Leatherface (2017)

 

A teenage Leatherface escapes from a mental hospital with three other inmates, kidnapping a young nurse and taking her on a road trip from hell, while being pursued by a lawman out for revenge.

Adequately made and well cast, this prequel to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre saga tries hard to come up with an interesting origin story - and fails.

The Nun (2018)

A priest with a haunted past and a novice on the threshold of her final vows are sent by the Vatican to investigate the death of a young nun in Romania and confront a malevolent force in the form of a demonic nun.

Run-of-the-mill horror flick has good production value, a capable cast and a few atmospheric scenes, but the plot is incoherent and simply a succession of the usual horror tropes.

 

The Courier (2012)

A specialist carrier is hired to deliver a mysterious case to the underworld's most dangerous hitman.

Average thriller has lots of action, but with an uninteresting, costrued plot and a disappointing ending.

The Conjuring (2013)

 

 

Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren work to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their farmhouse. 

 

Nicely assembled old-fashioned haunted house movie; the problem is that it has all been done before with much more thrills. 

Maltin**1/2: "Well made and well acted, this is an intelligent horror movie (based on supposedly real events) but there's nothing new here. Incidentally, no conjuring takes place."

Blood Ties (2013)

Two brothers, on either side of the law, face off over organized crime in Brooklyn during the 1970s.

A thriller with a stellar cast functions as study of a complex brotherly love/hate relationship; manages to keep one's attention, despite a large array of characters and subplots and being slightly too long.

Maltin**: "Convincingly performed all around, especially by Caan as their sickly dad, but the too-familiar setups deliver merely the expected."