GAGS THE CLOWN (2018) d: Adam Krause. c: Lauren Ashley Carter, Aaron Christensen, Evan Gamble, Tracy Perez. A horror-comedy that’s neither scary nor funny, this desperately wants to be both a parody of fake news and the found footage subgenre but comes off as nothing more than an amateurish and stale wannabe for the attention-needy YouTube generation. A small town becomes the newest social media hotspot thanks to repeated sightings of a sinister clown and his mysterious intentions. Insufferable characters, bad acting, and disjointed storytelling make this a chore to sit through, even for the hardcore FF fan. F
JADE (1995) d: William Friedkin. c: David Caruso, Linda Fiorentino, Chazz Palminteri, Richard Crenna, Michael Biehn, Donna Murphy. Entertaining but empty entry in the ’90s erotic thriller sweepstakes about the murder of a high-profile millionaire, the prime suspect being his much younger psychologist lover (Fiorentino) who just happens to have a rocky romantic past with the lead detective on the case (Caruso). Essentially just rehashing the flashy elements that made Basic Instinct work, this is well directed by Friedkin and has a couple of good twists, but lacks the substance and, most importantly, the suspense – not to mention any “must see” moments – of its predecessor. C+
THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME (1932) d: Ernest B. Schoedsack. c: Joel McCrea, Fay Wray, Leslie Banks, Robert Armstrong, Noble Johnson. The only survivor (McCrea) of an island shipwreck takes shelter inside the large estate of a mysterious Count (Banks) where there are two other survivors of an earlier boat disaster. When members of their party begin to disappear McCrea discovers Banks deliberately sunk their ships and is hunting them for sport. An RKO classic, this atmospheric chiller is surprisingly gruesome for its time (don’t miss the dreaded Trophy Room!) and has the gothic look and feel of an early Universal Monster movie. The cast is good and the script suspenseful. B+
REPOSSESSED (1990) d: Bob Logan. c: Linda Blair, Leslie Nielsen, Ned Beatty, Anthony Starke, Thom Sharp. Years after she was under the influence of the Devil, a housewife (Linda Blair) again becomes possessed and requires the help of the retired priest (Leslie Nielsen) who exorcised her, but not before her demonic activities are displayed on TV by Jim and Tammy Faye wannabes. A harmless Exorcist spoof in the vein of Airplane! made legitimate by Blair’s good spirited involvement and her surprisingly good comedic timing with Nielsen. While many of the jokes fall flat a surprising amount gain serious chuckles, but be warned: if nonstop boob gags and constant split pea soup vomit isn’t your thing you’ll wanna avoid this one. B–