Pick of the Week

The Grudge 3 (2009)
Fearful of meeting a gruesome death, young Jake (Matthew Knight) tries to convince his psychiatrist (Shawnee Smith) that an evil curse led to the slaughter of his entire family. Meanwhile, a young woman from Japan (Emi Ikehata) arrives in Chicago and attempts to stop the curse for good. This third installment of the popular Grudge horror movie series also stars Marina Sirtis, Beau Mirchoff and Johanna E. Braddy.

S. Darko: A Donnie Darko Tale (2009)
In this trippy sequel to Donnie Darko, Donnie’s younger sister, Samantha (Daveigh Chase), sets out for Hollywood, only to become stranded in a remote town where she begins to have visions concerning the end of the world. Now she and best friend Corey (Briana Evigan) must unravel the mystery — and confront their own demons — before the world is doomed. Chris Fisher directs this genre-bending thriller that also stars Jackson Rathbone.

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009)
A prequel to the first two Underworld films, this fantasy explains the origins of the feud between the Vampires and the Lycans. Aided by his secret love, Sonja (Rhona Mitra), courageous Lucian (Michael Sheen) leads the Lycans in battle against brutal Vampire king Viktor (Bill Nighy). Determined to break the king’s enslavement of his people, Lucian faces off against the Death Dealer army in a bid for Lycan independence.

Plague Town (2008)
While unearthing their ancestral roots in Ireland, members of a dysfunctional American family (David Lombard, Erica Rhodes, Josslyn DeCrosta and Lindsay Goranson) find themselves stranded in a remote country setting, surrounded by a sinister secret. The locals are creepy, to say the least. But could they be hiding a far more frightening truth about their own children? David Gregory directs this freak-filled gore-fest.

Cycle of Fear: There is No End (2008)
Amnesia-stricken Tabetha (Valerie Morrissey) doesn’t know what happened the fateful night a dozen of her teen friends were killed, but the answer to the mystery — which involves a witch named Selena Sutton (Diane DaSilva-Bowles) — could be within her own sketchbook. Manuel H. Da Silva directs this spooky supernatural thriller that also stars Rachael Ancheril, Tony Porfilio and Sean Kaufmann.

B.T.K. (2008)
Kane Hodder stars as Dennis L. Rader — the seemingly benign husband, father and church president who led a secret life as the “B.T.K.” killer (police code for “bind, torture and kill”) — in this psychological thriller inspired by actual events. Claiming 10 lives over the course of 20 years and evading the authorities for more than 30, Rader managed to fool everyone into thinking he was normal. Everyone, that is, except his victims.

Possession (2007)
An adaptation of the 2002 Korean film Addicted, this thriller stars Sarah Michelle Gellar as a young woman whose husband and brother-in-law each fall into comas. When the brother-in-law comes back to consciousness first, he acts as if he is her husband, making her more and more uncomfortable. Soon she begins to suspect that unnatural forces are working against her.