Film: February 13 - 19

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019)

Serenity (2005)

After (2012)

Train To Busan (2016)

It Follows (2014)

Nattvardsgästerna (1963)

The Woman In The Window (1944) ///

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019) Zac Efron is a convincing and charming serial killer, and the detail and design feel authentic, yet the shift in character  perspective tends to dilute the emotion. Only with the final sequences does the intensity build with a dark, true sense of evil.

Serenity (2005) Knowledge of the original TV series 'Firefly' adds empathy for the characters, but the narrative and secrets of Summer Glau's River Tam work as a standalone sci-fi Western adventure with sharp dialog and energetic action. Tone darker, humor still punctuates the drama.

After (2012) An intriguing setup provokes two strangers into a race against time as their suddenly empty hometown is threatened by a fast-encroaching, dark fog. Though the resolutions feel too facile and the monster all too physical, the production is well paced with slick visuals.

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Train To Busan (2016) Blistering zombie adventure as passengers on a speeding train must evade infection from screaming, flesh-rending hordes. Designed like a disaster movie with the lead characters picked off one by one, thrills and emotion are well spaced, and visuals are bold.

It Follows (2014) Elegantly and tensely framed, a scary, edgy tale of sexual angst that creates metaphorical and literal demons. Eerie and unsettling, individual sequences work on their own and as a connected narrative, creating a gnawing sense of dread and horror that never relents.

Nattvardsgästerna (1963) Love, loss and loneliness, physically and spiritually, as a small-town pastor with a dwindling congregation questions his faith. Sombre and intimate, filmed with austere beauty, Gunnar Björnstrand is the conflicted center, the affecting Ingrid Thulin its piercing soul.

The Woman In The Window (1944) Though the end reveal is either a twist that supports the psychology of Edward G. Robinson's lonely professor or a complete cheat, the sparse, lonely locations and lighting lend a riveting, fatalistic atmosphere as a chance meeting with Joan Bennett leads to murder and paranoia.