'Phobias' (2021): This horror anthology has an intriguing premise – An evil doctor tries to weaponise fear by sapping terror from 5 hostages who suffer from intense phobias. Directed by Joe Sill, the segment is a taut and surprisingly touching examination of a father-son bond. But fast-forward to the final film for the real reason to watch 'Phobias.' Credit: IMDB
'Willy’s Wonderland' (2021): Nicolas Cage speaks volumes with his mouth closed. Cage’s nonverbal chops come in handy in this bloody action-packed horror comedy, since he doesn’t say a word. Cage plays a drifter whose car breaks down in a small town. He agrees to work off the repair bill by cleaning Willy’s Wonderland, a Chuck E. But something sinister is brooding in the once-happy eatery, and Ozzie the Ostrich and his furry oversized pals are out for blood. Credit: IMDB
'An Unquiet Grave' (2020): The well-intentioned but ill-fated desire to have a loved one resurrected from the dead, only to have it become a case of Be Careful What You Wish For. The French series 'Les Revenants' nailed it. So does this film, directed by Terence Krey. A year after his wife, Julia, dies in a car crash, Jamie (Jacob A. Ware) asks his wife’s sister, Ava (Christine Nyland), to help him perform a ritual at the accident site that he says will bring Julia back. Credit: Wikipedia
'The Amusement Park' (2019): Lincoln Maazel (the father of conductor Lorin Maazel) plays an older man who becomes mentally disoriented and physically battered as he wanders a surreal amusement park filled with hucksters, uncaring doctors and other abusive villains. As a horror allegory on aging, 'The Amusement Park' is worse than scary. It’s despairing. Credit: IMDB
Funhouse (2019): 'Saw' meets 'Big Brother' and 'The Circle' in this blood-drenched dark satire about the inhuman lengths humans go to be liked and, even scarier, how far we as consumers push them on their descent to social media hell. Credit: IMDB
Published 29 June 2021, 06:36 IST