The people behind PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 clearly learned a lesson from the debacle of BLAIR WITCH 2: BOOK OF SHADOWS; they’ve hewed scrupulously close to the original film in style and tone. The result is probably the best true sequel that could have been made to PARANORMAL ACTIVITY, without avoiding the pitfalls that come with creating a close-but-not-too-close approximation of a singular success.

One of the surprises of BITTER FEAST is that, over a decade into the Information Age, it’s the first feature film to center on an artist’s vengeance over a destructive on-line review. And it’s one of the movie’s achievements that, though it would seem clear where its creators’ sympathies lie, you might wind up rethinking your rooting interest before the story’s over.

Who’da thought that a made-for-MTV movie would turn out to be one of the better slasher movies and better genre sequels lately? Not this reviewer, until I watched MY SUPER PSYCHO SWEET 16 2, which plays tonight at LA’s Screamfest prior to its MTV premiere next Friday, October 22.

Remaking I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE, the notorious 1978 rape-revenge flick (though it didn’t achieve that notoriety till its title was changed from DAY OF THE WOMAN two years later) that got lumped in with the slasher trend by the genre’s detractors would seem to be a fool’s errand. The rep of Meir Zarchi’s original rests not on its narrative ingenuity or craft, but on the graphic nature of its sexual violence; could an update made in these more cinematically conservative times have the same crude impact? And if not, what’s the point?

The idea of a film set in Britain’s Indian community about a mother whose obsession with marrying off her daughter leads her to murder holds all kinds of tasty black-comic possibilities. Unfortunately, IT’S A WONDERFUL AFTERLIFE (opening in select cities today) squanders that promise in favor of a would-be romantic laffer that emphasizes banal plotting and slapstick over any sort of edge.

Some of the most prominent criticism of John Carpenter’s recent return to feature filmmaking, THE WARD, has been that it’s not exactly evident that Carpenter was behind the camera (I wouldn't know as I haven't seen it yet). With MY SOUL TO TAKE, the first film Wes Craven has both written and directed since 1994’s NEW NIGHTMARE, however, there’s no question the veteran filmmaker was the guiding force, as (for both better and worse) his sensibilities, interests and general personality are present throughout.

Truth be told, this is quite a difficult review to write, because despite great little moments, HATCHET II is not very good—and moreover, it’s a disappointment. However, the buzz for this sequel and the circumstances under which it’s opening make it a bit bigger of an issue than simply reviewing a film I didn’t particularly like.