The Final Conflict (1981)

Omen, The: The Complete Collection Blu-ray

Twentieth Century-Fox Film
Directed by Graham Baker
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(Blu-ray, Fox)

Damien Thorn, now an adult, runs a powerful corporation that makes money from famine. He is appointed ambassador to England through his personal connection with the president after dispensing with the current one through his demonic power. Meanwhile, a group of monks come into possession of the seven daggers that can kill him. An alignment of stars indicates the second coming of Christ, whom they locate and vow to protect from Damien and his followers. The "final conflict" takes place in an abandoned medieval monastery. Filled with the usual quota of grisly deaths, including some involving infants, but manages to wrap up the religious drama in grandiose fashion.

Damien: Omen II (1978)

Omen, The: The Complete Collection Blu-ray

Twentieth Century-Fox Film
Directed by Don Taylor
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(Blu-ray, Fox)

Damien, now a teenager attending a prestigious military academy, slowly realizes his true identity as the Antichrist. Destined to inherit a fortune in his adopted father's company, his secret followers insure he gets it by murdering everyone who stands in his way. William Holden follows in the footsteps of Gregory Peck by realizing who Damien is and trying to kill him. Extremely well made on Chicago-area locations with another fine Jerry Goldsmith score. However, the deaths are becoming a bit more predictable, and tiresome, and the character arcs too similar to the first movie; engrossing entertainment nonetheless.

The Omen (1976)

Omen, The: The Complete Collection Blu-ray

Twentieth Century-Fox Film
Directed by Richard Donner
My rating: 4 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(Blu-ray, Fox)

American diplomat Gregory Peck accepts the offer from a Roman priest to switch an abandoned infant for his own, which died during childbirth, to spare his wife. He is appointed ambassador to England and moves his family into a large mansion near London. Strange deaths begin to occur, as well as warnings from another Roman priest that his son is actually the Antichrist. As the bizarre deaths continue to mount around him, the skeptical father along with a concerned journalist head to Israel in search of an archaeologist who tells them how to kill the boy. Although filled with memorable death scenes, including a famous decapitation, it is Peck's transformation from concerned father to the realization that he must kill a young child that is truly horrific. Jerry Goldsmith's score, featuring a Satanic chant in Latin, adds immeasurably to the atmosphere.

Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby (1976)

Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby DVD

ABC
Directed by Sam O'Steen
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(YouTube)

Made-for-TV sequel to the Roman Polanski horror classic finds Rosemary and her eight year old child on the run from the same witches coven. They use Tina Louise (!), a prostitute, to separate them. The fate of Rosemary is left unresolved, but little "Andrew" grows up to be rebellious teenager "Adrian". He can't decide if he is good or evil, but in a hilarious scene it is bad heavy metal music that pushes him to the dark side. He ends up in a mental hospital with Donna Mills (!) as his nurse. Well, lets just say room is left for another sequel, which thankfully has yet to materialize.

Rosemary's Baby (1968)

Rosemary's Baby (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

Paramount
Directed by Roman Polanski
My rating: 4 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(Blu-ray, Criterion Collection)

Young housewife Mia Farrow and her struggling actor husband John Cassavetes rent a posh apartment in an old NYC building. Her husband befriends the elderly neighbors next door, who happen to be witches, little realizing that he has also made a bargain with them for her baby. He finds sudden stage success while the elderly couple dote on her during her pregnancy. An old family friend uncovers the truth, and is able to get it to Rosemary before he is killed. She desperately tries to save herself and her baby from the ruthless members of the witches coven. Polanski's classic unfolds slowly, like a good novel, with well developed characters and an intricate plot. Mia Farrow's descent into uncontrolled paranoia is convincing and unnerving.

Don't Go to Sleep (1982)

ABC
Directed by Richard Lang
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(VHS, Unicorn Video)

A couple moves into a new house with their two young children. Their daughter soon starts seeing her dead sister, killed years earlier in a tragic auto accident. She is convinced to murder the other family members one-by-one in various staged accidents. The last surviving member finally catches on to what is happening and decides to fight back. Pretty good except for the psychology angle, with the young girl ending up in a straight jacket and padded cell. Dennis Weaver and Valerie Harper are quite good as the couple dealing with multiple family tragedies. Oliver Robins plays the boy, a character virtually identical to his role in Poltergeist, made the same year.

Blood and Roses (1960)

Paramount
Directed by Roger Vadim
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(YouTube)

At a remote castle near Rome, a fireworks celebration for an engaged couple accidentally leads to an explosion which uncovers an ancient tomb which town rumor claims harbors a vampire. A young woman is bitten, unleashing her suppressed desires for the couple. A lush romantic melodrama with hints of lesbianism and incest. There is a memorable dream sequence in black and white, except for the blood, of course. A wraparound narrative (deleted in the English language version) suggests it was all just delusions.

Morgiana (1972)

Directed by Juraj Herz
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

A young woman inherits much of her father's wealthy estate, much to the chagrin of her twin sister (played by the same actress). The spurned sister plot's the others demise by giving her a slow acting poison. She also tries to steal her fiance. The old good/evil sister gimmick (one blonde, one brunette) is played out on handsome Czech locations and has good camerawork (including some simulated drug trips), but feels like a dated melodrama.

Slipping Into Darkness (1978)

Jupiter Pictures
Directed by Richard Cassidy
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(VHS, Regal Video)

A young woman leaves her boyfriend to seek a life of independence in the big city. She ends up in a boarding house run by a senile old woman and her odd son. She is a diabetic and one day has a seizure in her bathtub and dies. The son, who spies on her through a grate, tries to save her but is too late. He takes her body into his bedroom and keeps it in his bed. Later he dresses it up as his bride. Her friends come looking for her and he commits murder to keep it covered up. Disturbing independent feature well-played by Laszlo Papas as the quiet boy with a troubled past, but hurt by low budget and futile attempts at comic relief. Re-titled "Bloodshed" for the Regal Video release.

Deadly Lessons (1983)

ABC
Directed by William Wiard
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

The new girl at a prestigious boarding school has trouble fitting in with her new classmates. An accidental death turns out to be anything but when more bodies appear around campus. Larry Wilcox (forever to be known as Erik Estrada's sidekick on CHIPs) is a new police detective assigned to the case and Donna Reed is the matronly school governess. There is a multitude of suspects to choose from and big plot twist for the ending. However, it never quite escapes its made-for-TV origins.

The Intruder Within (1981)

ABC
Directed by Peter Carter
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(VHS, Trans World Entertainment)

Workers on an offshore oil rig are menaced by mysterious creatures from the deep which emerge from their drilling operations. It's essentially an Alien clone. Despite the limitations of a made-for-TV movie, it still manages to work in an unpleasant rape scene. Chad Everett, Timothy Bottoms and Jennifer Warren lead an all-too familiar cast from the depths of television hell.

1408 (2007)

1408 [Blu-ray]

Dimension Films
Directed by Mikael Håfström
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(Blu-ray, Genius Products)

John Cusack makes his living writing books about haunted hotels. When he hears about a room in a posh New York City hotel that no one has been able to stay in for more than an hour he immediately books it. The room throws everything in the book at him, but it is not until it gets personal that Cusack begins to doubt his sanity. It's an entertaining ride but in the end just that, there is little in the way of plot and characterization.

The Mist (2007)

The Mist (Two-Disc Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray]

Dimension Films
Directed by Frank Darabont
My rating: 3.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(Blu-ray, Genius Products)

Shoppers at a grocery store in a small Maine town are trapped inside when a mist descends on it from a nearby military base. The mist apparently is not toxic to humans, but has caused animals (and insects) to mutate to giant-sized, bloodthirsty creatures. After a series of grisly killings, the survivors divide into groups: some beginning to believe the apocalyptic religious rants of a woman, others plotting an escape. However, what waits for them on the outside is truly hell on earth. Most of the film is a straightforward monster movie: tense, well-made (other than a few obvious CGI moments) and enjoyable. Then there is that ending.... The best description I can give is "comically manipulative". I was sobbing and laughing simultaneously, rarely does a film illicit from me such a strong reaction. I highly recommend watching the black and white version.

The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967)

The Fearless Vampire Killers DVD

MGM
Directed by Roman Polanski
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(DVD, Warner Bros.)

Two bumbling vampire hunters, a discredited professor and his dimwitted disciple, travel to Transylvania in the height of winter. They stumble upon an inn where they thaw out and spot signs of vampires. Clues lead to a nearby castle inhabited by a count, his gay son and their hunchback servant. Sharon Tate is a voluptuous vampire victim. Impressive set design and attention to detail by Polanski, but the story moves along at very slow pace. An acquired taste.

The Vampire and the Ballerina (1960)

United Artists
Directed by Renato Polselli
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(YouTube)

Ballerinas at a school in a remote castle are easy prey for vampires seeking their blood to rejuvenate their aging bodies. Authentic sets and expressionistic black and white photography are highlights, but the action stops frequently for extended dance sequences by the leggy dancers in black stockings set to modern jazz, ruining any pretension of mood. The end result is more 60s camp than early Italian horror.

Cure (1997)

Cure DVD

Daiei (Japan)
Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(DVD, Home Vision Entertainment)

A series of grisly murders in Tokyo frustrate a police detective and psychologist. A killer is caught, but he has no memory of why he did it. The police detective theorizes he was hypnotized, which leads them to arrest a young man who had contact with each victim. However, he does not break under intense interrogation, instead claiming short term memory loss and questioning the interrogators. A long lost videotape provides a vital clue to his past. Slow, brooding film fits together like an intricate puzzle with layers of hidden meaning, but hinges on the acceptance of hypnotism as a real phenomenon. If you don't believe in it, the whole thing falls apart.

Bug (2006)

Bug (2006) [DVD]

Lionsgate
Directed by William Friedkin
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(DVD, Lionsgate)

Waitress Ashley Judd, living in a rundown motel in Oklahoma, befriends soft spoken Michael Shannon. She is hassled by her ex-husband who shows up unannounced when he is released from prison. She falls for Shannon, but his increasing paranoia leads them down the path of insanity. I don't recall a single bug in a horror movie supposedly about bugs. Instead, this is a harrowing portrait of two people dealing with their personal demons, both real and imagined. An aluminum foil covered room provides a backdrop for a virtuoso denouement for the two lead actors.

Fire in the Sky (1993)

Fire in the Sky DVD

Paramount Pictures
Directed by Robert Lieberman
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(DVD, Paramount)

Good 'ole boys in Arizona have an alien encounter while logging in a forest. One of them is left behind when he leaves their pickup truck and goes missing for 5 days. James Garner is called in to investigate and becomes increasingly skeptical of their story. Town gossip turns against them as well and there are accusations of murder. However, the missing man turns up one rainy night and tells a horrifying story of his abduction. In the best scene of the movie, we see a flashback to his imprisonment and forced examination at the hands of the aliens. More of those type of scenes and less of James Garner in Rockford Files mode would have made for a better film. Supposedly based on a "true story".