Here’s a spoiler-free synopsis of this movie:

A bunch of college students go to a secluded cabin. They are being watched. Then they are being murdered.

That’s it. That’s all I can give you. And if that seems like every other horror movie you’ve seen since “Friday the 13th”…well, it is.

And yet it’s not. But you already know that, because Joss Whedon wrote this movie, and Drew Goddard directed it (a frequent collaborator with Whedon and J.J. Abrams, among others). Suffice it to say, there is more to this cabin, and this movie, that meets the eye. And it ain’t no “Blair Witch Project.”

But any other descriptions must wait until you go to see this surprising, slightly half-baked, and significantly self-important little comedy-horror show.

The young people are headed by Kristen Connolly and Chris Hemsworth, looking very much the pinnacle of horror movie archetypes they are. The people who have…set upon them are led by “The West Wing’s” Bradley Whitford and Richard Jenkins. There is slaughter, well-timed gore, a hilarious bit involving an invisible barrier and a motorcycle.

God, my hands are really tied in terms of plot here.

Now, I can talk about Jenkins (marvelous as a project manager and bureaucrat, but I won’t say more), and Hemsworth (surprisingly not terrible when he’s not wearing a Thor costume) but everybody knows that the real star of this show is Whedon. The sci-fi master’s gift to the world is that he can take a completely insane concept (A cheerleading vampire slayer! A crime-fighting demon with a soul! Cowboys in space! A super villain who runs a blog!) and shape it with plausibility, humor, style, and, much more importantly, soul. Whedon makes serious stories, beautifully grounded stories, tales that make you forget how ridiculous their precepts are.

This is hardly the strongest of Whedon’s work. In the end it’s just far too meta and too much of an inside joke to truly be taken seriously. It’s a horror movie that is about the audience relationship with horror movies- that’s the kind of navel gazing that only happens in graduate film courses and episodes of “Community”. But among the self-satisfied reflections of our participation in the ritual of watching topless young women get slashed on screen is still that Whedon flame of humanity. It exists in the soulfulness of Connolly’s performance as the gentle but steely Final Woman, in the details of the nightmares and ancient fears made physical by the Powers That Be within the film.

It’s generally understood that we as a culture fixate and revel in violence in art to work out our own anxieties and fears- we sacrifice imaginary people in order to ensure that we ourselves are not consumed. Whedon’s the first guy who actually made me realize how bizarrely cruel and selfish that is. “The Cabin in the Woods” is an odd little movie with a plot I cannot explain. It is very scary and very funny. And like all of Whedon’s work, its unexpected truth is painful.

We’re sure this is going to ruin your plans for October.

The Anchor Bay Films horror “I Spit on Your Grave’ will not be coming to Boston during its October 8 limited engagement.

The film is about a writer who is brutalized during her cabin retreat and seeks revenge on her attackers, who left her for dead.

The original film, which previewed at a festival in Texas was rated R for pervasive strong sadistic brutal violence, rape and torture, nudity and language. But this one will be unrated.

It does not star anyone we’ve heard of.

Go about your days.

When we heard that we were going to have the opportunity to interview a budding cinema starlet, we were intrigued.

When we heard that she played the damsel in a popular film franchise with horror themes, we were ecstatic.

Then we found out it wasn’t Kristen Stewart.

Meet Rebecca Marshall, star of the movie “Saw 3D.”

Yes, they are making another “Saw” film. With that…

BLAST: You work alongside Tobin Bell and other notables for the upcoming latest installment of SAW movies: SAW 3-D. What did you previously know about the SAW movie “franchise”, and its preceding films?

Rebecca Marshall: I knew that SAW had a very respectful track record and is one of the all time great horror franchises. Tobin Bell and the entire cast have continued to entertain and keep the audience on the edge of their seats. There is a huge following for horror films and I know there are loyal fans of Saw movies from the 1st one to the last.

 BLAST: “Saw 3D” is the 7th installment in the series. What does this release offer that will help it stand out from the earlier films?

RM: 3D film making has really taken off.  I was terrified watching the previous Saw films in theaters. Now you can really have that personal effect and feel like you are in every scene.  It is the final installment of this franchise and the creators don’t disappoint.

BLAST: You’re joining an ensemble cast which includes Tobin Bell (SAW), Sean Patrick Flanery (Boondock Saints saga, Powder) and others. What do you feel you’ll bring to the table?

RM: “Saw” has had a very talented cast throughout the years.  I think that I bring a new fresh face to the franchise and a lot of energy and creative talent.  I am very grateful to be apart of this film.

BLAST: Making the jump from television to movies is a common, albeit difficult move – Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, etc. Do you see your career, once a steady, safe grind in network prime time, emerging on the silver screen?

RM: Absolutely.  As actors we all need to take risks and step outside of our comfort zone.  We have the best of both worlds and are able to do both film and network prime time.   I would love to make a transition similar to the actors you have mentioned.  I am ready and willing to put in the time and effort in to be great.

BLAST:  With the recent awakening of 3D technology in home entertainment, the demand for 3D movies will be at an all-time high. If the numbers on opening day at the box office are less than expected, do you think it will be made up for in the Blue-Ray/DVD sales?

RM: I truly believe the box office sales won’t disappoint and fans will be supportive.  This is one movie they will want to experience in 3D on the big screen.  It’s an event people will want to be a part of. 

BLAST: When you look back on your performance in this film, will you have considered it your “break-out” role?

-With that answer in mind, do you fear being typecast as a “scream-queen”, as many young Hollywood actresses who star in horror films are?

RM: I definitely think this is a great start for me in film.  I am not worrying about being typecast either. The term “Scream Queen” has opened a lot of doors for a lot of actresses that I admire.

BLAST: How was working with new editor-turned new director Kevin Greutert on the film?

RM: Kevin is a true professional. It was a joy to work with him and he will continue to make great movies that people will enjoy.  He made me feel very comfortable and I hope I have the pleasure of working with him again one day. 

BLAST: What other projects do you have on the horizon?

RM: I have two indie projects that I am starring in.  One is called “The Actress" I am really excited about it because it is a totally different character then I usually play.  She is very strong and dangerous.  I am also working on an upcoming comedy that I get the chance to be a producer on.  It’s  a first for me.

So, if you don’t have trick or treating to do, you’re friends are saying they aren’t partying this year, and the power goes out everywhere except the local Regal Cinema, “Saw 3D” opens October 29.

Back in 2007, sci-fi master Joss Whedon wrote a scathing indictment of “torture porn” film-making, notably the film “Captivity.” Whedon said the genre, made mainstream by the work of Eli Roth and others, is simply an excuse to vent violent rage at women, to punish the female form for … whatever it’s guilty of. It’s a rage that’s been brewing since Janet Leigh jumped into that fateful shower in 1960, and it’s only grown more vengeful and exploitative since.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you “Jennifer’s Body“ Diablo Cody‘s campy, hilarious and incredibly flawed feminist response.

At first glance, this would be the perfect transgressive film: Jennifer (Megan Fox) is a mega-hottie who uses men as sexual play things and (after nearly being killed in a very funny satanic ritual) uses them as tasty snacks. She’s found out by her sweet, nerdy childhood friend with the horrible name of Needy (the wonderful Amanda Seyfried), who tries to stop the carnage.

I like Megan Fox probably more than I should. She may come off as dumb as a box of rocks in interviews, but her acting always seems to have a glimmer of wry self-awareness woven into her brainless hot girl act. In this, Fox’s glazed, plastic look perfectly demonstrates Jennifer’s mindless hunger. It’s just far too apt to be an accident. In one moment, she also scared the crap out of me when she appears in Needy’s kitchen covered in blood and grins at her horrifically. It’s without a doubt the most terrifying moment in the film.

“Juno” scribe Diablo Cody wrote the film, and just like “Juno” it’s chockablock with quirky little tidbits that vary from hysterically funny to just annoying. Among other things, J.K. Simmons makes an appearance as a teacher with a hook for a hand and a Canadian accent. In anyone else’s hands it would be irritating, but Simmons has the keen power to make anything funny. On the other hand, if I ever hear the phrase “freak-tarded” or hear men referred to as “salty morsels” again, I will be forced to hit Cody with a copy of the Oxford English Dictionary.

Let us take a moment now and reflect on the much-talked-of make-out session between Fox and Seyfried. The scene is pretty sexy. It’s also exploitative (and not in the good way), occurs in a vacuum, and then lays there in the middle of the film, begging for meaning when there’s none to be had.

Then again, I’m not a straight teenage boy, so what do I know?

Possibly one of the most interesting things about this film is its total focus on the female characters. There’s a lack of any real male input, right down to the fact that neither Needy nor Jennifer appear to have fathers. In a film industry where 28 percent of speaking roles go to women, that’s no small thing. But for all the bloody prom dresses and man-evisceration, I hesitate to truly call this a feminist film, or even a really transgressive one. First of all, none of Jennifer’s victims are bad guys — in fact all of them seem to be sweet, good-hearted boys, the kind you could bring home to mom. It robs us of the sweet satisfaction of watching girl-power in action. What kind of fun is it watching Jennifer kill nice guys? By contrast, Quentin Tarantino, in the vastly underrated “Death Proof” vindicated females by letting us watch stuntwoman Zoe Bell kick the shit out of bad boy Kurt Russell. “Carrie” let us watch the soft, nerdy girl electrocute her male and female high school aggressors.

And, in the end, Jennifer’s violent sexual dominion is her own undoing. In the end she’s punished for her sins, just like in every other male-centric horror film ever created.

To its credit, however, the end of the film partially rescues what I think Cody is trying to say. Out of the climactic bloodbath, Needy rises as our real heroine. She’s not a sexual succubus, but neither is she a weak virginal sacrifice. And by the time the credits roll, the real villain has been vanquished and we learn that chick with the stupid name can kick some serious ass.

We’re truly excited for this one.

Sorority Row brings back so many memories about college and Greek life and murderous, venomous sorority girls.

It truly is the best time of your life.

In honor of the girls of Theta Pi — and the girls of Northeastern University’s Delta Zeta, Sigma Sigma Sigma, Delta Phi Epsilon, Sigma Delta Tau, and Alpha Epsilon Phi, and we’re sure BU and MIT have sororities — Blast is giving away a slew of free passes to a September 10 7 p.m. showing of Sorority Row here in Boston.

All you have to do is register on the site and comment on this story.

We’re also giving away cups, bottle openers, ping pong balls and posters!

And if you’re a member of Greek life, be sure to post your letters!

Much like “The Shining” before it, “Orphan” is one of those horror movies that really messes with your head by playing on our perceptions of innocence and trust, only in this case instead of a loving, trustworthy father who goes batshit insane, it’s the sweet, innocent little girl that no one would suspect could be so evil.

“Orphan” is surprisingly entertaining, with plenty of suspense to get you on the edge of your seat, as well as shocks and frights to make you jump for cover. Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman) is creepy enough to give us nightmares for a few nights to come at least.

Torn apart by the recent loss of their baby, John (Peter Sarsgaard) and Kate Coleman (Vera Farmiga) decide to adopt to fill the void. When they encounter the seemingly special, angelic Esther at the orphanage, it looks to be a perfect match. However, as the movie’s tag line goes, “there’s something wrong with Esther” and when they bring their little bundle of joy home, things begin to change.

Farmiga portrays Kate brilliantly, displaying enough craziness to hint at her troubled past, and she shines in this film, especially when supported by the three children. Sarsgaard, on the other hand, plays an unconvincing John, though to be fair he is just playing the role he was given. Throughout the film, John is presented with the choice of who to believe as strange things keep happening, and Esther’s false innocence gets the best of him every time, despite some situations that make the viewer wonder how he could be so myopic. Of course, one must suspend disbelief for a movie of this nature, but one still wants believable characters.

Without doubt, the toughest role, and best filled, was that of Fuhrman’s Esther. Switching between being the perfect little Victorian princess to the brilliant yet deranged monster is done with an impressive talent for someone of her age, complemented by the old-fashioned clothes she wears. The mannerisms and the way she speaks, and even the way that she carries herself, show off the abilities of this young actress, and the lack of sound and use of subtitles at times really draws you into her world as a deaf child.

Once again referring to that old classic, the setting of the story also reminds one of “The Shining.” It’s winter time, in a house that’s off the beaten path, which gives a sense of seclusion and entrapment. The film doesn’t simply rely on blood and gore or cheap tricks to achieve its thrills. It starts building suspense and momentum early on, slowly revealing more of the story, and the histories, of both Esther and the mother.

If you’re up for a good horror movie, this is definitely one to check out, and it has something for fans of all sub-genres. It may not be a masterpiece, but it’s worth the cash to get the adrenaline pumping, especially if you’re one of those people who enjoys a sleepless night or two. If you’re thinking of adopting a child any time soon, though, you may want to hold off.

(Blast doesn’t have anything against orphans in general, just this one.)

Blast took a moment to talk to actor Corin Nemec about his role in the chilling “Bundy,” playing the title character of serial killer Ted Bundy. We also asked Nemec what inspires him, like … “The Goonies?”

BLAST: So “Bundy” is coming out on DVD soon, and we have to ask: How did you prepare for playing a character like that?

CORIN NEMEC: Well, you know, really it’s about research. The thing that helped me out most was watching certain videos that he did. Namely the big interviews that he had “" he did several of them. What caught me most was in some of the video footage of him by news teams when they were filming them, and he was not necessarily aware that he was being filmed. He would get these looks on his face. These really jarred, sardonic looks … He would kind of break character as I call it. He would go from his social Ted Bundy to whatever is going on inside. That was kind of my peep hole … and I’d think, “this guys has got a serious dark side.”

Not that it wasn’t obvious in the first place, but that’s what was helpful to me. His motivation “" and this I can’t confirm “" it’s what I discovered in my research and what Mike Feifer had discovered in writing this script “" though we don’t address it in the film “" when he realized that he was an illegitimate child, but his father still claimed to be his father. What dawned on me was him possibly being a child of incest. And this was a discovery he’d made after college. And so that to me was the catalyst for his so-called insanity. I thought it was that point that he just completely lost it and went over the edge and really embraced all the dark fantasies that he had.

BLAST: And what attracted you to the script and the character for this role?

CN: Well, Mike Feifer and I worked on “Chicago Massacre,” where I played Richard Speck, and I had a great time working with him as a director, and I think we really gelled and work well together.

I hope to work with him again in the future. He also worked on “Boston Strangler,” and I played a small role in that, the Boston Strangler’s lawyer. And when Ted Bundy came up, and we got the green light on that and he asked me I jumped at that chance because I had the opportunity to work with Mike Feifer.

BLAST: Did you ever find it difficult or chilling to get into the mindset of the character?

CN: You know, not necessarily, but I definitely found moments; about halfway through it “" which is rare for me, because I’m not a method actor and I don’t take things home with me “" where I really felt nauseated by the guy. It wasn’t when it was necessary for me to be the character but those in between moments. I was like, “Wow. I just feel so creepy.”

BLAST: Speaking of acting and technique, we heard you were very much influenced by “The Goonies.” Is this true?

CN: Well yes, in many ways. My father was the art director in that movie and when it came out “" although the characters were about two years older than I am “" when it came out I was about the same age. My father told me it was something I would really love. I came from an artistic family … so I had been around theater and music and then film and TV. So I knew that film and TV, there was a process that went into making it. And I understood that these people were acting and that they were on sets and all this stuff and then at the end they would put it all together and these people would have this life outside of it … and I was such an imaginative kid, and I realized that, you know, it was an opportunity to do that same thing but on a much more dynamic level. And be able to watch it back. That was what blew me away the most. I can go pretend to be someone else in a real setting, someone will film that, and put it together. And then you can watch the experience that you had back, in the order its supposed to be in! And I was just ten or eleven years old and thought, “Wow! This is incredible.”

And that’s what struck me about it and inspired me to become an actor.

BLAST: So what genres attract you the most? Adventure? Sci-fi? Horror?

CN: No, I’m not really specific with what I look for in a project. Is there something I can bring to the character? Is there an arc? Do I think I can bring something to the project that is going to possibly make it better than what it already is? And if I can answer yes to those questions, then … its really about what character am I playing.

BLAST: But you have worked in sci-fi before, correct?

CN: Oh yeah, I did “Stargate SG-1,” the series. And then have done numerous of these sci-fi oriented movies for the SyFy Channel but, outside of that, my previous work before that was drama and comedy. The first time I got to do anything outside of the box was “The Stand,” playing Harold Lauder, which was my first step into that sci-fi horror kind of world.

BLAST: What character would you love to portray in a film?

CN: Well again, I don’t know what I’m looking for in a character until I read it. Its not like I’m pursuing a type of character out there that I’d like to play. If the character is something exciting for me to play that I can bring something to,then I would go for it.

BLAST: So, what are your aspirations for the future?

CN: Well, I have a production company with David Faustino. We’ve had a production company for a few years now. It’s opened up a lot of doors. We’ve been working on some reality shows and fully scripted shows and feature films. We have a lot of things in development and in the meantime I pursue my other acting projects on the side. But that’s what is exciting to me right now with the production company; it gives us the ability to write our own stories … instead of being at the whims of Hollywood.

BLAST: What is the series that your production company worked on?

CN: Star-Ving. (The series was released in January 2009)

Nemec will star in “House of Bones,” set to be released later this year, along with Charisma Carpenter (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Angel”). “Bundy” comes to DVD July 21.

The hardest kind of review to write is a review for a mediocre film. I didn’t hate “Friday the 13th” as much as I hated “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” and I certainly didn’t love the movie as much as I loved “Milk.”

It was exactly what you would expect from a horror movie. Disposable, yes. Fun, most of the time. With the jumping-scares? Yes. But the movie simply is not the grindhouse masterpiece that the earliest “Jason” movies were.

I’m not familiar with the endless parade of late-in-the-series Jason films. Jason in Hell? Didn’t see it. Jason goes to Space? Didn’t see it. The gimmicks used in the movies started to seem to me like Earnest movies. I wonder how long it was going to be before “Jason Saves (ruins?) Christmas” was going to be the next fast-tracked entry into the series.

So I’m glad they rebooted it, and I’m glad they gave us pretty much exactly what we wanted out of a Jason movie: Abandoned summer camp, sex, boobs, gore, inventive kills (some of them) and dickish fratboys who die painfully.

And yet, well, since the filmmakers just gave us exactly what we wanted, I felt like there was something lacking. Nothing surprised me.

That’s not true – one thing did surprise me: the black guy didn’t die first. He died rather late in the movie, which never happens in these kinds of things.

What was good about the movie? God, the kills. Some of them were just perfectly over the top. The two best: One with a sleeping bag, and one on a dock. The dock kill more or less perfectly represented the horror trifecta, too: tense waiting (you could count the one-two-three beats before Jason dispatches his target), blood, and, of course, breasts. The crowd ate that scene with a spoon, too.

I read a review of this movie in which the critic lamented that the best kills came earliest in the movie, and the rest of the thing is spent with the “plot.” This is true: You can go into the movie, leave before the title card shows up (easily a good 10 or 15 minutes into the film) and have seen one of the most intense, scary, taunt slasher movies made in a long while.

This is because it’s only a few minutes long, and it goes through the same slasher genre tropes the rest of the movie goes through (a second time). The prologue, however, does the slasher genre so much better than the rest of the film. It’s like seeing a movie and its sequel back to back, and having the denigrated quality of the sequel thrown that much more into relief by the absolute badassness of the first film in the series. Everything my companion at the show and I were talking about came from the first ten minutes of the movie.

The movie, for me, was saved by the audience. They, like me and like you, knew exactly what they were getting into. They jumped, they screamed, they laughed — at all the right moments — and although what we were all experiencing together was basically junk food, that was the movie we were all jonesing for.

Don’t go expecting quality, and only go if you know there will be an audience that loves this type of movie. Otherwise, don’t waste your time.

This review originally appeared on Reviewcenter.com in 2002.

For us, it all started with The 7th Guest for the PC. We were indescribably intrigued by this game at the time.‚ The ability to journey through a beautifully rendered haunted mansion (as good as you could pre-render n 1993) via a first person perspective was something that, at the time, was unprecedented.‚ Bill Gates himself commented on the game saying something to the effect that it was “the future of multimedia.”

After 7th Guest, it was Mansion of Hidden Souls for the Sega CD.‚ It also featured an explorable mansion, and to our recollection, it too was haunted — with souls trapped in butterflies. What a concept.

When I heard that a sequel was in the works for the Sega Saturn I was giddy with glee, unfortunately the game never saw the light of day in America.‚ Then came Trilobyte’s 11th Hour, the sequel to 7th Guest.‚ While 11th Hour was technically superior to its predecessor in terms of a technological standpoint, it just did not hold the same sense of wonder and awe that the original game did.

Enter Fatal Frame, the most impressive 3D haunted-mansion explorer simulator known to man.‚ Tecmo has taken all of my favorite aspects from the past super naturally charged Mansion haunts and combined them with technology that would put the 33mhz SX computer I originally played 7th Guest on to shame.

Fatal Frame puts you in the role of Miku, a teenage girl who is in search of Mafuya, her brother.‚ Mafuya went to the mansion in search of Takamine, a famous novelist who ended up missing after doing some research for his book at the Himuro mansion.‚  Both Miku and Mafuya are cursed with the sixth sense; they can see ghosts, scarrrry.‚ Takamine helped Mafuya to cope with his ghoulish affliction through various books that he wrote on the subject.‚  Mafuya too ends up missing after searching for Takamine at the mansion.‚  Two weeks pass and Miku resolves to go searching for her missing brother, this is where you will come in.‚  As Miku you will uncover the secret, disturbing past of the mansion through clues you will uncover over a 4-night one-person manhunt for your brother.

The graphics in Fatal Frame are just short of astounding, for a system that can only render 1-pass bump mapping the visuals are surprisingly rich and detailed.‚ Interactive backgrounds, freaky grain-film filters, impressive Luigi’s Mansion-quality dynamic lighting effects.‚  Every object casts a realistic shadow on the background resulting in an almost frightening level of immersion.

Pre-rendered cut scenes are done up in a black and white, tattered film-like package that allows for both a realistic depiction of past events and an underlying documentary-ish feel.‚ The lighting in the game allows for a believable atmosphere that gives you the sense that anything could happen at any time.‚ The various apparitions that you will meet will be depicted in a terrifying flickering presence, usually contorted in positions that are painful just to look at.‚ Perspective is primarily represented via a third-person view, the multitude of camera positions adequately follow you around to the point where POV is rarely an issue.‚ The non-ghoulish characters in the game are rendered very well, with detailed, diverse clothing and realistically animated facial gestures that serve their purpose flawlessly.

The sound in Fatal Frame is composed mainly of an organic-ambiance and strange ritualistic chanting music that would scare your little brother to death if you were to record the samples onto a mini-recorder and put the device under his bed and hit play at full volume while he is sleeping.‚ Ghosts will scream in agony as you film them and taunt you in the instances when they have the upper hand.‚ Super-natural objects will resonate with a spooky hum as you close in on them, faint voices can be heard through long corridors, footsteps sound suitably different depending on the composition of what your walking on. All this equates to an audibly impressive, realistic experience that reverberates with resounding effect.

Gamespot and ZDNet have a story that novelist Graham Joyce has been hired to write the back story for Doom 4.

More than 15 years ago, gamers met the space marine, and except for occasional scrolling message cut scenes, there wasn’t much of a story to tell. Hell spawn = bad. Shoot a lot.

But it looks like id Software wants to really go noir with the fourth (technically Doom, Doom 2, Thy Flesh Consumed, two Final Doom episodes and then Doom 3 means this is the seventh Doom game, are we missing anything?) in perhaps the most popular and acclaimed video game series ever published.

“Joyce is a decorated scribe, having four times won the British Fantasy Society’s Award for Best Novel,” ZDNet reports. This is an award that Stephen King has won four times.

Joyce’s book, “The Facts of Life” also won a World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 2003, tying with Patricia A. McKillip’s Ombria in Shadow, ZDNet reported.

We have no other details on Doom 4 at this time.

Blast Magazine welcomes movie critic Emma Johnson with this review. You’ve seen her in The Boston Globe and elsewhere. Enjoy.

In lean times like these, it’s good to know where one can scrimp and save on the little things. So here’s an excellent tip that will save you an average of ten dollars right out of the gate: If you have seen the extended theatrical trailer of “The Unborn,” don’t worry about seeing the movie. You will have missed nothing.

It’s the latest in a troubling trend in film marketing: all the good, truly frightening moments of “Unborn” have already been revealed on the trailers. Dirty, ghostly little boy with piercing blue eyes? Check. Vicious dog with it’s head hanging upside down? Check, check. A magically contorted old man climbing up the stairs in an stunningly obvious rip-off of “The Exorcist”? Checkity, check, check, check.

What we’re left with is a strange and unintentionally funny film, written and directed by David S. Goyer. As the marketing people are eager to let you know, Goyer was one of the co-writers of “The Dark Knight.” This is a sorry follow-up, starring newcomer Odette Yustman as a Chicago co-ed named Casey who believes she’s being haunted by the aforementioned boy and dog. She learns that she was in fact a twin, and that her brother died when they were both in the womb. Convinced she’s haunted by the ghost of her brother, Casey goes about exorcising the nefarious fetus from her life.

What follows is a badly edited fever dream of horror conventions and random historical narrative. Apparently the Holocaust is the cause of all of this unrest, and Casey has to enlist the help of a menschy Rabbi played by Gary Oldman in a yarmulke. He prescribes … a Jewish exorcism? Ok. And then he gets more help from an Episcopalian priest, because why not? Goyer even manages to find time for some old-fashioned philosophical discussion on the limits of the universe.

It’s really all just a disaster, a scrap heap of themes and half-baked ideas. But it might all be worth it simply for the moment when Casey’s grandmother proclaims, “It falls upon you to finish what began at Auschwitz.” At the screening I attended, this heady statement led only to unrepressed giggles throughout the theater.

Yustman is backed by the customary hunky, personality-less boyfriend (Cam Gigandet) and sassy BFF (Meagan Good), both of whom are capable, if unremarkable, in their roles. Yustman, the protagonist, appears to exist only to jog in slow motion down the same sidewalk and stare tremulously into her bathroom mirror while wearing ill-fitting underwear. Oldman is easily the best thing in the film — but then again, Gary Oldman is usually the best thing in any film.

All of the sins mentioned above could be forgiven in an instant if the movie was actually frightening. Perhaps it was the over-expository trailers, or the over-cooked CGI, but there were few jumps if any to be had in “The Unborn.” The climactic scene, which takes place in what I couldn’t figure out was a church or a town hall, was more about wind machines and shaky camera movements than it was about actual horror.

The scariest moments and images in “Unborn” were the little ones: a spooky roll of film, a photograph where a boy mysteriously appears, a tapping sound on a mirror. Of course, these are all cliches. We’ve seen these tricks a thousand times. But sometimes a cliche is a cliche because it works. It’s just that nothing really worked in “The Unborn.”

Brand new horror, sci-fi, survival, adventure, scary game, Dead Space will be on shelves in Europe and North America as a treat on October 31 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

“Dead Space will ensure that gamers have a spine-tingling Halloween,” Electronic Arts said this week.

Set in the far future, Earth’s appetite for natural resources has become a major motivator for deep space exploration. Immense, privately-owned and operated mining ships called “planetcrackers” orbit planets and use sophisticated equipment to carve out entire city-sized chunks of rock, reducing them to component elements and raw ore. When communications go dead onboard the USG Ishimura, a famous planetcracker, systems engineer Isaac Clarke is sent in to fix the problem. Once onboard the vessel, Isaac discovers that the crew has unearthed an ancient and malevolent alien presence far beneath the planet’s surface and brought it onboard. Weaponless, alone and terrified, this lone engineer is burdened with much more than simple survival – he must seal the alien horror back into the dark rock.

“Survival horror is about experiencing a terrifying, and deeply personal fiction,” said Executive Producer Glen Schofield. “Dead Space is being developed as a single-player thriller that delivers the chilling, claustrophobic feeling of being isolated in a dark environment, while being stalked by some truly horrific enemies. Halloween is the perfect time for EA to deliver the fear and anxiety that will keep survival horror fans up playing all night.”

Check out the incredibly high bandwidth official website where you can downloads the vid, artwork and get development team news.