The careers of Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees – the horror icons at the center of the Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th series, respectively – have lasted longer than anyone would have guessed – long enough for this mercenary showdown in which the monsters take on each other. Freddy vs. Jason aims

Poltergeist has a shlocky reputation thanks mainly to the sub-par special effects and its junky sequels, but the 1982 original stands up well. In fact, its attitude toward television – as an evil presence capable of destroying the nuclear American family – seems downright prescient. For those who haven’t seen the film and aren’t still

Matinee idols Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt indulge their dark sides in this adaptation of the Anne Rice novel, and both surprisingly manage to save face. Pitt provides the emotional anchor as an 18th-century plantation owner whose wife dies in childbirth. He seeks relief by accepting the “black gift” from the vampire Lestat (Cruise), a