The Locals (2005)
New Zealander Paul (John Barker) and his best friend Grant (Dwayne Cameron) head for the Kiwi countryside after Paul's girlfriend gives him the heave-ho. When their car gets stuck in a ditch, Paul and Grant seek help at a farmhouse, only to become eyewitnesses to a ghastly murder. Can they make it out of the backwoods alive before lunatic locals catch up to them? Weird, Twilight Zone-ish tale, complete with a plot switcheroo, plows familiar terrain before fencing off its own turf. With Peter McCauley, Kate Elliott and Aidee Walker. Directed by Greg Page.
Tokyo Zombie (2005)
Slapstick manga-based horror follows Mitsuo (Sho Aikawa) and Fujio (Tadanobu Asano), two goofball garage workers obsessed with wrestling. After they accidentally kill their boss, the pair bury the body in Black Fuji, a local dump so contaminated with chemicals it brings the dead back to life. Before long, zombies invade Tokyo, forcing Mitsuo and Fujio to unleash their jujitsu skills on the undead. Genuinely funny import will appeal even to those without a taste for the horror genre. Based on the manga written by Yusaku Hanakuma. With Erika Okuda. Directed by Sakichi Sato.
The Card Player (2005)
Cat-and-computer-mouse thriller about a Rome detective (Stefania Rocca) and a British forensic scientist (Liam Cunningham) matching wits with a madman who has kidnapped several women and uses them as stakes in an online poker game. When bodies begin piling up, the police turn to a college-age card sharp (Silvio Muccino) in hopes of gaining the upper hand. Italian horror maestro Dario Argento returns to his "giallo" roots in this visually stylish thriller, which features his daughter, Fiore, as one of the kidnapping victims. Original title: Il Cartaio.
Do You Like Hitchcock? (2005)
Italian horror maestro Dario Argento, best known for the brilliantly unnerving Susperia, helmed this stylish tale about Guilio (Elio Germano), a film student who overhears two young women at a video store trying to rent a copy of Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train. When the mother of one of the girls is brutally murdered, Guilio suspects the worst and, Jimmy Stewart-style, launches his own investigation into the slaying. Movie buffs will recognize homages to several of The Master's works, including Dial M For Murder and Rear Window. Great Bernard Herrmann-esque score by composer Pino Donaggio. With Chiara Conti and Elisabetta Rocchetti.
Clive Barker's The Plague (2006)
An ex-con (James Van Der Beek) returns to his home town and attempts to reconcile with his physician ex-wife (Ivana Milicevic); meanwhile, comatose children across the globe suddenly awaken en masse and launch a zombie-like attack on mankind. Effective Children of the Damned riff produced by horror novelist Clive Barker; if you're in the mood to be thoroughly creeped out, you can't go wrong with any film from the Killer Kids subgenre. With Dee Wallace. Directed by Hal Masonberg.
Left in Darkness (2006)
Breathlessly-paced, visually stylish shocker about Celia (Monica Keena), a comely co-ed who gets slipped a mickey during a frat party. Celia OD's on the drug and ends up trapped between heaven and hell, a world populated by ravenous creatures known as "soul-eaters." According to her guardian angel (David Anders), Celia has only a few hours to make it to heaven's gate before the hellish soul-eaters get snacking. Refreshingly unusual plot, coupled with clever use of a limited budget, makes this one worthwhile. Produced by TV vet Stephen J. Cannell. With Tim Thomerson. Directed by Steve Monroe.
Halloween II (1981)
By far the best of the Halloween sequels reunites Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence at a hospital immediately after the events of the first film, where Michael Myers is sharpening up his surgical skills. The biggest difference between Halloween IIand its predecessor is the higher splatter content; one particularly grisly death by syringe gives new meaning to the phrase "eye of the needle." Directed by Rick Rosenthal.
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
Strangest entry of any horror movie franchise breaks tradition by having almost no connection to a storyline that came before or after. But so what if there's no Jamie Lee or Michael Myers running around—this bizarrely plotted, occasionally ingenious guilty pleasure has a James Bond-like villain plotting to kill off trick-or-treaters nationwide by activating small pieces of Stonehenge embedded in their Halloween masks. Talk about No Child Left Behind. Anyhow, Tom Atkins and Stacey Nelkin are the surprisingly amorous couple out to stop him. Directed by Tommy Lee Wallace.
Gone (2007)
British backpacker Alex (Shaun Evans) and his girlfriend Sophie (Amelia Warner) hitch a ride with creepy American Taylor (Scott Mechlowicz) in the Aussie outback. Complications ensue when it turns out that Taylor 1) has his eye on Sophie and 2) possesses a photograph of Alex in a compromising position. Dead Calm-like psychological thriller, with a pinch of "Wolf Creek" tossed in for good measure, sticks to the beaten path plot-wise but packs a punch when it matters most. With Yvonne Strahovski. Directed by Ringan Ledwidge.
Altered (2006)
A group of alien abductees turn the tables on their kidnappers by capturing an extraterrestrial, but their initial elation is cut short when they realize the deed may trigger an invasion of Earth. )The Blair Witch Project co-helmer Eduardo Sanchez directed this underrated nail-biter, which is kept aloft by its effectively eerie atmosphere and some gutsy special makeup effects. With Paul McCarthy-Boyington, Brad William Henke and Adam Kaufman.
Phantasm (1979)
First and best of the Phantasm series follows two brothers (Michael Baldwin and Bill Thornbury) attempting to save Earth from an intergalactic undertaker (Angus Scrimm) who turns dead people into tiny robed, Jawa-like slaves. Or something like that. Fever dream plotting, irresistibly trippy set pieces and flying-silver-spheres-that-drill-holes-into-people's-heads combine to make this one of the most unforgettable horror films of the 1970s. With Reggie Bannister. Directed by Don Coscarelli.
Phantasm II (1988)
Biggest-budgeted entry in the supremely weird four-film series has everything a Phantasm fan could wish for: four-barreled shotguns, chainsaws, flamethrowers, a couple of great-looking actresses and a villain with balls of steel. With James LeGros, Reggie Bannister and Angus Scrimm. Directed by Don Coscarelli.
Phantasm 3: Lord of the Dead (1994)
Third in the series picks up right after events of Phantasm 2: The Tall Man (Angus Scrimm) grabs up Mike (A. Michael Baldwin), prompting Reggie (Reggie Bannister) to join forces with nunchuk-wielding Rocky (Gloria Lynne Henry) and gunslinger Tim (Kevin Connors), both of whom have a score to settle. Plucky, comedy-laden entry answers as many questions as it raises, but you'll be having so much fun it won't matter. With Bill Thornbury. Directed by Don Coscarelli.
Phantasm IV: Oblivion (1998)
Fourth Phantasm undertaking features more creepy coolness from series creator Don Coscarelli, including a time-tripping Mike and Reggie, The Tall Man, zombies, dwarves, a bad-to-the-bone Plymouth Hemi Barracuda and, of course, those skull-ripping, blood-spewing flying silver spheres. Look, the film is called Phantasm IV—you were expecting maybe Shakespeare? With Angus Scrimm.
Surveillance (2005)
Flip side to Paul Blart: Mall Cop is the story of Harley (Armand Assante), a single-minded department store security guard with an impeccable record. Using the latest in high-tech gadgetry, Harley collars the savviest of shoplifters, but the odd thing is, the thieves never make it to court. It turns out they're imprisoned in a forgotten room in the store's basement, where Harley plays judge, jury and...well, this is a horror film, so you get the picture. Directed by Fritz Kiersch, who helmed the original Children of the Corn. With Nick Cornish and Laurie Fortier.
