THE SIXTH SENSE (1999)--Directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Stars Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Olivia Williams, Toni Collette. Excellent lead performances and some creepy atmosphere propel this supernatural ghost story. Willis plays a child psychologist named Malcolm Crowe, who, as the movie opens, is home with his wife Anna (Williams) celebrating an award from the mayor in appreciation of his shrink skills. The revelry comes to an abrupt halt however, when a former patient of Malcolm's named Vincent breaks into their home, shoots Malcolm in the stomach and kills himself. Months later, after what we assume is a period of convalescence, Malcolm has become very insecure in his ability to heal, blaming himself for Vincent's suicide. His road to salvation is a young boy whom he begins treating named Cole Sear (Osment), a paranoid loner whose mother becomes worried by the emotional and physical scars Cole carries. Malcolm begins to realize that Cole has the ability to see dead spirits walking the streets all around us. More than that, he can actually communicate with them, and they aren't always friendly.

To say more would ruin the scenario concocted by writer/director Shyamalan, whose characters, mood and often alarming scenes culminate in a shocking twist ending I didn't see coming at all, but in retrospect is really the only climax this story could possess. Willis, one of Hollywood's most interesting actors when he puts his mind to it (which isn't often enough for my tastes) and one of the few willing to take chances with an unconventional storyline, delivers one of his finest performances, frequently touching as he comes to terms with his own perceived inability as a healer and a foundering marriage. The standout performance, however, is Osment's; best known as the young Tom Hanks in FORREST GUMP, Osment goes toe to toe with Willis every step of the way. He definitely isn't a typical child actor who mainly looks and acts cute while reacting to the more experienced adults around him. This is a genuine full-fledged acting job, and there are two scenes in particular--one with Willis in a hospital and another with his mother (Collette) in a car--that are astonishing in the way Osment is able to express frustration and fear. Williams and Collette are solid, James Newton Howard's score is overly mawkish but serviceable, and frequent Jonathan Demme cinematographer Tak Fujimoto adds immeasurably to the scare factor with his odd camera angles and striking use of color (that red balloon...). Also with Donnie Wahlberg, Glenn Fitzgerald, Mischa Barton, Bruce Norris and director Shyamalan as a doctor.

SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY (1991)--Directed by Joseph Ruben. Stars Julia Roberts, Patrick Bergin, Kevin Anderson. This made money thanks to the presence of PRETTY WOMAN Julia Roberts, but it's really just another psycho stalker story with drippy leads. Roberts, tired of being terrorized by violent hubby Bergin, fakes her own death and moves to suburban Iowa, where she falls for her sensitive neighbor (Anderson). Unfortunately, Roberts did such a poor job of changing her identity that Bergin tracks her down in no time, and starts knocking off everyone close to her. Probably the only horror movie containing a completely irrelevant romantic musical montage sequence (Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl" is used). Music by Jerry Goldsmith. From the director of THE GOOD SON.

SLEEPY HOLLOW (1999)--Directed by Tim Burton. Stars Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gambon, Richard Griffiths, Casper Van Dien, Christopher Lee, Ian McDiarmid, Jeffrey Jones, Michael Gough. Set at the dawn of a new millennium (sic) in 1799, Tim Burtons' sumptuous retelling of Washington Irving's classic short story is at heart an old-fashioned murder mystery with a ghoulish twist. Obviously inspired by the Euro-shocker works of Mario Bava, Dario Argento and--especially--England's Hammer Films, Burton's film differs from those pictures in one regard--his own cheeky sense of humor, which often threatens to dilute the bone-chilling horror inherent to a well-told tale of a headless horseman who rides through the night adding a few more craniums to his collection with a strong "whoosh" of his sword.

Depp delivers an amusing performance as Ichabod Crane, who is no longer the scarecrow-thin schoolteacher of Irving's story, but rather a scientifically-minded New York City police detective who is assigned by the stern burgomaster (Hammer legend Lee in a disappointingly brief cameo) to investigate the recent decapitation murders in the quiet upstate village of Sleepy Hollow. There he meets his cast of suspects/victims: richest man in town Baltus Van Tassel (Gambon); his second wife, the Lady Van Tassel (Richardson); his round-faced daughter Katrina (Ricci); the local magistrate (Griffiths); the doctor (McDiarmid); the reverend (Jones); the blind old notary (Gough); and young Brom Van Brunt (Van Dien), who fears Crane may be a rival for Katrina's hand.

SLEEPY HOLLOW boasts one of the year's sharpest casts. Depp, reunited with his EDWARD SCISSORHANDS and ED WOOD director, is enormously likable and vulnerable as Crane (he has said that he modeled his performance after Basil Rathbone and Roddy McDowall); his fop cop (who frequently faints at the sight of blood) faces pressure in attempting to bring scientific methods of investigation--forensics, fingerprinting, etc.--into the 19th century, but manages to come through in the clutch. Gambon, Richardson, Griffiths, McDiarmid and Jones all bring much dignity to their roles, and it's a real joy to see Lee and Gough (who played Alfred in Burton's BATMAN) on the big screen; both are icons of the British horror movement that played such an integral part of Burton's (and our) childhood, and bring a certain weight and credibility to SLEEPY HOLLOW, almost as if it is a carryover from that period. The exceptions are Ricci, who delivers her lines in a torpid manner and never shows much chemistry with Depp, and Van Dien, who has never been more than a mannequin in his previous movies either.

This is probably the best-looking movie of the year. Burton, production designer Rick Heinrichs and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki have drenched the screen with Gothic flair, often shooting outdoor scenes on interior sets to give them a fairy-tale look. Sleepy Hollow is a community of doom and despair, a place where the sun never shines and where the leaves fall from the trees, and an appropriate setting for the brutal horror that resides there. Burton has never been a master of directing action scenes, but teamed with Chris Lebenzon's editing skills and Danny Elfman's lush score (reminiscent of James Bernard's classic Hammer music), the Horseman scenes have a driving intensity that his BATMAN movies, for example, did not.

Also with Lisa Marie, Marc Pickering, Christopher Walken and a silent cameo by Martin Landau. Kevin Yagher, who handled the special makeup effects, penned the story with Andrew Kevin Walker (SEVEN), and was set as the original helmer, but was forced to bow out of the director's chair when Burton became interested in the project. Tom Stoppard did an uncredited rewrite of Walker's screenplay. Francis Ford Coppola is credited as an executive producer, although Burton has reportedly proclaimed that he had nothing to do with the picture.

SLIDERS (1995)--Directed by Andy Tennant. Stars Jerry O'Connell, Sabrina Lloyd, Cleavant Derricks, John Rhys-Davies. Pretty fun feature-length pilot for a Fox series that almost immediately slid downhill. O'Connell (looking pretty buff compared to his role as Vern in STAND BY ME) is a high-school genius who invents a gadget that will allow him to travel to an infinite number of alternate Earths in other dimensions. He becomes trapped with cute girlfriend Lloyd, pompous science professor Rhys-Davies and former soul singer Derricks on another world in which the Russians have conquered the United States and Elvis Presley is still alive.

Despite its television trappings and obvious Vancouver locations (the show was set in San Francisco), this is a pretty fun adventure with a likable cast. Unfortunately Fox ruined the show by insisting on insipid high-concept scripts (that were more often than not ripoffs of recent hit movies), more action and more sex, which prompted an unhappy Rhys-Davis to quit in the third season (he was replaced by the cleavage-baring Kari Wuhrer). Teleplay by series executive producer Tracy Torme. John Landis and Robert K. Weiss served as producers.

A SLIGHT CASE OF MURDER (1999)--Directed by Steven Schachter. Stars William H. Macy, Adam Arkin, Felicity Huffman, James Cromwell, Julia Campbell. Actor Macy and director Schachter collaborated on the amusing teleplay, which is based upon Donald E. Westlake's novel A TRAVESTY. Macy plays Terry Thorpe, a well-known Manhattan film critic who has accidentally killed his mistress during an argument in her apartment. Fearing scandal, he removes all vestiges of his presence and splits, not knowing he's being spied upon by an unprincipled private eye (Cromwell), who blackmails Macy. Macy robs a bank to get the $35,000 needed for Cromwell, but eventually gets it back when he realizes he threatens to frame Cromwell for the crime. Macy ingratiates himself with the lead detective (Arkin) investigating the case--and with Arkin's nympho wife (Campbell)--but finds himself way over his head when the bodies and suspicions begin piling up. About on the same level as a typical COLUMBO episode, A SLIGHT CASE OF MURDER is a trifle, but an entertaining one, thanks to a fun performance by Macy (who often narrates directly to the camera) and a script that doesn't take itself too seriously. Huffman (Macy's real-life wife) has basically a cameo as Macy's girlfriend. Also with James Pickens Jr. and Paul Mazursky, who has fun in a bit as a hack director.

SLIVER (1993)--Directed by Philip Noyce. Stars Sharon Stone, Tom Berenger, William Baldwin. This alleged erotic thriller was Stone's follow-up to BASIC INSTINCT and casts her again as an icy blond sex object. She lives in an expensive Manhattan high-rise, and becomes involved with the rugged nice-guy writer next door (Berenger) and the creepy, voyeuristic landlord (Baldwin). Murders ensue. This movie was plagued by rewrites and reshoots; some crew members were killed shooting a second-unit sequence in Hawaii that was never used in the final cut, and the killer's identity was changed in post-production so that many of the clues and red herrings don't make much sense. It's the product of another bad Joe Eszterhas script, this one based upon an Ira Levin novel. Cast includes Martin Landau, Colleen Camp, Keene Curtis, Nina Foch, CCH Pounder, Nicholas Pryor and Shannon Whirry. Produced by Robert Evans. Cinematography by Vilmos Zsigmond. Music by Howard Shore.

THE SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE (1982)—Directed by Amy Jones.  Stars Robin Stille, Michele Michaels, Debra Deliso, Andree Honore, Gina Mari, Jennifer Meyers, Michael Villella.  Roger Corman’s biggest attempt to break into the lucrative slasher genre was this tame entry, which is most notable for having a female director (Jones went on to make LOVE LETTERS with Jamie Lee Curtis) and a female screenwriter (noted feminist novelist Rita Mae Brown).  I suspect Brown’s script was greatly rewritten and she had little to do with the final release, which is not very distinguishable from slashers made by male filmmakers except that it’s not very bloody or exciting.  A bunch of high school girls and some guys who want to lay them are stalked one evening by a madman (Villella) who just escaped from a mental institution.  Jones works a bit of suspense at the end, but, even by New World standards, this is not very good, even if it did spawn a few sequels, spinoffs and loose remakes.  What captured my thought, however, was that this movie and its sequels (which came after the genre had waned) are th