BURNING BRIGHT (2010) Intense little flick about a teenager (Briana Evigan) and her autistic brother (Charlie Tahan) trapped inside their large house with a hungry bengal tiger during a hurricane. The plot sounds like a silly B-movie from the ’50s, but this is extremely well-made with taut direction (by Carlos Brooks), a quick pace, and some genuinely suspenseful, nail-biting moments thanks to smart, likable characters and Brooks’ eye for detailed sequences. Evigan is excellent, and the special FX are used wisely and effectively. The story takes a little long to get going, but once the tiger is out of the cage the fun begins. B
CANNIBAL APOCALYPSE (1980) Italian-made, filmed-in-Georgia, Romero/Fulci knock-off (co-written by Fulci regular, Dardano Sacchetti) about a Vietnam vet (John Saxon) who, along with two other soldiers, is exposed to a strange virus that slowly turns him into a crazed cannibal. When Saxon and Co. start biting people back home in Atlanta, the city is soon taken over by blood-thirsty ghouls. The movie is trying to be an allegory on Vietnam, but its impact is lessened due to massive plot holes (a S.W.A.T. team would never allow civilians to join a hostage negotiation), and the virus affecting characters differently due to silly plot conveniences. Saxon is good, and the make-up FX fair, but this is really just a wannabe zombie movie, minus the zombies, and the fun. Also known as Cannibals in the Street. C–
DOCUMENTING THE WITCH PATH (2017) A sort of Swedish Blair Witch about three student filmmakers who wish to make a documentary about the legendary “Witch Path,” a section of forest that was used for witch trials and executions in the 17th century. Things get complicated when they find out the place has been closed off to the general public by the local township, making the mystery surrounding the place even more of a cause to venture into the woods. This ultra low-budgeter is fairly engaging for most of its short running time, delivering an unsettling mythology and likable characters. It’s too bad a last-minute twist destroys any momentum the film built, leading to an ultimately disappointing ending. C+
THE UNSEEN (1981) In the highly enjoyable last 30 minutes of The Unseen, Barbara Bach’s character, Jennifer, is trapped in the basement of a boarding house with a maladjusted, mute man-child, who endlessly terrorizes her. Unfortunately, the first 60 minutes of the movie are not as enjoyable and rather boring, as Jennifer and her two news journalist colleagues unwisely rent a room at said remote boarding house, which is owned by a foreshadow-y old coot (Sydney Lassick) and his constantly-under-duress sister (Lelia Goldoni). The man-child, Junior (Stephen Furst), is actually a product of their incestuous relationship, and is kept locked in the cellar and treated like an animal. After her coworkers are murdered, Jennifer is “thrown to the wolf,” so to speak, by Lassick, who turns out to be even more deranged than Junior. Furst is quite good as the infantile son, while Bach is competent as the damsel in distress. Too restrained for its own good; this is one film that would have benefited from some additional splatter. C+