nightmare (1962)

"You found me out there didn't you."
A finishing school student, Janet (Jennie Linden) is revisiting her traumatic childhood in her nightmares, when she witnessed her father's murder by her mother. So much so that she is sent home with a teacher Mary Lewis (Brenda Bruce), who places Janet into the care of Grace Maddox (Moira Redmond). Now home can these nightmares be stopped or is Janet doomed to become mad, as her mother was before her?
Another in a long line of psychological terrors from the house of Hammer.

beyond re-animator (2003)

"She's not getting any fresher."
Dr West (Jeffrey Combs) is still in prison, but he restarts his experiments when the new prison doctor (Jason Barry) knows all about West and his background, and wants in.
Yuzna gives us more of the same comic horror, as in his previous installments of the RE-animator chronicles, as West causes yet more carnage. If you like the previous instalments, you'll like this.

the awakening (1980)

aka The Wakening.
"I've forgotten how lovely she was."
Archeologist Matthew Corbeck (Charlton Heston) discovers the long lost tomb of an Egyptian queen. Eighteen years later he returns to Cairo and discovers his daughter (Stephanie Zimbalist) may be possessed by the spirit of that monarch. Can he bring himself to kill his daughter to save mankind from her wraith?
A well made film, dragged down by its slow and methodical pacing, and unfortunately the shockingly violent deaths that occure do not enliven it enough. Loosely based on the Bram Stoker novel 'The Jewel of Seven Stars'.

blood salvage (1990)

aka Mad Jake.
"sometimes good decent folks seem to suffer more than their fair share."
Jake (Danny Nelson) is a preacher in rural Georgia, who likes nothing better than to kidnap people and perform experiments on them. Then he has the misfortune to kidnap a wheelchair bound April (Lori Birdsong) who won't go quietly.
A cheap but entertaining thriller. You've seen it all before, but it still manages to keep your attention till the end.

borderland (2007)

"I don't believe in violence...without a purpose."
Three college friends go on a trip across the Mexican border in search of sex and booze. What they find is a drug running gang using satan for protection via human sacrifice.
A taut thriller, with shockingly brutal and realistic gore. All the more shocking when you know that this was loosely based on real events.

the hitch-hiker (1953)

"Nobody ever gave me anything, so I don't owe nobody!"
Two men (Edmond O'Brien & Frank Lovejoy) on a fishing trip, have the misfortune of picking up escaped convict Emmett Myers (William Talman), who tells them that he intends to murder them when the ride is over.
Lupino produces a nerve wracking flick centered around the psychotic Myers, ably played by Talman.

eight legged freaks (2002)

"So you're trying to tell me that a giant spider ate Gladys?"
Chris McCormick (David Arquette) arrives back in his rural home town, after years away, just in time to get caught up in an invasion of giant spiders, created by exposure to some noxious chemicals. Can he protect the town and the woman (Kari Wuhrer) who he's always had a secret crush on?
Elkayem brings the 50's creature feature up to date with a tongue in cheek script and a large dollop of arachnid action.

final destination (2000)

"In death there are no accidents, no coincidences, no mishaps, and no escapes."
A school trip goes wrong when the plane the class is on blows up, killing all aboard. All but a handful of kids thrown off the flight when Alex Browning (Devon Sawa) has a vision of the disaster. From then on Alex realises that death is stalking them, determined not to be cheated of those who avoided death, but can Alex outfox death and survive?
Some great set pieces add an extra level to what would have otherwise been an average teen-thriller.

st. trinians (2007)

"Girls, we have the schools reputation to uphold."
Treatened with closure by the bank, the girls of St. Trinian's, led by Kelly (Gemma Arterton), decide to steal a painting from the National Gallery and fence it to save the school. All under cover of appearing on a televised schools quiz.
An updating of the uncontrollable schoolgirls - with sly nods to various other films, from Pride and Prejudice to The Italian Job along the way. And whilst it doesn't live up to the 60's originals, this still has enough about it to merit a sequel.