TWICE DEAD (1988) The down-on-their-luck Cates family inherit and move into a dilapidated Los Angeles manor, once owned by famous 1930s actor, Tyler Walker, who killed himself in the attic. When a gang of violent squatters are forced out of the house upon the family’s arrival, they seek revenge against the Cates, only to feel the wrath of Walker’s murderous spirit, hellbent on protecting his beloved house, and who may have eyes for the Cates teen daughter. Standard haunted house/slasher fair enlivened by a good cast and plenty of energy. Look for Raymond Cruz and Todd Bridges in small roles. B–
UNINVITED (1987) You’ve never seen a movie like Uninvited, and if you have, I’m sorry. A yacht full of vacationing idiots are terrorized by a genetically altered tabby cat that vomits out a mutated second cat (no, seriously!) that kills anyone it feels threatened by, which in this case are cretins, thugs, and Gordon Gekko wannabes with fake mustaches and hammy acting abilities. This lacks the slightest shred of creativity or credibility, with a hand-puppet to represent the cat-monster and seasoned actors looking embarrassed to be a part of any of it, especially George Kennedy, and Clu Gulager in really bad dentures. F
VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED (1960) Overpraised British sci-fi/horror about a small village, which, after a mysterious event, becomes home to a small group of super-intelligent, mind-controlling children that share a hive mind. Too much time is spent on trying to rationalize the situation – this seems especially trivial since the kids are obviously otherworldly – and there’s uninteresting banter between the military, who want to exploit the children’s powers, and the scientists who want to study them. The kids are well-cast and their devious nature undeniably fun, but much of the special FX have dated, and lead alien kid, Martin Stephens’, awkwardly-dubbed lines are annoying. I just wish the filmmakers had allowed the script to have more fun with the children and paid less attention to the boring adults. C+
THE ZODIAC KILLER (1971) A cheap and tacky slasher flick exploiting the real life Zodiac killing spree of the ’60s and ’70s, in which someone with a flashlight and gun is murdering couples in Northern California. Amateur to the core, this low-low budget flick has stiff acting, awkward direction, and uninteresting characters, most of which exist to complain, create drama, and get killed. The real Zodiac Killer was never caught, but here he’s presented as a disgruntled, misogynist mailman (Hal Reed) who prays to a black altar and refers to himself as the Supreme Zodiac! Skip this and watch the David Fincher film instead. C–