- 1408 directed by Mikael Håfström (2007)
[8/10]
"You can easily overlook the few minor problems and enjoy the creative torments the room inflicts on Cusack's character and loose count of the number of times the film makes you jump in your chair."
- 28 Days Later directed by Danny Boyle (2002)
[6/10]
"Essentially we have a character study of a limited number of survivors in a hopeless situation. Yes, they keep plodding on -- as many of us would hope we could do in the same situation -- but we really don't get any great epiphany about human nature in the process."
- Dawn of the Dead directed by George A. Romero (1979)
[4/10]
"Romero could have easily left over 30 minutes of this film on the cutting room floor. Where Night of the Living Dead had some scary scenes, Dawn turns the zombies into an ineffective comic force. Sure, the humans need to avoid the zombies, but the zombies never pose a formidable threat."
- Eraserhead directed by David Lynch (1977)
[7/10]
"I think much of the appeal of Eraserhead lies in its ambiguous events and meaning. Because Lynch doesn't make his intentions clear, he leaves the viewer wide open to project personal meaning onto the film."
- Fog, The directed by John Carpenter (1980)
[7/10]
"The Fog doesn't have the best acting and doesn't have the most original storyline, but John Carpenter masterfully manipulates our anticipation of impending doom for the community of Antonio Bay. And maybe the next time you see a fog bank, you might just wonder what could hide within."
- Lost Boys by Orson Scott Card (1992)
[5/10]
"Unlike Ender's Game, Card's Lost Boys demonstrates that a successful short story cannot always make the transition to a novel."
- Night of the Living Dead directed by George A. Romero (1968)
[7/10]
"Of all the movies ever made, only a few actually start an entire genre. Romero's Night of the Living Dead sets the stage for zombie movies in the same way that Bram Stoker's novel set the pattern for all vampire stories."
- Omen, The directed by John Moore (2006)
[5/10]
"Even though each of the parts of the remake surpasses the scenes in the original, the sum of the parts doesn't surpass the effect of the original."
- Omen, The directed by Richard Donner (1976)
[8/10]
"Donner has created a horror classic that lives on in popular culture and has done so without resorting to the pools of blood and gore employed much of today's horror genre."
- Rosemary's Baby directed by Roman Polanski (1968)
[8/10]
"Rosemary's Baby creates a very creepy film that builds to a frenetic pitch toward the end through a clever arrangement of finding evil in everyday events such as dinners with the neighbors, conversations in the laundry room, and doctor's visits."
- Shaun of the Dead directed by Edgar Wright (2004)
[8/10]
"If you like British comedy, than you should find Shaun of the Dead riotously funny, and the humor comes from the characters' interactions and not just from bashing zombies with a cricket bat or trying to decapitate zombies with flying vinyl LPs -- and we get some of that too, but not overly much."
- Sixth Sense, The directed by M. Night Shyamalan (1999)
[8/10]
"I must admit that on my first viewing the ending took me totally by surprise. Usually I can see 'surprise' endings within a few minutes of the opening of the film. Shyamalan has built a plot that supports the surprise ending in every way and never telegraphs the ending."
- Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (2005)
[8/10]
"Meyer does an excellent job at building the tension to a nerve-splitting peak, and her exposition about her vampires never gets boring or preachy."
- War of the Worlds, The directed by Byron Haskin (1953)
[7/10]
"By today's standards, The War of the Worlds has pretty unbelievable effects, but you can tell that Haskin took enormous care with the effects available to him at the time. The effects do work well to establish the deadly nature of the Martians and the unbelievable firepower they could produce with even just a single craft."
- War of the Worlds directed by Steven Spielberg (2005)
[7/10]
"When a story remains popular for over a hundred years, clearly the elements strike a chord in the human psyche, and who better than Stephen Spielberg to know how to make a movie that resonates that chord in modern audiences."
- Wicker Man, The directed by Neil LaBute (2006)
[4/10]
"Perhaps another male lead could have given a more plausible performance, but then you would also have to deal with the pathetic script that makes even talented women like Ellen Burstyn sound like a brainwashed robot. Then again, perhaps we should leave well enough alone, just enjoy classic cult films on their own merits, and use big-budget Hollywood money make something altogether new."
- Wicker Man, The directed by Robin Hardy (1973)
[7/10]
"This original production far suprasses the recent remake."
- Young Frankenstein directed by Mel Brooks (1974)
[8/10]
"Even if you haven't ever seen Young Frankenstein, you have probably heard at least half of the dialog from ubiquitous quotes and samples. The script by Gene Wilder and Mel Brooks spoofs its predecessors and the black-and-white horror movie genre but these spoofs synergistically create an icon of comedy."
Average score: 6.78
