The Return of the Living Dead (1985)

Since Night of the Living Dead is in the public domain, knock-offs and parodies were inevitable. This is the best known and most popular spin-off, a 1980s horror comedy that added to the mythology. Featuring fun practical effects, talking zombies and a punk rock soundtrack, this film is notable for introducing the concept of the undead feeding on human brains (which didn't exist prior to this). It's since solidified itself as a cult classic and is even accepted among fans as a spiritual successor to Romero's Living Dead series. Truth be told, this movie is a bit of a mess at times, but it grows on you with subsequent viewing.

3½ Tarmen out of 5

Night of the Living Dead (1990)

Make-up effects artist Tom Savini takes on George Romero's zombie classic.

Let's face it, Night of the Living Dead is perfect. There's no filler. It starts off strong and never lets up. A remake of the original might seem as pointless as Gus van Sant's stab at Psycho, but this is actually a competent interpretation of the material that updates certain elements, penned by Romero himself. It has the same low-budget DIY charm, with the only major difference being that it's shot in color and features a greater emphasis on special effects. While it lacks the same shock value of the original, this doesn't hurt its legacy either. At the risk of summoning zombie cuckoo, I'd wager this is just as solid as the original, though the 1968 film clearly holds a greater impact for when it was released. What's nice is that they can both exist simultaneously and independent of each other. It just depends on what flavor you're in the mood for today.

4 boarded windows out of 5

Brain Dead (1990)

"By the perception of illusion, we experience reality."

Brains freak me out. Just one little poke or minor alteration can change your identity forever. It's such a fragile process. You can't trust your own mind.

This movie is really hard to sum up. It's about a neurosurgeon who performs an experimental procedure on another man's brain. Lines begin to blur. You don't know who is what anymore. This stuff terrifies me to no end. It reminds me of a bad dream you can't wake from. I kind of love it because it wrinkles my brain.

4 stimulations out of 5

Note: This was the only film that starred both Bill Pullman and Bill Paxton, and it forever mixed me up.

The Attic Expeditions (2001)

AKA: Horror in the Attic

I love movies about people losing their mind, because it makes me feel sane.

A man finds himself in a sanitarium with no memory of how he got there. One by one, people wind up dead. This movie does such a good job of putting you in the mind of a crazy person that I can't make heads or tails out of any of it. And yet, it's compelled me for 25 years now. Maybe one day I'll figure it out.

3 locked trunks out of 5

The I Inside (2004)

After a car accident, a man wakes up in the hospital with short term memory loss, missing the last two years of his life. As he reconstructs the pieces, he bounces back and forth in his memories, seemingly able to alter the past. The way this movie unfolds makes you feel as lost and paranoid as its unreliable narrator, which works to its advantage. Whether it all comes together in a satisfying way is a different question altogether, and is left up to the viewer.

3½ perceptions out of 5

Sublime (2007)

A man wakes up in the hospital following a routine surgical procedure. He is kept there longer than necessary and not allowed to go home. It's a mindfuck kind of movie where the more you explain it, the more you ruin it, so I'll just leave it at that. This is true horror on a psychological level that stays with you.

4 Jell-O cakes out of 5

The Immaculate Room (2022)

A couple agrees to stay in a blank white space for 50 days with the promise of earning 5 million dollars at the end of it. With only the minimal essentials for survival and nothing to entertain themselves except each other, it becomes a psychological game to maintain sanity. It's a solid concept, although it runs the real risk of feeling as sterile and empty as its challenge sounds. Being trapped in a room alone with Kate Bosworth doesn't seem like such a bad deal to me.

2½ treats out of 5

Subservience (2024)

As lifelike androids replace the workforce, Alice is the latest big-titted gynoid acting as housekeeper while a man's wife recovers in the hospital. Her primary objective is to protect her master at all costs, so you can pretty much guess where it goes from here. The first half is strong, while the rest loses the plot.

2 UV lights out of 5

DreamQuil (2026)

In a futuristic society, a dissatisfied career wife signs up for a virtual wellness retreat that promises to fix her problems. Meanwhile, her presence at home is covered by an A.I. copy of herself, who is an easy replacement for her family.

Aesthetically, the film is pleasing, but it's a shallow, half-baked concept that feels more like a low-rated episode of Black Mirror rather than Total Recall.

1½ minxing sessions out of 5

Somnium (2024)

A prospective young actress moves to Los Angeles and takes a gig working nights at an experimental sleep institute where "dreams come true." Sleep deprived herself, she begins to see things in the shadows. This sci-fi/horror is weird and sometimes hard to follow, but leaves a strong impression behind.

3 Cloud Nines out of 5

Timestalker (2024)

Black comedy about a woman who is reincarnated over several time periods, always in pursuit of her one true love, only to die a horrifying death each time.

It's such a wasted premise that could have been executed so much better, but I admire it more for its vision. I hate posters that never live up to their promise.

2½ dil douls out of 5

Prevenge (2016)

Sometimes you follow the hype and it delivers on exactly what is promised. Other times, it leads you down a barren path filled with dashed expectations.

A pregnant woman hears the voice of her unborn fetus commanding her to kill. The premise reminded me a bit of Basket Case, but it's nowhere near as fun. Sadly, there's not a lot to distinguish it from your run-of-the-mill slasher.

2 cords cut out of 5

Dead Lover (2025)

Somewhat inspired by Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, a lonely, deranged grave digger, who reeks of corpses, dreams of true love. After briefly finding and subsequently losing it, she uses properties of a lizard and lightning to revive a part of him. I put this on because it sounded intriguing, but it quickly lulled me to sleep with its dollar store budget and incomprehensible plot in decidedly poor taste. Even at 80 minutes, this horror "comedy" feels like an eternity.

½ a severed fingering out of 5

Deathgasm II: Goremageddon (2025)

The first Deathgasm was an earnest attempt to recapture the splatter comedy of Evil Dead II, Re-Animator and Dead Alive. 10 years later, the band reunites in this reanimated undead horror comedy. Everyone returns from the first film, and the carnage is turned up to 11. If you're a fan of the original, you'll likely be filling your shorts. For everyone else, this shit is way too scattershot and over the top. Contains the most genital mutilations I've ever seen in any film.

2 glory holes out of 5

Night of the Reaper (2025)

A young woman takes a job babysitting for the town sheriff. Meanwhile, the sheriff receives snuff tapes of local unsolved murders that suggest she may be next. The first 10 minutes got me excited that this might be a good horror movie. Those hopes were quickly dashed by the 11-minute mark, whereby it became a very run-of-the-mill slasher mystery with few plausible suspects.

1 case of the runs out of 5