''Crimson Peak'' is an entertaining and enjoyable Gothic movie with elements of supernatural horror, period crime and tragic romantic genres. The greatest parts of the movie are the settings and costumes. Some of it may not always be historically accurate but these elements sure add to the enchantingly creepy atmosphere of the film. They make both the growing metropolises in the North-Eastern part of the United States of America and the wild, rural and lonely landscapes of the United Kingdom and their respective societies come to life in an impressive way. The greatest element is the dilapidated mansion that almost feels like an additional character to the story due to its vast and rotten spaces, pale vestiges of old aristocracy and complex mysteries hidden in the numerous rooms and walls.

The story itself is rather predictable but nicely narrated. The generic plot still works thanks to a solid acting performance by the feminist yet fragile character portrayed by Mia Wasikowska, the elegant yet sinister character played by Tom Hiddleston and the cold and evil character incarnated by Jessica Chastain. The relationship between the three is very ambiguous, engaging and tense.

Even though this might neither be the movie of the year nor one of director Guillermo del Toro's best works, ''Crimson Peak'' is a spine-chilling Gothic movie that convinces with atmospheric settings and solid acting. If you're looking for a more classic, elegant and intellectual horror movie around Halloween this year, ''Crimson Peak'' should be your first choice.

"Rosewood Lane" is a quite solid mixture of a gripping psycho thriller and a haunting supernatural horror movie. It may not be an excellent film but it's an entertaining, intense and suitable B movie for genre fans.

The plot isn't the most original one and somewhat predictable for genre fans. On the other side, the fact that the viewers might guess that certain events are going to happen even adds to the anxious anticipation. The movie's atmosphere plays with the audience's expectations. I also liked the somewhat controversial ending of this movie.

Honestly said, some of the characters in this film are rather shallow and quite stereotypical. Their actions are as predictable as stupid. Still, the frustration and nervousness the viewer feels towards the characters raises the emotional connection to the film itself which is a positive element.

The acting isn't extraordinary but solid enough to keep the audience interested until the end. The cameo appearances of cult actors such as Lin Shaye and Ray Wise are a nice gimmick for genre fans as well.

The movie is directed by the controversial Victor Salva and has a similar style as his other movies such as the surprise hit Jeepers Creepers. This film includes several autobiographical elements since the director has had a complicated relationship with his family like the main actress and since he has already worked as a delivery boy similar to the main villain. These elements are well integrated into the story line and add some content to an ordinary plot, depth to an average acting and emotions to an otherwise predictable effort.

The atmospheric elements of this film are solid. The lighting techniques are suitable since a lot of scenes are taking place in the dark. The Locations are simple but efficient. The sound techniques are quite good and include uneasy moments of silence, nerve-wrecking whispers and quiet sounds but also sudden noisy movements and spoken word passages. The score isn't unique but it adds to the sinister atmosphere. All these elements offer at least a handful of creepy moments throughout the movie and one or two light jump scares which is what I'm expecting from such a movie.

Overall, "Rosewood Lane" is a well done horror movie that turns out being entertaining over ninety minutes. It's not the kind of movie I would watch at the cinema, purchase at full price or judge as a genre highlight but I would definitely watch it again, suggest it for a horror movie night with a couple of friends and tell you that the harsh reviews are a little bit too cynical, exaggerated and serious. Genre fans should try this flick out without any hesitation.

''Insidious: Chapter 3'' is a prequel to the outstanding first two supernatural horror movies. While many other genre series stagnate or decrease in quality, the makers of this film tried out a couple of new things to keep this brand relevant. Even though the outcome of this third part in the series isn't as intense as the first two instalments, it's still a very decent flick for genre fans.

Among the positive elements, I must give credit to Leigh Whannell's directorial debut for connecting this story and its characters coherently to the other two movies. If you had any questions left after watching the first two films, you will get your answers here. In addition to this, the movie adds some depth to recurring characters and some interesting background information given in this film could even lead to other prequels in the future.

The movie focuses on paranormal investigator Elise Reiner who is once more portrayed by Lin Shaye. Her acting performance is credible, diversified and emotional. It's her best acting performance so far in the series. Since the viewers already know this character, most of them might easily identify with her, care about the outcome of the story and appreciate to get a more profound look at her story. The other main character is the charming teenage girl Quinn Brenner, who had tried to contact her deceased mother and is now haunted by a weird demon called The Man Who Can't Breathe. This role is played by rising teenage star Stefanie Scott and she offers a balanced, credible and natural performance that is also the best of her career so far. The acting in this movie might even be a level above the first two instalments.

Another strong fact is that the movie has a more serious and grounded tone than the other two. While the first two movies rather focused on the action and horror itself, this one adds more emotional depth than expected, concentrates on the different characters and their stories and even gives away some interesting background information about paranormal activities. This prequel feels much more mature and profound than the other two instalments.

The problem is that the main villain is definitely the weakest of the series so far. The Man Who Can't Breathe doesn't have a particularly scary appearance. He has no particular skills that make him truly dangerous. There isn't have any interesting background story that would explain his actions or his simple presence either. There are a handful of good scary moments in the film but they are much scarcer than in the first two parts.

In the end, horror movies are not only about solid acting, intriguing characters and some interesting background information about paranormal activities. What makes a good horror movie is the capacity to make those beloved characters portrayed by solid actors that are set in an interesting setting suffer, struggle and survive. This last essential part is clearly missing here. There aren't any really creepy scenes, desperate moments or surprising elements in this movie. The script itself is boring, generic and predictable. The fact that this movie is another prequel doesn't help since one already knows who among the recurring characters is going to survive which decreases any potential tension quite a lot. The obvious problem is that some viewers might feel disappointed about this movie because they will always compare it to the first two instalments that are much scarier. The fact that this film tries out a couple of interesting things where Leigh Whannell adds his own mark to the series, won't save this film for most viewers. Apart of faithful hardcore fans of the series and experienced horror movie maniacs, there isn't much interest for anyone else to check this film. This flick turns out to have a quite small target audience and I wouldn't be surprised if the series lost some spectators after this third part. On the other side, Leigh Whannell's ideas in this film are so convincing, emotional and promising that I hope he will soon work on a new original horror movie without any connections to any other genre flick where he can really show off his very own creativity.

"It Follows" is an independent supernatural horror movie that takes place in and around Detroit, Michigan. The nightmarish story, the electronic score and the use of wide-angel lenses are inspired by classic American and European horror movies from the sixties and seventies. Especially the works of Dario Argento, John Carpenter and George Romero come to my mind.

The main idea of the movie is fairly interesting. After sexual encounters, people are somehow infected since they are slowly followed by a supernatural entity that can take any appearance and which is trying to brutally kill them. Only infected people can see the danger while the supernatural entity isn't dangerous for anybody else as long as they don't try to interfere on purpose. It's impossible to kill the supernatural entity but one can chase it away by violently attacking it. Infected victims usually try to pass on the curse by having sexual encounters on their own but this doesn't seem to be an efficient solution either. The whole thing gets even more mysterious since it's not possible to pass the curse to everybody. Some people get infected during sexual encounters while others don't.

The movie tells the story of a female college student that got infected by her new boyfriend who tries to hide his real identity and whereabouts. Along with her sister and several friends, she tries in vain to escape from the supernatural entity. She also tries to pass on the curse to several friends who want to help her. The movie features in fact three quite boring sex scenes and much more useless sexual innuendo that only distracts from the story. Since the danger is still present, the college student and her friends finally try to set a risky trap to kill the strange entity for good.

The movie has sparked numerous interpretations in regard to the source of the supernatural entity and the film's symbolism. Some critics believe that this movie is simply portraying a nightmare and that there is no deeper meaning behind it. Others have interpreted the film as a parable on sexually-transmitted diseases and its consequences. Some people claim that the movie deals with primal anxieties about intimacy and first sexual relationships. As you can see, there are a lot of interesting questions around this phenomenon but none of these are actually answered.

Sadly, the interesting concept, the great vintage atmosphere, the brilliant score and the clever use of wide camera angles aren't enough to make the entire movie enjoyable. One of the main flaws of the movie is its constantly slow pace and lack of gripping tension. I have no problem with restrained supernatural horror movies but most of them get more and more menacing and end in a really intensive way. This isn't the case at all with this film. One constantly expects the movie to get a little boost as time goes by but it ultimately falls flat. Another problem is the generic acting and the exchangeable characters. I'm aware of the fact that this movie tries to portray a bunch of ordinary teenagers that get shaken up by things they can't fight or understand but the actors and especially actresses are so dull that one simply doesn't care about their fates at all.  

In the end, this overrated movie wastes a really mysterious plot idea and great inspirations from classic genre films for a lackluster flick without any true highlights. Since this amorphous film doesn't have a real ending, there are rumours about a sequel with another interesting story. In this potential project, some infected teenagers try to trace the supernatural entity back to find out where it came from and how the curse started. That's why I'm not yet giving up on this project but as it is now, I would recommend you to skip this over-hyped revival flick and wait for a more interesting second instalment.

"Annabelle" certainly doesn't reinvent the horror genre but it's still an atmospheric, diversified and gripping movie that quickly grabs your attention and will haunt you until the very end. This movie has a better pace and no dull moments compared to "The Conjuring" but it's not as intense and scary as "Insidious" for example.

I like the fact that the movie includes a little bit more than the usual supernatural elements. When the satanic cult members assassinate an old couple and attack the two main actors, the movie quickly starts to be really gripping. When a fire breaks out and menaces the pregnant main actress, most viewers were also on the edges of their seats. The haunting scene leading to and involving a stroller smashed by a truck is also very intense. It's a good thing that the entire movie doesn't only play at one location and only involves supernatural phenomenons.

"Annabelle" convinces with its steadily growing sinister atmosphere, a credible acting performance, a solid camera work without any unnecessary shaking, fitting sound effects and an atmospheric soundtrack. This movie includes almost no blood and gore effects and no obvious special effects. These elements make the scenario feel closer to some classic pioneer movies of the seventies. The realistic tone of the film also makes the movie more intense and easier to get into for most people. 

Even though the movie avoided a few stereotypes such as an exorcism, some parts were still highly predictable: the scared housewife nobody believes in, the wicked demon trying to take possession of a child's innocent soul and the heroic actions of an old pastor attempting to save a young family and community members are elements that horror movie fans have seen numerous times before. That's why the movie lacked some originality and ultimately tension towards the end as the ending was also quite predictable.

Fans of traditional horror movies or more recent outputs by James Wan and his colleagues should watch this movie at the cinema as they are likely to enjoy this film. This movie isn't the best of the year but still a professionally executed and highly above average horror flick. I still hope that the next movies made by the makers of the last few horror blockbusters are going to write a more courageous script for their next project.