House at the End of the Street

"House at the End of the Street" (2012) starring Jennifer Lawrence, Max Thieriot, Elisabeth Shue has a mother and daughter moving into a home next door to a house where a family was murdered in this horror/thriller.

After a divorce, Sarah (Shue) moves her daughter Elissa (Lawrence) to a small town where the only house they can afford is next door to a house where years earlier the mother and father were killed by their daughter, Carrie Ann.  Local lore has it that Carrie Anne got away and is living the the woods nearby.  Carrie Ann's brother, Ryan, was away at boarding school during the murders and he has moved back into the home much to the dismay of the neighbors.

Of course Elissa meets Ryan and they hit it off even though Sarah would rather she stay away from him.  Little does anyone know, Ryan has a secret - he has sheltered his crazy sister in a hidden room in the house all these years and she is always trying to escape!  Will Elissa get too close to Ryan and his secrets for her own good?

Jennnifer Lawrence ("Hunger Games") plays an unhappy teen well and Max Thieriot ("Bate's Motel", "Nancy Drew") is great as the mysterious neighbor.  This was a pretty good horror thriller that keeps you guessing and has some unexpected twists and turns.

Knife Edge

"Knife Edge" (2009) is a horror / thriller starring: Hugh Bonneville, Natalie Press and Matthieu Boujenah that takes place in a large country mansion in England.

Emma is a successful New York stock broker who has a five year old son Thomas.  She is also recently married to Henri who has whisked her back to her home country of Great Britain and surprised her with the purchase of a huge country mansion and a lush estate.  Their new life seemed perfect until things start unraveling in the new house.

It turns out the house has a terrible secret in its past.  Emma, who has always been able to see glimpses of the past, believes she is now getting visions of murder in the past at the house.  She starts to hear a child calling for her from upstairs and it's not Thomas!  Thomas has an imaginary new friend named Tobias and carries an old doll around that Tobias gave him. Emma tries to share these visions and her fears about the house with Henri but he is too caught up in his own financial troubles to be of any support.

This turned out to be a great thriller.  Filled with spooky atmosphere that an old English Mansion with overgrown estate can provide.  An eerie tree that keeps haunting Emma in her dreams also seems to be a part of the secret.  Lots of scary moments, suspense and an interesting story keeps you guessing until the end.

Dead Man's Island

"Dead Man's Island" (1996) is a mystery/thriller made for TV film that takes place on a remote island, starring: Barbara Eden, William Shatner, Roddy McDowall, Morgan Fairchild, Traci Lords, David Faustino, Christopher Atkins, Olivia Hussey, Jameson Parker, Christopher Cazenove and Don Most.

Chase Prescott (Shatner) is a rich man who owns many companies and a beautiful mansion on a remote, private island.  He invites a cast of characters from his businesses, friends and family to the island retreat because he thinks one of them is trying to kill him for his fortune.  He has also invited an old friend, Henrietta O'Dwyer Collins (but everyone calls her Henrie O.) (Eden), who is a renowned journalist so she can investigate these suspects and let him know who the would be killer is.

The list of suspects include: Valerie St. Vincent (Fairchild) who wants Chase to back her on a Broadway play; Trevor Dunnaway (McDowall), Prescott's attorney; Miranda Prescott (Lords), Chase's beautiful young wife; Burton Andrews (Most), Chase's private secretary; Lyle Stedman (Parker), Senior Vice President at Chase's company; sons Haskell (Faustino) & Roger (Atkins); and housemaid Rosie (Hussey) and butler Milo (Cazenove).

Barbara Eden does a good job as Henrie O (although her Texas accent is less than convincing) - asking all the guests the uncomfortable questions everyone would rather not talk about.  Not only do we have a possible murder on the island - there is also an approaching storm to add to the suspensful atmosphere and drama!  "Dead Man's Island" is a fun murder mystery with an all star cast of characters.

Five Desperate Women

"Five Desperate Women" is a 1971 made for TV movie that aired as an ABC Movie of the Week, starring: Robert Conrad, Anjanette Comer, Bradford Dillman, Joan Hackett, Denise Nicholas, Stefanie Powers and Julie Sommars.

Years after graduating from a private college, five friends reconnect for a reunion by chartering a boat to take them to a remote island off the coast of California where they will stay at an isolated seaside house.  The only inhabitants of the island are the five women: Lucy, Dorian, Joy, Gloria and Mary Grace as well as two men: the caretaker Michael & the boat captain Jim.  Unbeknownst to the women, there is a maniacal killer on the loose from the local insane asylum who at the beginning of the film kills a man on the beach and steals his clothes which have the island resort's company logo.

 The women are each taking a break from the lives they have ended up with since college.  At the beginning they all make it appear that each is doing well but little by little the truth surfaces and we learn that their lives aren't so happy after all.  When one of the women is found strangled in her bed, this makes the other four even more desperate to get off the island and away from the two men - one of which has to be the murderer.  Just when they try to get away, the boat explodes and the suspicions grow.

Will the four remaining women make it out alive?  Will they learn new things about themselves and their lives and be able to pick up the pieces if they make it out?  This is a pretty standard made for TV thriller that nevertheless is fun to watch.  

6 Souls

"6 Souls" (2010) starring Julianne Moore, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Jeffrey DeMunn  is a supernatural horror thriller about a forensic psychiatrist investigating a man with multiple personalities.

Cara Harding (Moore) is a forensic psychiatrist who is also a devout Christian.  She is able to balance the sometimes conflicting beliefs well in her life even though she is put to the test being a single mother to her young daughter after her husband was murdered.  Her father Dr. Harding (Demunn) is also a psychiatrist and calls her in to consult on one of his patients.  

Cara meets the patient David (Rhys Meyers) who is wheelchair bound and after conducting some tests doesn't find anything wrong with him.  While watching through the window, her father calls him and he answers and after violently convulsing, he is Adam.  Cara digs deeper into his files and is soon deep into an investigation that will lead to discovering more of his personalities.  

She discovers his personalities are actually based on real people that are dead.  She will discover that maybe it isn't just a shattered mind in this patient's body but something that will put her scientific and religious beliefs to the test.  

"6 Souls" is a pretty good supernatural thriller.   It has its creepy moments.  Jonathan Rhys Meyers is excellent playing the multiple personalities including some sinister characters.  Julianne Moore plays a smart woman in jeopardy who will do what she can to save herself and her family.  It's a good movie to rent for the evening.

Cruise into Terror

"Cruise into Terror" (1978) is a made for TV horror / thriller starring: Dirk Benedict, Christopher George, Lynda Day George, Jo Ann Harris, Lee Meriwether, Ray Milland, Hugh O'Brian, Stella Stevens, Hilary Thompson, Roger E. Mosley, John Forsythe and Frank Converse.

 

A cruise line is overbooked and dozen or so passengers are put on the Obeah, a small ship that doesn't usually take passengers, to make the three day voyage to Cozumel where they will meet up with the larger ship.  There's Sandra Barry who is trying to get her workaholic husband Barry to relax; Reverend Charles Mather & his wife Lil; Dr. Isiah Bakkun, an Egyptologist who believes the ancient Egyptians sailed to America and created the Mayan civilization; Marilyn Magnesun recently divorced looking for some fun; Judy Haines and Debbie Porter, two coeds on vacation; Frank Lazarus a brainy mathematician; and the crew: Captain Andy, first officer Simon and crewman Nathan.

 

The passengers learn from Dr. Bakkun that he's searching for an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus that will prove his theories.  He believes it is in Cozumel.  Frank looks at his figures and advises him he's 40 some miles off and it is really in the ocean and it just happens that the ship is going to pass right by it.  The passengers try to convince the captain that it would be an adventure to stop and search for the treasure.  He wants to get straight to Mexico so they can get parts to fix their second engine.  Coincidentally, the ship breaks down right above the treasure.  The reverend tries to convince everyone to leave the sarcophogas in place as he says there is a curse on it and it contains the devil's child which will be raised by one of the crew that doesn't have a soul.  Of course no one listens to him.

They do find the treasure and the terror continues as well as the death toll on the ship.  The passengers also start turning against each other.  Will there be any survivors of this cruise into terror?

Nancy Drew

"Nancy Drew" (2007) is a mystery / thriller that brings back everyone's favorite teenage sleuth, Nancy Drew.  It stars: Emma Roberts, Max Thieriot, Tate Donovan and Josh Flitter.

Nancy Drew is known by all in her small hometown of River Heights for her ability to solve mysteries.  When her father, Carson Drew has a three month long business trip in L.A., Nancy picks the house they will stay in, a house that belonged to a Hollywood starlet from the past named Dehlia Draycott.   Carson makes Nancy promise that while in Los Angeles, she will refrain from sleuthing as it keeps getting her into dangerous situations.  Being that she had already picked the house that has a mystery behind the actress' disappearance, that promise will be hard to keep.

Nancy is a smart and intelligent sixteen year old who would rather read books and solve mysteries instead of the things the kids in L.A. want to do.  Wearing her old fashioned clothing also makes her stick out from the crowd and she has a hard time fitting in at her new school.  She gets the attention of a precocious 12 year old named Corky who becomes her new best friend and helps her with the mystery.  When her "boyfriend" Ned comes to join them, he is annoyed by Corky's attentions toward Nancy.

While trying to fit in with her classmates, she gains unwelcome attention from some thugs that don't want her to discover the truth behind the disappearance of Dehlia Draycott and they will do anything to keep her from finding Dehlia's long lost daughter and the original will.

This is a great family movie with an intelligent and fun girl as its main character.  She does her own thing and doesn't care much what others think of her.  Nancy pieces together a long forgotten mystery and does good for others as her father always taught her.  If you loved Nancy Drew stories when you were a kid, you'll love this modern rendition of the character.