Eight legs, two fangs and an attitude.

Starring: Jeff Daniels, Julian Sands, John Goodman, Harley Jane Kozak, Stuart Pankin, Brian McNamara, Henry Jones, Peter Jason

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ - good

"Come on, let's go find that spider. And let's find your mom to take care of that spider. Honey, we're in the living room. We need you to kill a spider." - Dr. Ross Jennings

Why watch this? Man... spiders. Everything about them is creepy - Their webs. Their eyes. Ewwww!

Plot Summary: A dangerous spider from South America is accidentally brought to a small town and mates with a local spider, leading to an infestation of venomous offspring. As residents fall victim to the deadly bites, the local doctor and a pest exterminator must team up to find the source of the infestation and eliminate the threat.

Hollywood Pics, Amblin Ent., Tangled Web Prod.;
Buena Vista Pictures Distributing

Five Jolting Tales of HORROR!

Starring: Leslie Nielsen, Ted Danson, Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, E. G. Marshall, Carrie Nye, Viveca Lindfors, Ed Harris, Fritz Weaver, Stephen King

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ - good

"No, I don't think you'll expect this, Wilma. No, this is going to be an entirely new experience." – Henry Northrup to his bitchy wife, Wilma

Why watch this? It's scary, campy and a whole lot of creepy fun.

Plot Summary: This horror anthology film consists of five macabre tales brought to life in the style of an EC Comics horror comic books of the 1950's. The stories feature vengeful zombies, strange plant mutations, a man who faces a dreadful punishment for his actions, a dangerous creature locked in a crate, and a man obsessed with cleanliness who faces a horrific infestation. These unsettling tales are presented through a series of vignettes tied together by framing segments featuring a young boy and a comic book.

United Film Distribution Co., Laurel Show, Inc.;
Warner Bros.

Cute. Clever. Mischievous. Intelligent. Dangerous.

Starring: Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton, Frances Lee McCain, John Louie, Key Luke, Don Steele, Scott Brady, Corey Feldman, Harry Carey Jr., Dick Miller, Polly Holliday, Donald Elson, Judge Reinhold, Edward Andrews

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ - good

"First of all, keep him out of the light, he hates bright light, especially sunlight, it'll kill him. Second, don't give him any water, not even to drink. But the most important rule, the rule you can never forget, no matter how much he cries, no matter how much he begs, never feed him after midnight." - Chinese Boy

Why watch this? I re-watched this recently, and was pleasantly reminded now much I love these nasty, deadly and devious little creatures.

Plot Summary: A loving father finds a unique gift to surprise his responsible teenage son, who happens to have a huge crush a girl he works with at the bank. The rich, evil town spinster wants his dog so she can put it down. The father's gift is a small, living teddy-bearish thing that coos and beeps and even sings little tunes. They call it Gizmo, and it's A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E. But later that night, it accidentally gets wet (see quote above), and starts to multiply. Gizmo's "offspring" aren't quite as nice. Then the boy accidentally feeds them after midnight...

Amblin Entertainment; Warner Bros.

Sleep all day. Party all night. Never grow old. Never die. It's fun to be a vampire.

Starring: Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Dianne Wiest, Barnard Hughes, Edward Herrmann, Kiefer Sutherland, Jami Gertz, Corey Feldman

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ - good

"One thing about living in Santa Carla I never could stomach; all the damn vampires." – Grandpa

Why watch this? This is the quintessential 80's film about hair-band vampires.

Plot Summary: Following a recent divorce, a mother and her two teenage sons, Michael and Sam, move to the coastal town of Santa Carla, California to live with her eccentric father. While Michael becomes involved with a mysterious gang and begins exhibiting strange behavior, Sam befriends two local brothers who believe the town is infested with vampires. Fearing for his brother's transformation, Sam and his new friends must find a way to combat the growing supernatural threat.

Richard Donner Production; Warner Bros.

When you've got Critters... you need all the help you can get.

Starring: Dee Wallace, M. Emmet Walsh, Scott Grimes, Billy Green Bush, Don Keith Opper, Nadine van der Velde, Lin Shaye

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ - good

"We're here for the Crites." - Ug

Why watch this? Just sit back, suspend belief, and have a blast with these nasty little alien creatures.

Plot Summary: A group of small, carnivorous alien creatures, called Crites, escape from prison and crash-land near a Kansas farmhouse. They begin terrorizing the family living there, eating everything in sight. Two shape-shifting bounty hunters arrive on Earth, hot on the trail of the fuzzy little creatures. This all leads to a chaotic battle between the aliens, the family, and the bounty hunters.

Sho Films; New Line Cinema

Some interviews with some vampires.

Starring: Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement, Jonathan Brugh, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer, Stu Rutherford, Jackie van Beek, Jason Hoyte

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"Why does it matter? You bring them over, you kill them! Vampires don't do dishes!" – Deacon

Why watch this? Taika Waititi is on a roll. His off-kilter films are so creative, as is this one.

Plot Summary: Three vampires, Viago, Deacon, and Vladislav, navigate the difficulties of modern life in New Zealand. A documentary crew films their daily lives, which include paying bills, completing chores, and interacting with other supernatural beings and the human world. The vampires' lives change when a human familiar is turned into a vampire, and they must adjust to a new member.
 

Dad's Preview: This off-the-wall vampire comedy bit me right from the start. True, the four main characters are blood-sucking fiends, but they're also just roommates, sharing a flat in Te Aro, New Zealand. They endure many of the same issues all co-habitants have: a messy kitchen, noisy guests, blood all over the couch, dead bodies lying around. It's hilarious. Each vampire lived in a different time in history, which leads to constant cultural bickering. My fav is the pale Nosferatu, who mostly stays in his creepy basement coffin.

Resnick Interactive Dev., Unison Films,
Defender Films, New Zealand Film Comm.;
Madman Entertainment

Inner City vs. Outer Space

Starring: John Boyega, Jodie Whittaker, Alex Esmail, Leeon Jones, Franz Drameh, Simon Howard, Maggie McCarthy, Danielle Vitalis, Nick Frost, Michael Ajao, Natasha Jonas, Gina Antwi

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"What kind of alien, out of all the places in the whole wide world, would invade some shitty council estate in south London?" - Dimples

Why watch this? It's one of the best low-budget alien invasion films in years.

Plot Summary: A South London gang and the nurse they just mugged must reluctantly team up to survive when their council estate is invaded by hostile extraterrestrials. What starts as a simple robbery is interrupted by an object falling from the sky, forcing the group to face an intergalactic threat with improvised weapons. Throughout the night, they defend their turf against predatory, fanged creatures as they learn to put aside their differences for the sake of survival.

StudioCanal, Film4, UK Film Council,
Big Talk Pictures; Optimum Releasing

There's only one movie scarier than the 'Evil Dead'...

Starring: Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry, Dan Hicks, Kassie Wesley, Denise Bixler, Richard Domeier, John Peaks, Lou Hancock, Ted Raimi, Williams Preston Robertson (voice)

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"Then let's head on down into that cellar and carve ourselves a witch." – Ash

Why watch this? Outrageous. Terrifying. Bloody. Hilarious.

Plot Summary: Lone survivor Ash Williams returns to a remote cabin in the woods, where he unwittingly unleashes flesh-possessing demons after playing a recorded incantation from an ancient book. As the demonic forces terrorize him and a new group of arrivals, Ash is forced into a frantic, chaotic battle for survival that pushes him to the brink of insanity. Armed with a chainsaw and a shotgun, he must fight through the night to survive the demonic onslaught and escape the cabin's terrifying grasp.

Renaissance Pictures; Rosebud Releasing Corp.

Our Land is Their Land

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, Amber Heard, Bill Murray, Derek Graf, Cesar Aguirre

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"The first rule of Zombieland: Cardio. When the zombie outbreak first hit, the first to go, for obvious reasons... were the fatties." - Columbus

Why watch this? As advertised, it's Superbad meets Shaun of the Dead. I'm in.

Plot Summary: A timid, rule-following survivor named Columbus navigates a post-apocalyptic America overrun by zombies, attempting to reach his hometown in Ohio. Along the way, he teams up with a gun-toting, Twinkie-obsessed survivor named Tallahassee and two crafty sisters, Wichita and Little Rock. Together, this unlikely quartet embarks on a dangerous, darkly comedic road trip across the country.

Columbia Pictures, Relativity Media,
Pariah; Sony Pictures Releasing

Wonderful surprises await you all.

Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, Hong Chau, Paul Adelstein, Janet McTeer, Judith Light, John Leguizamo, Aimee Carrero, Reed Birney, Rebecca Koon

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"So once again, thank you for dining with us tonight. You represent the ruin of my art and my life, and now you get to be a part of it. Part of what I hope is my... masterpiece." - Chef Slowik

Why watch this? This will not be what you expect, but it's one clever film about food and its obsessions.

Plot Summary: A young couple travel to a remote island to dine at an exclusive and very expensive restaurant, Hawthorne. Run by a celebrity chef, the restaurant boasts a lavish tasting menu promising a unique culinary experience. However, as the evening progresses, the guests realize the chef has some shocking surprises planned that go far beyond haute cuisine.

Hyperobject Industries, Gary Sanchez
 Prod.; Searchlight Pictures

At least 5 times as funny as the play!

Starring: Cary Grant, Raymond Massey, Peter Lorre, Priscilla Lane, Jack Carson, Josephine Hull, Jean Adair

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"Insanity runs in my family... It practically gallops." – Mortimer Brewster

Why watch this? An eerie comedy (today we'd call it a "black comedy") from the great Frank Capra.

Plot Summary: A drama critic, Mortimer Brewster, discovers a shocking secret about his beloved, eccentric aunts. On his wedding day, he must navigate this alarming discovery while also dealing with his other peculiar family members, including a brother who thinks he's Teddy Roosevelt. Mortimer tries to protect his new wife from the unsettling truth while figuring out how to handle his family's unusual circumstances.

Frank Capra, Jack L. Warner; Warner Bros.

Evil Just Messed With the Wrong Hillbillies.

Starring: Tyler Labine, Alan Tudyk, Katrina Bowden, Jesse Moss, Philip Granger, Brandon Jay McLaren, Christie Laing, Travis Nelson

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"Oh hidy-ho officer, we've had a doozy of a day. There we were minding our own business, just doing chores around the house, when kids started killing themselves all over my property." - Tucker, to the inquiring sheriff

Why watch this? Some films grab you from the start. This role-flipping dark comedy is a riot!

Plot Summary: Good-natured hillbillies Tucker and Dale are on vacation at their dilapidated mountain cabin when they are mistaken for murderers by a group of really dumb preppy college students. A series of comical and tragic misunderstandings escalate as the students accidentally cause their own demise. Tucker and Dale struggle to prove their innocence while simultaneously trying to protect the lone surviving student.

Eden Rock Media, Kintop Pictures, Urban
Island, Looby Lou; Magnet Releasing

In This House... If You've Seen One Ghost... You Haven't Seen Them All.

Starring: Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jeffrey Jones, Catherine O'Hara, Maurice Page, Hugo Stanger

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"I'm not scared of sheets. Are you gross under there? Are you Night of the Living Dead under there? Like all bloody veins and pus?" - Lydia

Why watch this? Tim Burton is a master at creating a world of the macabre.

Plot Summary: Adam and Barbara, a recently deceased couple, find themselves haunting their former home, unable to leave. When a new family moves in and tries to drastically alter the house, the ghosts attempt to scare them away. Their unsuccessful attempts lead them to seek help from a chaotic spirit named Beetlejuice, whose unconventional methods become dangerous for everyone involved.

The Geffen Company; Warner Bros.

What's Gotten Into You?

Starring: Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks, Gregg Henry, Michael Rooker, Tania Saulnier, Xantha Radley

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"It tried to get in my mouth. What kinda thing wants you to eat it?" - Jack MacReady

Why watch this? It's crude, gory, slimy, violent, and completely awesome - if you like this kind of horror film.

Plot Summary: In the small town of Wheelsy, South Carolina, a meteorite crashes, unleashing a parasitic alien creature. The creature infects local businessman Grant Grant, transforming him and giving him a hunger for raw meat. As Grant's body becomes a monstrous breeding ground, a swarm of slug-like offspring threatens to infect the rest of the town, turning residents into zombie-like drones.

Brightlight Pictures, Gold Circle Films,
Strike Ent.; Universal Pictures

It's not the same old Thing.

Starring: Raul Julia, Anjelica Huston, Christina Ricci, Christopher Lloyd, Carel Struycken, Judith Malina, John Franklin

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Don't torture yourself, Gomez. That's my job." – Morticia Addams

Why watch this? This film pays superb homage to the original TV series. Well done!

Plot Summary: The eccentric Addams family, known for their macabre tastes, welcomes back a man claiming to be their long-lost Uncle Fester, who has been missing for 25 years. However, this individual is part of a scheme to swindle the family out of their fortune. The Addams must decide the true identity of the Fester imposter.

Scott Rudin; Paramount Pictures

Trapped in time. Surrounded by evil. Low on gas

Starring: Bruce Campbell, Embeth Davidtz, Marcus Gilbert, Richard Grove, Patricia Tallman, Timothy Patrick, Michael Earl, Bridget Fonda

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Well hello Mister Fancy-pants. Well, I've got news for you pal, you ain't leadin' but two things, right now: Jack and shit... and Jack just left town." - Ash

Why watch this? Where the first two films just stayed in one place, this one goes someplace very interesting - the Middle Ages!

Plot Summary: Ash Williams is accidentally transported to 1300 A.D. To return to his own time, he must retrieve the Necronomicon, a book of evil, and battle an army of the dead it has unleashed. Ash must lead medieval knights against skeletal forces and use his modern ingenuity to defeat the supernatural threat.

Dino De Laurentiis Comm., Renaissance Pics,
Introvision Int.; Universal Pictures

Who ya gonna call?

Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, Annie Potts, Ernie Hudson

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"I've only been with the company for a couple of weeks, but I gotta tell you: these things are real. Since I joined these men, I have seen shit that'll turn you white! – Winston Zeddemore

Why watch this? It may be the best SNL-cast film ever. It's delightfully creative and fun!

Plot Summary: Three eccentric parapsychologists are fired from their university jobs and decide to start a unique ghost removal service in New York City. As supernatural occurrences escalate throughout the city, they attract a growing clientele and become famous. They must ultimately confront an ancient entity threatening to unleash destruction upon the world.

Columbia-Delphi Productions, Black Rhino;
Columbia Pictures

She breathes, sees, hears, walks -- but can she love?

Starring: Boris Karloff, Elsa Manchester, Colin Clive, Ernest Thesiger, Valerie Hobson, Gavin Gordon, Douglas Walton, E. E. Clive

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"Yes, I know. Made me from dead. I love dead... hate living." - The Monster

Why watch this? This Universal monster film dared to have a sense of humor. Bravo!

Plot Summary: This sequel Frankenstein (1931) follows Dr. Henry Frankenstein as he attempts to abandon his life-creating experiments. However, he is pressured by his eccentric mentor, Dr. Pretorius, and threatened by his creation, the Monster, into constructing a female companion for the Monster. Frankenstein eventually agrees and embarks on the task of creating the Bride, facing the consequences of his ambition and the Monster's desire for companionship.

Carl Laemmle Jr.; Universal Pictures

An American Werewolf in London (1981), Director: John Landis, rated R for language, nudity, sex, violence, gore and scary scenes

 BEWARE THE MOON

Starring: David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Griffin Dunne, John Woodvine, Brian Glover, David Schofield, Frank Oz

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

DML Top 50 #32 - Dad's Full (Spoiler) Review and Deep Dive of An American Werewolf in London

"On the moors, we were attacked by a lycanthrope, a werewolf. I was murdered, an unnatural death, and now I walk the earth in limbo until the werewolf's curse is lifted.” – Jack

Why watch this? The first transformation scene is worth the price of admission.

Plot Summary: Two American backpackers, David and Jack, are attacked by a creature on the English moors. One is killed, while the survivor, recovering in London, experiences terrifying nightmares and hallucinations. Soon, he discovers the horrifying truth about his attack and faces the potential of his own monstrous transformation.

PolyGram Pictures, Lycanthrope Films Limited;
Universal Pictures

The monster movie that breaks new ground.

Starring: Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Finn Carter, Michael Gross, Reba McEntire, Bobby Jacoby, Tony Genaro, Ariana Richards, Richard Marcus

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"Run for it? Running is not a plan. Running is what you do when a plan fails!" - Earl

Why watch this? Gigantic, underground, man-eating worms! That's a hard YES for me.

Plot Summary: Set in the remote desert town of Perfection, Nevada, two handymen, Val and Earl, decide to leave their dull lives. Before they can depart, strange tremors and a series of mysterious deaths suggest a dangerous threat lurks beneath the surface. Along with other residents, including a seismologist and a survivalist couple, they must fight to survive against unseen, giant creatures that hunt by sensing vibrations.

No Frills Prod., Pacific Western Prod.;
Universal Pictures

The scariest comedy of all time!

Starring: Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Marty Feldman, Cloris Leachman, Teri Garr, Kenneth Mars, Madeline Kahn

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"Are you saying that I put an abnormal brain into a seven and a half foot long, fifty-four inch wide GORILLA? IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE TELLING ME?" - Dr. Frederick Frankenstein

Why watch this? It's perhaps now more of a classic than the films it spoofs!

Plot Summary: Frederick Frankenstein, grandson of the infamous Victor Frankenstein, is a respected neurosurgeon who tries to distance himself from his family's eccentric legacy. He inherits his ancestor's Transylvanian castle and, after discovering his grandfather's scientific journals, becomes intrigued by the potential of reanimating the dead. Aided by his hunchbacked assistant Igor and a lab assistant named Inga, Frederick attempts to bring a corpse to life, inadvertently creating a monster.

Gruskoff/Venture Films, Crossbow Prod.
Inc., Louer Limited; 20th Century Fox