tobe Hooper, Poltergeist is most often thought of as a Steven Spielberg movie, with all of the hallmarks of a Spielberg film: impressive effects, snappy pacing, and a child-like sense of wonder and horror. At the time, the director was juggling the haunted-house project with the more personal E.T., and cult horror director Hooper was called in to helm. Legend has it that Spielberg had his fingers in just about every decision, and even directed some of the scenes himself, leaving the job's technical aspects to Hooper. Spielberg would eventually be credited as co-producer and co-screenwriter. Poltergeist is clearly more akin to Spielberg's E.T. or Close Encounters of the Third Kind than to Hooper's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Eaten Alive. It's a very engaging film, thanks to Jo Beth Williams's solid performance and the slick, chilling effects by Industrial Light and Magic.

The Evil Dead (1983)

This auspicious feature debut from Sam Raimi -- shot on 16mm in the woods of Tennesse for around $350,000 -- secured the young director's cult status as a creative force to be reckoned with. The nominal plot involves five vacationing college kids -- Ash (Bruce Campbell), his girlfriend Linda (Betsy Baker), and their classmates Cheryl (Ellen Sandweiss), Scott (Hal Delrich) and Shelly (Sarah York) -- making an unplanned stopover in an abandoned mountain cabin surrounded by impenetrable woods. Before settling in for the night, they come across an ancient-looking occult tome filled with dense hieroglyphics and macabre illustrations, a dagger fashioned from human bones, and a reel-to-reel tape recorder. The taped message, dictated by a professor of archaeology, describes the contents of the Sumerian "Book of the Dead," filled with incantations used to bring otherworldly demons to life, giving them license to possess the living. The message goes on to explain that those possessed by these demons can only be stopped by total bodily dismemberment. When played among the group later that evening, the professor's recorded translations of the ritual chants traumatize the strangely prescient Shelly ... and simultaneously release an ominous presence from the depths of the forest. The evil spirits take to their dirty work with gusto, first assuming control of Shelly and transforming her into a cackling, murderous hag with superhuman strength; the others imprison her in the fruit cellar and chain the trapdoor shut. The spirits then begin to possess the other women, including Linda -- who immediately turns on Ash with a barrage of punches and sadistic taunts. Unable to bring himself to chop up his lover's corpse, Ash gives her a more customary burial in the woods -- which proves to be a big mistake. As the others succumb to demonic influence, Ash's horrific predicament becomes increasingly grim until, when all hope seems lost, he stumbles upon a final, desperate solution to the ghoulish onslaught ... well, maybe not. Despite the shoestring production values, Raimi has fashioned a tight, lightning-paced fever dream of a movie, filled with operatic overacting and outrageously gory effects that give the project a comic-book feel. Based on an earlier 8mm short titled Within the Woods, this feature version was fraught with distribution difficulties before finding its first audience overseas. After considerable word of mouth (and a glowing endorsement from horror author Stephen King), the film became a hit on home video, where it achieved further notoriety thanks to its highly-publicized banning in Britain amid the notorious "Video Nasties" censorship campaign. Raimi, along with producer Robert Tapert, writer Scott Spiegel and much of the same crew, cranked up the story's comic aspects several dozen notches for the rollicking semi-remake, Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn.

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Review By Robert Firsching

A very well-done debut by young Sam Raimi, this is (unlike its jokey sequels) a serious-minded horror film that has fright as its main concern. Five college kids go to a remote cabin, where they find a book and a tape which contain incantations to summon demons. One by one they are possessed by the malevolent evil in and around the cabin, with bloody results. Pencils are stabbed through ankles, body parts are severed, and a woman is raped by an evil tree. The best scenes involve the chilling initial possession during a card game and the attempts by the hideously demonic Ellen Sandweiss to convince star Bruce Campbell to free her from the cellar where she's been locked. Fast-paced and filled with some amazing camerawork, (though the special effects aren't very special and give away the budget) it is a remarkably kinetic film, full of the energy that only independent filmmakers can seem to muster, and has more than its share of scares and chills.

An American Werewolf in London (1981)

While wandering the English moors on vacation, college yanks David (David Naughton) and Jack (Griffin Dunne) happen upon a quaint pub with a mysterious patronage who warn them not to leave the road when walking after dark. Irreverent of such advice as characters in horror films always are, the two decide to find a short cut....David wakes up in the hospital with a nasty bite wound to his shoulder; the freshly deceased, and rapidly decomposing, Jack arrives soon after to deliver the grim news that, unless he commits suicide, David will become a werewolf when the moon is full. David dismisses the encounter as a hallucination, but all indicators point to lycanthrope; evenings of barking and bloodletting follow closely behind. While the story is thin and much of the tongue-in-cheek humor is overdone, there are plenty of genuine jolts thanks to makeup guru Rick Baker's eye-popping special effects. The werewolf, resembling a cross between a bear and a wolverine, appears frighteningly real, and, given the fantastic premise, the gore is most convincing (although surprisingly and refreshingly scant). The hospital dream sequences are creative, and the scenes in which the werewolf runs rampant through downtown London are particularly good. In all, An American Werewolf in London is an original, atmospheric film that manages both to scare and amuse. While dismissed by most American critics upon its release, the film managed to secure a place in the annals of American cinema when Baker won an Academy Award for his amazing effects and creature designs.
 
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Review By Robert Firsching

Because of the admittedly justified attention paid to Rick Baker's amazing werewolf transformation effects, certain other elements of this irreverent, impressively realized horror film have been neglected. John Landis' witty script and careful direction strike just the right balance between nervous laughter and savage gore, and a pair of nightmares near the beginning of the film are among the most canny and effective shock sequences of the '80s. The appealing cast is highlighted by Griffin Dunne, who turns in a sardonically funny performance as an increasingly grotesque decomposing zombie which provides most of the film's considerable dark humor. Landis reverts to his usual car crashes and mayhem in the film's disappointing conclusion, and throws in another "See You Next Wednesday" reference for his fans, but the majority of this film -- though definitely not for the squeamish -- is wonderfully entertaining and highly recommended.

Wolfen (1981)

Wolfen, a frightening horror movie based upon a novel by Whitley Strieber, concerns Detective Dewey Wilson (Albert Finney), who gets assigned to investigate the strange murder of a millionaire and his wife in a downtown park. Wilson and his friend, city coroner Whittington (Gregory Hines), aided by criminal psychologist Rebecca Neff (Diane Venora) connect the killing to those of several others, primarily winos, drug addicts and derelicts, all of whom seem to have been mutilated by wild animals. Their search leads them to a group of Native Americans led by Edward James Olmos who tell them of a legend of a superior species that once roamed the area, but now are living and hunting in the slums of New York. The film is engrossing, frightening and intelligent, with sensational special effects. Director Michael Wadleigh uses these effects to great advantage, frequently showing the movements of the characters through the eyes of the "Wolfen." This film is also the screen debut of Hines.

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Review By Donald Guarisco

This attempt to crossbreed visceral shocks and social commentary has ambition to spare, but is too muddled in its approach to really work. The key problem with Wolfen is that it burdens its plot with tons of details and messages that crowd the other aspects of its storytelling. David Eyre and Michael Wadleigh's script never successfully integrates the film's horror element into its police procedural plot line, thus making the film's scary moments feel like afterthoughts, and struggles to work in a lot of social commentary on subjects like the homeless, America's treatment of Native Americans, and the negative effects of urban renewal. As a result, the film suffers from an awkward sense of rhythm as it struggles to juggle all this material. Even worse, the preponderance of plotting and messages in Wolfen leaves little room for characterization. Albert Finney and Diane Venora struggle to breath life into their sketchy roles, but simply don't have enough to work with. Only Edward James Olmos manages to make an impression with his intense work as a wily Native American activist. On the plus side, Wolfen benefits from solid technical credits. Gerry Fisher's cinematography captures the grimy and glamorous sides of New York City with equal aplomb and James Horner's thunderous score adds a much-needed creepy atmosphere to the proceedings. However, no amount of technical slickness can make up for the Wolfen's muddled storytelling and it can only be recommended to werewolf movie completists.

The Howling (1981)

This groundbreaking, darkly comic horror film from director Joe Dante changed the look and feel of werewolf movies in ways light-years distant from Universal's horror classic The Wolf Man. The story begins with television reporter/anchor Karen White (Dee Wallace) taking part in a dangerous police operation intended to trap psychopath Eddie Quist (Robert Picardo). When confronted by Eddie face to face, she witnesses something horrifying enough to trigger selective amnesia. Plagued by a series of violent nightmares, Karen decides to admit herself to a posh recovery resort known only as "The Colony," run by her eccentric New Age therapist, Dr. Waggner (Patrick MacNee), and brings along her husband, Bill (Christopher Stone), for support. The night after they arrive, Karen and Bill are unnerved by eerie howling in the woods.
Back in the city, Karen's co-workers Chris (Dennis Dugan) and Terry (Belinda Balaski) have been investigating Eddie's background after discovering that his body has disappeared from the morgue. Sifting through Eddie's possessions, they find a strange collection of artwork depicting wolf-like creatures, and decide to consult with Walter Paisley (Dick Miller, of course), the owner of an occult bookshop, on werewolf lore. Though he claims not to believe in the stuff he's selling, Paisley nevertheless convinces Chris to purchase a handful of silver bullets...just in case.
Back at the colony, Dr. Waggner has organized a hunting party after hearing Karen's account of the nocturnal howling, but the men find nothing but a rabbit, which Bill is told to bring to the cabin of the sultry Marsha (Elisabeth Brooks) to prepare for dinner. After resisting Marsha's less-than-subtle sexual overtures, Bill is attacked by a wolf while returning to his cabin. The following moonlit night, the sleepless Bill wanders outside to find Marsha waiting and the two make love by the campfire, their bodies undergoing a frightening transformation. Just as Karen is beginning to suspect that her husband is hiding a secret far more threatening than marital infidelity, Chris and Terry have come to realize -- too late, in Terry's case -- that Eddie Quist is not only still alive, but not quite human...and he knows he's being followed. Chris arrives at the colony too late to save Terry, but manages to find Karen just as the colony's residents -- all of whom are werewolves, including Dr. Waggner -- are assembling to decide her fate.

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Review By Jason Buchanan

Without question one of the most visceral and satisfying werewolf movies ever released, director Joe Dante's knowing lycanthrope classic is sure to get a few jumps, as well as a few chuckles, out of even the most jaded horror fan. From the smart and innovative script from screenwriter John Sayles to solid performances all around, The Howling is a rare example of a werewolf film that likely would have succeeded even if Rob Bottin's groundbreaking makeup effects hadn't been so terrifyingly convincing. Endless in-jokes and film references are bound to keep cinephiles constantly on their toes, and even if you're not up to the task of weeding out all the fine details, this fast-paced chiller isn't likely to leave you bored -- and that's an extremely difficult weight to balance. From television news reporter Karen White's (Dee Wallace Stone) mysterious and terrifying initial encounter in a cheap porno shop to the dark secrets of the "colony" she retreats to in hopes of escaping the nightmares that plague her, Dante and Sayles keep things moving at a lean pace that is notably enlivened by Patrick Macnee, John Carradine, and Slim Pickens' colorful supporting performances. If the makeup effects seem slightly outdated from a revisionist standpoint, the images they create (the image of sharp, talon-like claws growing out of the main werewolf in particular) are hard to shake regardless of the technological advancements that have aided effects artists since The Howling's debut in 1981. These unforgettable images, combined with a clever script and tight direction, make for a film as self-consciously fun as it is truly unsettling.

The Amityville Horror (1979)

"For God's sake, GET OUT!" was the ad campaign for the 1979 shocker The Amityville Horror. The film was based on the allegedly true story of the luckless Lutz family, who move lock, stock, and barrel into a new home, only to find that it is possessed by the demonic spirits of its previous owners. Variations of the Seven Deadly Plagues emanate from virtually every household fixture, while other forms of otherworldly mischief are suffered by the Lutz children. Enter kindly Father Delaney (Rod Steiger), who does his utmost to exorcise the house. The Amityville Horror was frequently greeted with laughs from its first-run audiences, especially after it was discovered that the "actual" events depicted in the film (based on a book by Jay Anson) were complete fabrications.

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Review By Michael Hastings

For those caught up in the media blitz surrounding the "real-life" paranormal activities of the Lutz household in the late '70s, Jay Anson's best-selling nonfiction tome and its subsequent movie adaptation may have been riveting, seminal works of fact-based horror. Years removed from the scandal, however, it's possible to see The Amityville Horror for what it is: a laughable piece of quickie camp exploitation, produced by the company that invented the form, American International Pictures. The Lutzes' story -- however fabricated -- made for some great, straightforward post-Rosemary's Baby, post-Exorcist freak-outs. But in its translation to the screen, Amityville became an almost Dadaist exercise in incoherence, riddled with shots that don't match, performers that seem to have been filmed at separate times in separate locations, and interminable stretches of celluloid where absolutely nothing happens. '70s stalwarts Margot Kidder and James Brolin -- not to mention the well-in-decline Rod Steiger -- turn in wildly overmodulated performances that somehow don't fit together, despite having a common denominator of bug-eyed, histrionic bombast. Of course, none of the ineptitude of the film's first hour would matter if there were a satisfying payoff, but Amityville botches even that, with fake-looking green ooze and perhaps the least-menacing portal to hell in motion-picture history. By the time the umpteenth low-angle shot of the house's evil-eye attic windows rolls around, most viewers -- no matter how nostalgic -- would be best advised to shut off Amityville and rent Poltergeist instead.

Dagon (2001)

The nightmares of Paul Marsh (Ezra Godden), a successful businessman, are haunted by a mermaid that neither he nor his beautiful girlfriend, Barbara (Raquel Merono), can figure out. While on a boating vacation off the Spanish shore, a sudden storm sends their sailboat crashing into the rocks, causing Paul and Barbara to paddle to the nearby fishing village for help. But the village is inhabited by a race of people who are half-human/half-fish, and the time has come for them to sacrifice humans to their monstrous leader, Dagon. Not only that, but Paul's nightmares become horrifying reality when he encounters beautiful and passionate Uxia (Macarena Gomez), the mermaid of his visions, and boy does she have a surprise for him besides the double tentacles under her skirt.

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Review By Jason Buchanan

H.P. Lovecraft fans may well be the most elusive cinematic horror gold mine that filmmakers have yet to find an effective means to harvest. With a rich and imaginative body of work that has spawned some of the most memorable images in literary horror history and inspired such beloved contemporary genre masters as Stephen King and Clive Barker (whose works have also been adapted into less-than-stellar films), such efforts as The Dunwich Horror and The Unnameable have left Lovecraft fans waiting anxiously for someone to come along and get it right. And though this has happened on rare occasion (Dan O'Bannon's The Resurrected (1992) offered a fairly chilling adaptation of Lovecraft's The Case of Charles Dexter Ward), most film versions of Lovecraft's complex and far-reaching tales have failed to capture the essence of terror that he managed to imbue so effectively onto the written page. Though it's more of a hodgepodge of stories rather than a straight adaptation of the singular tale of Dagon, Stuart Gordon's return to Lovecraft land captures the supreme sense of dread represented in the best of Lovecraft's writings and manages to work it into a well-paced film with some great settings. The seaside town which has fallen prey to the influence of a malevolent sea deity named Dagon is a dank maze of crumbling buildings that becomes a terrifying character on its own terms. Additionally, Fantastic Factory has wisely opted for more traditional prosthetic effects rather than the current trend toward CGI-based animation, with the exception of a brief moment in the film's climax. In the world of Lovecraft's tentacle-bearing beasts, this choice seems far more realistic and provides an effective means of literally fleshing out the characters who have succumbed to Dagon's lures of wealth and prosperity. Though it's not perfect, Lovecraft fans will most likely be willing to forgive Dagon's shortcomings in favor of a film that obviously shows great respect and appreciation for its source materials.

All About Evil (2009)

A novice director teams up with some folks dying to get into the movies in this comedy thriller. Deborah (Natasha Lyonne) is a socially awkward librarian whose father runs the Victoria Theater, a crumbling old movie house favored by film buffs. When Deborah's dad dies unexpectedly, the family inherits the theater, and while Deborah wants to keep it open, her mother would rather sell it to developers eager to open a Bed, Bath And Beyond in the neighborhood. An argument between Deborah and her mom turns violent, and Deborah ends up killing her; a surveillance camera captures the bloody assault and by accident it's projected onto the screen at the Victoria, where the jaded movie geeks eat it up. Suddenly Deborah decides she's found her calling as a filmmaker, surrounding herself with a retinue of eccentric would-be stars and shooting bloody horror flicks on shoestring budgets. But what her fans don't know is that Deborah isn't using a special effects man, and the bloody killings in her film are the real thing. All About Evil features a handful of cult film favorites in supporting roles, among them John Waters regular Mink Stole and Cassandra Peterson (better known as "Elvira, Mistress Of The Dark"). Director Joshua Grannell is better known in his native San Francisco as drag performer Peaches Christ, and "Peaches" makes a cameo appearance in the film.

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Damien: Omen II (1978)

Satan's son comes of age in this horror sequel. Shortly after the events of The Omen, a pair of anthropologists uncovers an ancient crypt that depicts the face of the Antichrist -- that of Damien Thorn (Jonathan Scott-Taylor), recently orphaned scion of a wealthy industrialist. Before they can warn the world of the child's evil lineage, both men are buried under tons of rubble. Seven years later, 13-year-old Damien attends military school alongside his cousin, Mark (Lucas Donat), and spends lots of time with his adoptive parents, Uncle Richard (William Holden) and Aunt Ann (Lee Grant). After the boy's Great Aunt Marion (Sylvia Sidney) tries to convince the Thorns that Damien is a malevolent influence on Mark, she dies suddenly, and, unbeknownst to the family, horrifically. Ravens, it seems, are the harbingers of Damien's power, and in addition to Aunt Marion, they visit a long procession of characters who get too close to Damien's true identity. The most horrible death is suffered by Joan Hart (Elizabeth Shepherd), an investigative reporter who's digging into the boy's life; she gets flattened by a truck after having her eyes devoured by those menacing birds. Meanwhile, executive Paul Buher (Robert Foxworth) climbs the corporate ladder at Thorn Industries and takes young Damien under his devil-worshiping wings. Sgt. Neff (Lance Henriksen), one of the boy's instructors, also helps initiate Damien. As the pile of bodies gets bigger -- and closer -- Uncle Richard begins to suspect the truth, and, like his brother before him, plot the death of Damien. The existence of another sequel, 1981's The Final Conflict, gives a good indication of the outcome. Although Damien: Omen II is his only Hollywood feature credit, Scott-Taylor appeared frequently in the theater and on television; he once even portrayed Damien's arch-nemesis, Jesus, on-stage.

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Review By Brian J. Dillard

Although it's a high-concept, big-budget Hollywood outing, Damien: Omen II follows the rules of all watchable horror sequels: the deaths are more frequent, more inventive, and more explicit. That's good, because the film has very little to recommend it in terms of plot; it repeats the structure of its predecessor practically scene for scene. Nevertheless, angel-faced, towheaded Jonathan Scott-Taylor makes an effectively creepy little Satan-in-training; like Eddie Haskell with a 666 birthmark, he alternates between unctuous politesse and precocious depravity. Lee Grant and William Holden are there basically to provide A-list credentials, but old pro Sylvia Sidney and genre perennial Lance Henriksen make strong impressions in small roles. The real stars, of course, are the special effects and the gore, and from a gruesome gloss on The Birds to a deliciously nasty elevator catastrophe, Damien: Omen II delivers in spades. There isn't much in the way of suspense or atmosphere, but the glossy, Grand Guignol production design is pretty to look at, as are several scenes shot on-location in Israel. A step below "pretty good," a step above perfunctory, this is a workmanlike effort elevated by strong production values.

Carrie (1976)

This classic horror movie based on Stephen King's first novel stars Sissy Spacek as Carrie White, a shy, diffident teenager who is the butt of practical jokes at her small-town high school. Her blind panic at her first menstruation, a result of ignorance and religious guilt drummed into her by her fanatical mother, Margaret (Piper Laurie), only causes her classmates' vicious cruelty to escalate, despite the attentions of her overly solicitous gym teacher (Betty Buckley). Finally, when the venomous Chris Hargenson (Nancy Allen) engineers a reprehensible prank at the school prom, Carrie lashes out in a horrifying display of her heretofore minor telekinetic powers. Many films had featured school bullies, but Carrie was one of the first to focus on the special brand of cruelty unique to teenage girls. Carrie's world is presented as a snake pit, where the well-to-do female students all have fangs -- even the reticent Sue Snell (Amy Irving) -- and all the males are blind pawns, sexually twisted around the fingers of Chris and her evil cronies. The talented supporting cast includes John Travolta, P.J. Soles, and William Katt. One of the genre's true classics, the film was followed by a sequel in 1999, as well as by a famously unsuccessful Broadway musical adaptation that starred Betty Buckley, the movie's gym teacher, as Margaret White.

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Review By Mark Deming

Stephen King's first novel was also his first work adapted for the screen and, with the arguable exception of The Shining, is still the best, thanks largely to a remarkable performance from Sissy Spacek as Carrie White and a surprisingly subtle, intelligent presentation by director Brian De Palma. De Palma wisely doesn't focus on Carrie's strange power to move objects with her mind in the first act. Instead, he emphasizes her miserable existence as a high-school outcast with a remarkably awful home life, and Spacek's performance brings Carrie to painfully vivid life. Carrie White personifies every high-school student who didn't fit in, and Spacek makes her sympathetic without making us wonder why people pick on her; when Carrie finally takes her revenge, Spacek transforms her into a monster with a strange dignity, at once terrifying and heroic. De Palma presents the story in clear, well-paced fashion, for the most part avoiding the all-too-obvious homages to other filmmakers that often mark his work and (with the exception of the split screen for Carrie's rampage at the prom) laying off distracting visual trickery, letting his cast and Larry Cohen's screenplay do the work. Often regarded as a watershed of '70s mainstream horror, Carrie is at the same time one of the truest and most painfully perceptive films about the high-school caste system; nothing would touch it in this regard until Todd Solondz's Welcome to the Dollhouse in 1996.