Paul Hertzberg Movies

This underrated teen-revenge horror film starring Stephen Geoffreys (Fright Night) was the directorial debut of Robert Englund, best known as Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm Street series. Geoffreys plays Hoax, a picked-on nerd who lives with his religious-nut mother Lucy (the marvelous Sandy Dennis). One day Hoax calls a 976-line for a "Horrorscope," and the demonic voice at the other end starts giving him wicked advice. Before long, he has killed his brother's girlfriend with tarantulas, slashed the face of a teen tough with his newly-sprouted talons, and gutted several of his tormentors. Only a well-meaning journalist and a sexy schoolmarm can stop the now-demonic Hoax before he sends the whole neighborhood straight to Hell. Granted, the screenplay is rather confused and slow-moving, but Geoffreys and Dennis are great, the effects work by Kevin Yagher is skillful, and this is one of the few teen-horror films with characters that are actually interesting. Look for Robert Picardo (The Howling) in a fun cameo as the diabolical Mark Darke. After a brief stint as a teen star, Geoffreys went on to appear in gay porn films as "Sam Ritter." ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

Twelve-year-old James (Trevor Morgan) is haunted by the car crash that claimed his mother's life two years earlier. Estranged from his father (Ray Liotta) and nurturing a deep hatred of his stepmother (Catherine McCormack), James is none too pleased about the prospect of spending his summer vacation at their Maine beach house. With no one his own age for company, he spends his time exploring the surrounding beaches. One day, while playing in the dunes, James accidentally breaks a fence belonging to Maddy Bennett (Vanessa Redgrave), a cranky old woman with a reputation for loony behavior. James embarks on a mission to fix the fence, and as he works, he and Maddy form a deep friendship. But when the boy's family learns of the friendship, they wrongfully blame Maddy for their own problems, prompting Maddy to react in a manner that profoundly affects the entire family. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide

Daniel Simpson (Justin Theroux) is headed to the home of his wealthy family to celebrate Thanksgiving, with his girlfriend Suzanne (Alyssa Milano) at his side, but Daniel is not looking forward to the holiday. He's long felt like an outcast in his family, and his staunchly conservative parents don't much care for him or his ideals. Thanksgiving dinner turns into an ugly argument, as Daniel's father insists that his son should take over the family business, a prospect that holds no interest for Daniel. Wanting to take a break from the ugliness, Daniel and Suzanne head down to the basement to cool off and collect their thoughts. However, while Daniel and Suzanne are trying to relax, a gang of thieves, led by Jim (Ice-T) and Tiny (Tiny Lister Jr.), break into the house and murder the family. Daniel and Suzanne realize that they're the only survivors, but do they hide in the cellar as the gang robs the house of its valuables, or try to escape before they're found and executed? Below Utopia was released on home video under the title Body Count, doubtless thanks to the presence of Ice-T in the cast. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Frank McBain (Gary Busey) is a cop who earned the nickname of "bulletproof" from the dozens of shootings he has survived over his career. He is called on to retrieve a tank held by communists across the border of Mexico. The enemies are cardboard caricatures of Arabs, Russians, and Mexicans led by the evil Colonel Kartiff (Henry Silva). Darlanne Fluegel co-stars with Juan Fernandez and Rene Enriquez in this forgettable feature. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Deep in the endless tunnels of a subterranean cave, an ancient species lies patiently in waiting for the creatures of the surface to step out of the sun in director Richard Pepin's horrific voyage into the black pit of the unknown. Rumor has it that a vast treasure lies hidden deep within an abandoned mine that sits just atop the vast system of caves, and a group of brave adventurers are determined to claim the mythical prize for themselves, if it does in fact exist. But something far more sinister awaits the unsuspecting treasure hunters beneath the surface, and as their harrowing journey takes an unexpectedly terrifying turn, they soon discover that humankind is no longer at the top of the food chain. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Terry Cunningham's cyber-thriller Code Hunter features an interactive game called SHOCK. The creator of the game steals the identity of the best SHOCK player in the whole world in an attempt to get the player to join forces with him in a plan for world domination. The player must stop the game's creator before his plan will end both the cyber-world he created and the real world. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Richard Attenborough directed this dramatic story, based on actual events, about the friendship between two men struggling against apartheid in South Africa in the 1970s. Donald Woods (Kevin Kline) is a white liberal journalist in South Africa who begins to follow the activities of Stephen Biko (Denzel Washington), a courageous and outspoken black anti-apartheid activist. Woods and his wife Wendy (Penelope Wilton) get to know Biko, and they become friends, until Biko is brutally murdered at the hands of government troops in 1977 for his activities against the country's repression of the black majority population. Donald is shocked and appalled by Biko's murder and determined that the truth about Biko will become known to the world; eventually, Donald and Wendy Woods and their children must leave South Africa (and nearly everything they have) as they spread the word about Biko's life and death to ensure that he did not die in vain. Washington received an Academy Award nomination for his performance as Biko. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Not to be confused with the 1994 exchange-of-murders melodrama Dead On, this 1991 film was originally shipped out under the title Relentless 2: Dead On. You may recall that in the first Relentless in 1989, Judd Nelson starred as a serial killer. Nelson isn't around for the sequel, though two of his near-victims, a mother (Meg Foster) and her son (Leo Rossi), make return appearances. Relentless 2 elaborates on the possible aftereffects of Nelson's psychotic behavior, as manifested in young Rossi. Could the kid have learned too much about the inner workings of a murderer's mind? The premise is a workable one, and the film makes the most of it, with several genuinely frightening setpieces. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Bullets, cool explosions, and lithesome special agents in spandex drive this shoot-'em-up action-flick about a beautiful assassin looking for vengeance against her ex-boyfriend and noted terrorist. In the process, she is forced to use excessive force. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

This fast-paced caper/chase comedy, shot on location in Utah and Colorado, chronicles the daring exploits of a bank robber and his teenage-criminal-mastermind son. Exciting stunts and special effects help make up for the rather lame story. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

As Don Haden (Cliff DeYoung) and his family travel to their cabin retreat, they are kidnapped and held hostage by a bunch of escaped prisoners. When one of the convicts (Robert Factor) turns out to be a crazed Vietnam war veteran, both kidnappers and victims must struggle to survive. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide

An eco-terrorist (Joel West) and his band of trigger-happy hoodlums kidnap scientist Sara Levitt (Mädchen Amick) to secure her assistance in deploying a devastating virus that could kill everyone on Earth should it fall into the wrong hands. Whoops, it just did. But soldier-for-hire Marcus Poynt (Daniel Bernhardt) and his gun-toting mercenaries are on the way to the jungle to save Dr. Levitt and the world, if they can only get past the violent diamond smugglers who are in their way. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide

Lance Henriksen stars as hit man Chris Caleek, hired by the mob to off the prosecution's key witness. However, Caleek is given the wrong address, and instead kidnaps the child of innocent Jack Collins (Jan-Michael Vincent). ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide