ZOMBIE FLICKS

"28 Days Later" (2002) — Director Danny Boyle ("Trainspotting") created this gem which ushered in the new breed of faster, more agile zombies. The premise is simple: our hero, Jim (Cillian Murphy), wakes from a coma to find that England has been quarantined because of an outbreak of biologically induced zombie-ism. Banding together with the few other humans he can find (Naomi Harris and Brendan Gleason are the standouts), he sets out to try and find the remains of civilization.

The jittery film style and quick cuts may induce nausea in some, but this is truly a creepy movie. The acting is excellent, the zombies are actually scary, and it's thematically rich. It also does a tremendous job of evoking the aftermath of an apocalypse.

"Severed: Forest of the Dead" (2006): The premise of this little indie sounds kind of silly—a forestry company genetically enhances their trees, unaware that the sap can turn humans into flesh-eating zombies—but it's suprisingly effective. The remote, isolated setting ratchets up the tension and the conflicts between the characters as they fight for survival adds a nice level of believability. No one is going to win an Academy Award for their performance, but overall the acting is also quite good.

"Resident Evil: Apocalypse" (2004): I didn't like the original, but the sequel was pretty enjoyable. Sure, the characters are pretty stock, and there aren't many genuine scares, but Milla Jovavich's kiss-ass heroine keeps it all together. I actually found myself looking forward to the inevitable sequel when it was done.

"Shaun of the Dead" (2005): This British indie is as much a satirical look at modern society as a zombie flick (as were the original "Night of the Living Dead" and "Dawn of the Dead). It's not quite right to say that it's a spoof, but it's certainly a humorous take on the genre. It won't scare you, but it's witty, inventive, and good fun.

SLASHER/SERIAL KILLERS

"Rest Stop" (2006): This little bit of nasty was never released to theaters and just came out on DVD. If you don't have a strong stomach for gore (or creepy dwarfs or Joey Lawrence), you should probably avoid it, but what makes this one work is that the mostly unseen killer is content for the first 2/3 of the movie just to torment our heroine pyschologically. The movie has an effective setting and the acting is pretty good. Joey Lawrence actually has a surprisingly good scene. This one doesn't break any creative ground and there are some characters who clearly exist only to be creepy, but it was still a good thrill ride. Also be sure to check out the bonus material segment, "Scotty's Blog." Very odd but enjoyable.

"Wolf Creek" (2006): This Australian indie is similar to "Rest Stop" in some ways (remote locale, unseen baddie driving a truck), but once the characters are taken prisoner there are some nice, unexpected twists on the usual formula. What really sets it apart, however, is the quality of the acting. No one acts as though they're in a horror movie.

"Hostel" (2006): This is definitely not for the sqeamish. The torture and dismemberment are needlessly graphic, but the premise makes it worthwhile. Just be prepared to watch parts of it through your fingers.

MONSTERS

"Feast" (2006): This movie was the product of the final season of Bravo's "Project Greenlight" reality series and one of the films that the Weinstein brothers decided to take with them when they left Miramax. The setting and the characters are stock and the monsters are kind of hokey until the end, but director John Gulager and the writers are clearly clued into those facts and have a good time playing with them. The acting is very good (perhaps Krista Allen's finest work), the script is witty, and the gore is humorously over-the-top. Again, you might not be scared, but you'll definitely be entertained.