A boy being raised by an abusive brother conjures a witch. Patchily-effective horror that doesn’t quite pull together its supernatural and abuse drama strands. Nevertheless, it looks good, maximises its resources, and has an effective central child performance. Plus the great Dan Hedaya pops up in support.
Here’s the trailer.
An isolated rural home-schooled teen discovers she is from a line of witches. Smart, austere Catskills-set horror that looks good, is well-contained, and riffs engagingly on Carrie in doing so. An impressive, minimalist feature: recommended.
Here’s the trailer.
A vlogging couple explores a submerged supposedly-haunted house. Technically proficient but dumb-as-wet-rocks underwater jumpscare horror flick (with found footage and real-time elements), that’s wholly uncertain what to do with its premise. Mercifully brief and good-looking, though.
Here’s the trailer.
1981: the Warrens investigate a killer who may be the victim of a curse. After a fun exorcism opening, the movie settles into something more procedural than previous episodes of the now-convoluted horror-lite franchise. Fans will know what to expect: Wilson and Farmiga anchor matters with their usual class.
Here’s the trailer.
A troubled young man watching over a body is beset by a demon seeking a new victim. Interesting and effective small-scale horror film, drawing on Orthodox Jewish customs and community. The third act is weaker than what’s come before, but by then the movie’s more than earned your attention.
Here’s the trailer.
After a train heist goes unexpectedly awry, outlaws find themselves pitched against supernatural forces. Fun little Western/horror hybrid that’s basically From Dusk Till Dawn with witches and horses. A strong cast of character actors helps, as does interesting detail and a couple of weird gross-out moments.
Here’s the trailer.
A young teacher takes a first job as a governess to two wealthy orphans: she comes to believe their stately home is haunted. Good-looking but otherwise rote version of MR James’ The Turn of the Screw. A few well-executed jumpscares aside, there’s nothing special here, alas.
Here’s the trailer.
A bereaved young man finds his luck has changed for the better, but at a cost. Patchy The Monkey’s Paw variant, its magpie script lifting business from all over including, oddly, The Omen. Some of it works, but we’ve seen this done more confidently before. Old hands Lin Shaye and Tony Todd help though.
Three friends accidentally conjure a priapic demon. Fun loose adaptation of the John Updike novel, offering four meaty roles for enthusiastic players. Nicholson is controlled, all are having fine time, and Miller’s direction is elegant throughout. A good job done all around.
A group of students attempt a ritual in a supposedly haunted house; a cop investigates the aftermath. Generally-solid reworking of familiar material (including nods to The Blair Witch Project) helped no end by good playing from reliable hands like Maria Bello and Frank Grillo. No real surprises, but decent enough for fans of the genre.
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