Some doors weren't meant to be opened.

Starring: Kevin Bacon, Kathryn Erbe, Illeana Douglas, Kevin Dunn, Conor O'Farrell, Lusia Strus, Mary Kay Cook

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ - good

"Whatever door you opened in my brain, I want you to shut it - now!" - Tom Witzky

Why watch this? A man teeters on the edge of madness when a ghost contacts him.

Plot Summary: A skeptical family man named Tom Witzky is hypnotized at a party. This unexpectedly awakens his latent psychic abilities. He begins experiencing disturbing visions of a missing teenage girl, leading him to believe she is trying to communicate with him. Driven by these increasingly intense visions and the clues they provide, Tom sets out to solve the mystery of her disappearance.

Cacophony Prod.; Artisan Entertainment

Succumb to the darkness.

Starring: Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Holt, Bill Bill Skarsgård, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Willem Dafoe, Emma Corrin, Ralph Ineson, Simon McBurney, Adéla Hesová, Milena Konstantinova

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"I fear Nosferatu is impervious to any of our iron stakes. I am convinced only you have the faculty to redeem us." - Prof. Albin Eberhart von Franz, to Ellen

Why watch this? It's nice to see a classic vampire in 2024. This oozes terror.

Plot Summary: In 19th century Germany, a young estate agent, Thomas Hutter, travels to Transylvania to meet the mysterious Count Orlok to finalize a property sale. While Hutter is away, his newlywed bride, Ellen, is left in the care of friends, unknowingly connected by a psychic link to the terrifying vampire. A gothic tale unfolds as Orlok, infatuated with Ellen, begins to stalk her, bringing untold horror to her life and the surrounding community.

Maiden Voyage Pictures, Studio 8,
Birch Hill Road Ent.; Focus Features

A NIGHTMARE OF HORROR!

Starring: Bela Lugosi, David Manners, Helen Chandler, Dwight Frye, Edward Van Sloan, Herbert Bunston, Frances Dade

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"Listen to them. Children of the night. What music they make." - Dracula, regarding wolves

Why watch this? The elaborate sets and Lugosi's haunting, iconic performance.

Plot Summary: Count Dracula, a Transylvanian vampire, travels to England and takes up residence in Carfax Abbey. He begins to exert his influence over local society, specifically targeting the young women, including Mina Seward and her friend Lucy Weston. When Lucy falls ill with a mysterious ailment, Professor Van Helsing is called upon to investigate, soon realizing the danger posed by the Count and working to protect Mina and expose Dracula's true nature.

Tod Browning, Carl Laemmle Jr.; Universal Pictures

It will scare you to your very soul.

Starring: Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro, Lisa Bonet, Charlotte Rampling, Michael Higgins, Stocker Fontelieu, Brownie McGhee

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"They say there's just enough religion in the world to make men hate one another, but not enough to make them love." – Louis Cyphre

Why watch this? It is a surreal, atmospheric crime film that winds darkly to a memorable ending.

Plot Summary: Set in 1955 New York City, a private investigator Harry Angel is hired by the enigmatic Louis Cyphre to find a missing singer named Johnny Favorite, last seen in New Orleans. As Angel delves deeper into the investigation, he encounters occult practices, violence, and a string of mysterious deaths, leading him to a disturbing truth about himself and his client.

Carolco Pictures; Tri-Star Pictures

Dance with the devil.

Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, Jack O'Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Omar Benson Miller, Delroy Lindo, Peter Dreimanis, Lola Kirke, Li Jun Li, Saul Williams, Yao

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"You keep dancing with the devil... one day he's gonna follow you home." – Pastor Jedidiah

Why watch this? Mudbound meets From Dusk til Dawn. Hell yea!

Plot Summary: Twin brothers, World War I veterans, return to their hometown in 1932 Mississippi hoping to open a juke joint and start a new life. Their plans for a safe haven in the Jim Crow South take a dark turn when a sinister, supernatural force descends upon their community. The brothers and their community are forced to face this ageless, unexpected evil.

Proximity Media; Warner Bros. Pictures

The seals have been broken. The prophecies have begun. Now only one woman can halt the end of our world.

Starring: Demi Moore, Michael Biehn, Jürgen Prochnow; Peter Friedman, John Taylor, Lee Garlington, Akosua Busia, Harry Basil

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"So much misery, man against man. They kill each other. They have no faith. I used to think the world would change. But it hasn't." - David Bannon

Why watch this? It's a brilliant "what if" story loosely based on the biblical Book of Revelation.

Plot Summary: Abby Quinn, a pregnant woman who begins to experience strange occurrences and unsettling dreams as the world around her faces unusual natural phenomena mirroring biblical prophecies. A mysterious stranger renting a room in her home seems connected to these events, which Abby fears are harbingers of the Apocalypse. Abby finds herself increasingly embroiled in a struggle to understand and potentially alter the unfolding sequence of these prophecies.

Interscope Comm., ML Delphi Premier Prod.;
TriStar Pictures

They got up on the wrong side of the grave.

Starring: Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManincor, Betsy Baker, Theresa Tilly, Sam Raimi, Robert G. Tapert

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"I'm all right now, Ashley! Come unlock this chain and let me out! I'm all right now! It's your sister Cheryl!" - Cheryl, possessed and attacking Ash

Why watch this? Raimi's bold film debut was scary, gory and sometimes a little funny.

Plot Summary: Five friends on a trip to a remote cabin in the woods discover an ancient text and audiotape in the basement. Unwittingly, they play the tape, which unleashes a demonic force that begins to possess them one by one. The sole survivor, Ash Williams, must then fight for his life against his now-monstrous friends as the evil presence besieges the cabin.

Renaissance Pictures; New Line Cinema

An erotic fantasy about the animal in us all.

Starring: Nastassja Kinski, John Heard, Malcolm McDowell, Annette O'Toole, Ruby Dee, Ed Begley Jr., Scott Paulin, Frankie Faison, Lynn Lowry, John Larroquette

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"We are a incestuous race. We can only make love with our own, otherwise we transform. And before we can become human again, we must kill." - Irena Gallier

Why watch this? This film is as beautiful as it is horrifying.

Plot Summary: Irina, an orphaned young woman, travels to New Orleans to reunite with her estranged brother, Paul. Shortly after her arrival, she discovers a terrifying family secret: she is descended from an ancient line of "Cat People," beings who transform into deadly panthers when sexually aroused. As she navigates this dark truth, Irina finds herself torn between her attraction to a human man and the dangerous, incestuous nature of her family legacy.

RKO Pictures; Universal Pictures

The most harmless things can hurt you.

Starring: Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich, Amy Madigan, Scarlett Sher (narrator), Cary Christopher, Jason Turner, Benedict Wong, Anny Jules, Ali Burch, Austin Abrams

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"I can make your parents hurt themselves. I can make them hurt each other. I can make them eat each other if I want to. Do I want to, Alex? - Gladys Lilly

Why watch this? This is one creepy, hair-raising nightmare of a film.

Plot Summary: In the town of Maybrook, PA, seventeen children from a single classroom mysteriously vanish in the middle of the night, leaving only one student behind. As the community falls into a panic and law enforcement fails to find leads, suspicion falls heavily upon the students' teacher, Justine, who struggles to clear her name. The investigation unveils a dark, unfolding mystery involving an unseen, sinister force at play.

New Line Cinema, Subconscious, Vertigo Ent.,
BoulderLight Pictures; Warner Bros. Pictures

Heads Will Roll

Starring: Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gambon, Casper Van Dien, Christopher Walken, Christopher Lee

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"The Horseman comes, and tonight he comes for you." - Lady Van Tassel

Why watch this? ... it's a masterful gothic tale of curses, betrayal, and head-lopping murder.

Plot Summary: In 1799, Constable Ichabod Crane is sent to the isolated village of Sleepy Hollow to investigate a series of gruesome murders where victims are found decapitated. The superstitious townspeople attribute these killings to the legendary Headless Horseman, a spectral Hessian mercenary seeking his lost head. As Crane, a man of science and logic, delves deeper into the chilling mystery, he must confront his skepticism and the possibility of supernatural forces.

Mandalay Pics, Scott Rudin Prod., American
Zoetrope, Tim Burton Prod,; Paramount Pics

Salem's Lot... where no one rests in peace...

Starring: David Soul, James Mason, Lance Kerwin, Bonnie Bedelia, Lew Ayres, Julie Cobb, Elisha Cook Jr., George Dzundza, Ed Flanders

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"You'll enjoy Mr. Barlow. And he'll enjoy you." - Straker

Why watch this? This is the scariest film I ever watched on network TV. It traumatized me.

Plot Summary: Novelist Ben Mears returns to his childhood hometown of Salem's Lot, Maine, hoping to write about the ominous Marsten House that looms over the town. However, his arrival coincides with the arrival of a mysterious antique dealer and his unseen business partner. Soon, unexplained disappearances and strange deaths begin to plague the residents of the seemingly quiet community.

Warner Bros. Television; CBS

There are some very good reasons to be afraid...of the dark.

Starring: Chris Sarandon, William Ragsdale, Amanda Bearse, Stephen Geoffreys, Roddy McDowall, Jonathan Stark, Dorothy Fielding

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"You deserve to die, boy. Of course... I could give you something I don't have. A choice. Forget about me, Charley. Forget about me, and I'll forget about you." - Jerry Dandrige

Why watch this? One of the best vampire films ever - scary, gross, and sporting a nice sense of humor.

Plot Summary: This creepy story follows a teenage horror fan named Charley Brewster who discovers his new, charming next-door neighbor is actually a vampire responsible for a string of recent murders. When no one believes his warnings, Charley enlists the help of Peter Vincent, a washed-up actor who hosts a late-night horror movie show and played a vampire hunter in films. Despite Vincent's initial skepticism, they must work together to combat the seductive undead threat lurking in the suburban shadows.

Vistar Films; Columbia 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

Bolt your doors. Lock your windows There's something in The Fog!

Starring: Adrienne Barbeau, Tom Atkins, Jamie Lee Curtis, Hal Holbrook, Janet Leigh, Nancy Loomis, Ty Mitchell, Charles Cyphers

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"We were aided by an unearthly fog that rolled in, as if Heaven sent, although God had no part in our actions tonight." – Father Malone

Why watch this? This is one film I cannot watch with the lights off.

Plot Summary: On the eve of its centennial, the small coastal California town of Antonio Bay becomes shrouded in a mysterious, glowing fog. This fog brings with it supernatural occurrences and the vengeful spirits of shipwrecked sailors seeking retribution for their deaths, which were caused by the town's founders a century earlier. As the fog rolls inland, a diverse group of residents, including a radio DJ, a priest, and a hitchhiker, must fight for their lives against the mist.

Debra Hill Prod.; AVCO Embassy Pictures

In darkness, there can be light. In misery, there can be beauty. In death, there can be life...

Starring: Sergi López, Maribel Verdú, Ivana Baquero, Doug Jones, Ariadna Gil, Álex Angulo, Manolo Solor

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"I've had so many names. Old names that only the wind and the trees can pronounce. I am the mountain, the forest and the earth. I am... I am a faun. Your most humble servant, Your Highness." - Pan to Ofelia

Why watch this? As wise critic Roger Ebert penned, "It is a fairy tale for grown-ups".

Plot Summary: Set in Spain during WWII, a young girl, Ofelia, and her pregnant mother move into the compound where her ruthless father-in-law, Captain Vidal, resides. Vidal, a sadistic leader, is responsible for suppressing a band of rebels who resist the Francoist regime. He is cruel, especially to Ofelia. To cope, the girl escapes to an imaginary world of fairies and creatures. Within a nearby stone maze, she encounters the bizarre, horned Pan, a faun who gives her three tasks to prove her worthiness to become a princess.

Estudios Picasso, Tequila Gang, Esperanto
 Filmoj, Sententia Ent.; Warner Bros. Pictures

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), Director: Francis Ford Coppola rated R for strong violence, nudity, scary scenes

LOVE NEVER DIES

Starring: Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, Keanu Reeves, Richard E. Grant, Cary Elwes, Tom Waits

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"You will, I trust, excuse me if I do not join you. But, I have already dined, and I never drink... wine." - Dracula

Why watch this? Gary Oldman's portrayal of Dracula is singularly unique... and terrifying!

Plot Summary: In 1897, a young solicitor, Jonathan Harker, travels to Transylvania to handle a real estate transaction for the mysterious Count Dracula. Upon seeing a photograph of Harker's fiancée, Mina, Dracula believes she is the reincarnation of his deceased wife. Imprisoning Harker, the Count travels to London to find Mina, unleashing a reign of terror and seduction upon those seek to protect the girl.

American Zoetrope, Osiris Films;
Columbia Pictures

IS HE A MAN... OR UNHOLY BEAST?

Starring: Claude Rains, Lon Chaney Jr., Warren William, Ralph Bellamy, Maria Ouspenskaya, Patric Knowles, Bela Lugosi

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"Even a man who is pure in heart, and says his prayers by night, May become a wolf when the wolf's bane blooms, and the autumn moon is bright." - Maleva, the gypsy

Why watch this? This timeless classic still remains my favorite werewolf movie.

Plot Summary: Returning to his ancestral home in Wales, Larry Talbot becomes entangled with a gypsy carnival and the local folklore surrounding werewolves after a fateful encounter in the woods. A gypsy woman informs Larry that he was bitten by a werewolf, implying that he will transform into one himself. The film then follows Larry's tragic descent as he grapples with the terrifying possibility of becoming a monster.

George Waggner; Universal Pictures

From a dimension beyond the living, a terror to scare you to death.

Starring: JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, Beatrice Straight, Dominique Dunne, Heather O’Rourke, Zelda Rubinstein

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"It lies to her, it tells her things only a child could understand. It has been using her to restrain the others. To her, it simply is another child. To us, it is the Beast." - Tangina

Why watch this? Nightmares come to life in this disturbing, apparition-filled experience.

Plot Summary: The Freeling family's seemingly normal suburban home becomes the site of increasingly strange and frightening supernatural occurrences. These manifestations initially seem playful, but they quickly turn menacing, eventually leading to the disappearance of the youngest daughter, Carol Anne. Desperate to rescue her, the family enlists the help of paranormal investigators and a spiritual medium to confront the malevolent forces that have invaded their home.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, SLM Prod. Gp.,
Mist Ent., Amblin Ent.; MGM/UA Ent. Co.

Something beyond comprehension is happening to a girl on this street, in this house . . .
a man has been sent for as a last resort. That man is The Exorcist.

Starring: Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Jason Miller, Linda Blair, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty Winn, Jack MacGowran, Father William O'Malley

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"The demon is a liar. He will lie to confuse us. But he will also mix lies with the truth to attack us. The attack is psychological, Damien, and powerful. So don't listen to him. Remember that - do not listen." – Father Merrin

Why watch this? The actual exorcism scenes are terrifying.

Plot Summary: When a young girl begins to exhibit disturbing and violent behavior, her mother seeks both medical and psychiatric help without success. As the girl's condition worsens, manifesting in bizarre and terrifying ways, the desperate mother turns to the Catholic Church. Ultimately, two priests, one older and experienced and the other facing a crisis of faith, are called upon to confront the mysterious entity possessing the child.

Hoya Productions; Warner Bros.

Not every gift is a blessing.

Starring: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams, Trevor Morgan, Donnie Wahlberg

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"I don't wanna be scared anymore." - Cole Sear

Why watch this? This is a very chilling, sophisticated and creepy film, from a promising new director.

Plot Summary: Child psychologist Malcolm Crowe takes on a new patient, a young boy named Cole Sear, who is isolated and troubled. Cole confides in Malcolm that he can see and communicate with deceased individuals who are unaware of their own deaths. As Malcolm works to understand and help Cole with his unusual ability, he also grapples with personal issues, including a strained relationship with his wife.

Hollywood Pictures, Spyglass Ent., The
Kennedy/Marshall Co., Barry Mendel Prod.;
Buena Vista Pictures Dist.

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