What Dreams May Come (1998)

 

Chris Neilson finds himself in Heaven after his death. However, when his inconsolable wife commits suicide and goes to Hell, he decides to risk his eternal soul to search for her spirit.

Basically a big sobby tearjerker, this movie presents some fascinating and spectacular, and at times cheesy, depictions of heaven and hell, albeit with a lot of half-baked theology.

Halliwell (no star): "Hollywood's brand of warm, huggy theology gets ever stranger: heaven here is a gooey oil painting, psychobabble is the angelic language, there's no deity in view, and the occupants can't wait to leave the place and get back to Earth. The mind boggles."

Maltin BOMB: "Off-putting gobbledygook...Despite its pedigree (a novel by Richard Matheson, a good director and cast), this film fails to evoke any tangible emotions. It just doesn't work. Its elaborate (in fact, overelaborate) special effects won an Oscar." 

The Night Stalker (1972)

 

 

An abrasive Las Vegas newspaper reporter investigates a series of murders committed by a vampire. 

 

Above-average, unusual TV crime mystery stuns with its supernatural topic. 

The Raven (1963)

 

A magician, who has been turned into a raven, asks a former sorcerer for help. 

From memory: At times hilarious horror comedy with a great cast genre stars goes on a bit too long, but the climactic finale makes it worth the waiting.

Halliwell*: "The rather splendid duel is a long time coming; the preliminaries are largely confined to chat in a single set, and the random jokes do not quite atone for the boredom."

Maltin***: "Funny horror satire...Climactic sorcerer's duel is a highlight."

 

 

 

 

Nightmare at 20,000 Feet (1963)

A man, newly recovered from a nervous breakdown, becomes convinced that a monster only he sees is damaging the plane he's flying in.

Arguably one of the series' best episodes: weird, suspenseful, with a macabre touch of humour and a hilariously great performance by William Shatner.

The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)

When a man begins to shrink because of exposure to a combination of radiation and insecticide, medical science is powerless to help him.

Magnificent sci-fi classic manages to create an existentialist drama out of a simple story with some very memorable scenes and a now famous closing monologue.

Halliwell*: "Horrifyingly inevitable sci-fi with imaginative touches gracing a cheap production."

Maltin***1/2: "Intelligent, serious approach, exceptional effects for the period, and a vigorous leading performance result in a genuine sci-fi classic, unsurpassed by later attempts."