Darkness Falls (2003)
Jul 2, 2005Vengeful Tooth Fairy
Formulaic horror film about an avenging supernatural hag known as the Tooth Fairy. Much of the premise is borrowed from A Nightmare on Elm Street
James Vanderbilt
Zodiac (2007)
May 27, 2007True Life Serial Killer
David Fincher's gripping investigation into the unsolved true-life Zodiac Killer case. Fincher's stagings are exacting and the mystery he builds intensely absorbing
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
Jul 2, 2012Comic-Book Superhero
The reasoning behind rebooting the Spider-Man franchise after ten years and only three films is a puzzle. That said, this offers an edgier origin story than Sam Raimi's take and Andrew Garfield makes for a fine Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
May 3, 2014Comic-Book Superhero
One of the best among the modern Marvel Comics screen adaptations. All involved are at the absolute peak of their game and the balance of superheroic action, humour and tragedy makes you cheer at how well they get it right
Independence Day: Resurgence (2016)
Jul 2, 2016Alien Invasion
Roland Emmerich returns with more of the same. The problem is how to top the first film and here everything is so big and with so much happening that it cannot be taken in and slips into tedium
Ready or Not: Here I Come (2026)
May 16, 2026Human Hunting Game
Ready or Not was a reasonable hit with audiences. Now Samara Weaving and the same creative team are back with a sequel that expands the game and polishes the black humour to a point of perfection
Slender Man (2018)
Jan 27, 2019Boogeyman of Urban Legend
Slender Man is the fascinating idea of an internet meme that has crossed over to become an urban legend in the real world; this is the film version. This held the potential to be something very uncanny but chooses to play everything incredibly safe and middle-of-the-road
Suspiria (2018)
Feb 16, 2019Witchcraft in a Girl’s School
Dario Argento's original Suspiria was an almost entirely narrative-free work set around a series of extravagantly arty deaths; this remake could not be a more different film. Not to say it is uninteresting in what it does
The House With a Clock in Its Walls (2018)
Mar 10, 2019Boy and His Eccentric Warlock Uncle
Eli Roth is a director associated with the Torture Porn cycle and one does a double-take at him making a family-friendly film. The results emerge somewhere between Harry Potter and a Goosebumps film
Ready or Not (2019)
Nov 29, 2019Deadly Game of Hide and Seek
This is The Most Dangerous Game in the setting of an Agatha Christie whodunnit. Samara Weaving marries into a family of privilege only to find her wedding night requires her to engage in a deadly game of Hide and Seek
Scream (2022)
Mar 5, 2022Slasher Sequel Parody/Deconstruction
Following the recent reboot of the Halloween franchise, many of the original cast and a new directorial team resurrect Wes Craven’s Scream franchise in some undeniably appealing ways
Scream VI (2023)
May 6, 2023Slasher Sequel
The sixth entry in a series that began as a smart and clever parody/deconstruction of the slasher film. Now this has become just another teen franchise film that has forgotten all the meta margin notes.
Abigail (2024)
May 31, 2024Vampire Kidnap Thriller
From the duo behind the Scream reboot films, a thriller about the kidnap of a young girl in the vein of From Dusk Till Dawn that abruptly pivots to become a vampire film
Fountain of Youth (2025)
Jun 6, 2025Quest for the Fountain of Youth/Adventure Film
Guy Ritchie makes an adventure film that pays homage to Indiana Jones and a host of other works concerning the quest for the Fountain of Youth. A superficial film killed by its constantly distracting flip banter
Scream 7 (2026)
Mar 28, 2026Slasher Sequel
The Scream series drags itself for another sequel but at least performs a course correction by bringing back original screenwriter Kevin Williamson in the director’s chair, along with appearances of many past cast