In the mood for a good scare?

In the mood for a scary movie?
Might want to read this before you go.

Unleashed writer Lety Clark-Olivero has been busy watching a bunch of them. Here’s her take on four recent frightening flicks.

Zombieland (Rated R)
This horror comedy tells the story of a nationwide quest for a Twinkie.
Directed by Ruben Fleischer, “Zombieland” is sure to get a laugh out of you the first, second, third, maybe even the fourth time you watch it. If you need a little pick-me-up accompanied by a slight amount of gore this silly movie is the perfect match.
Through the main character, a timid and very unsocial Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) we enter into a post-zombie apocalypse world full of turmoil. This is a zombie-infested hole of nothingness with barely any non-altered human life.
Columbus joins professional zombie-killer Tallahasee (Woody Harrelson) as he goes on a quest to quench his craving. Tallahasee wants nothing more in his life than a Hostess Twinkie. Columbus is looking for a little success with the ladies as well as a chance to check on his parents.
Along the way, they run into Wichita (Emma Stone) and her little sister Little Rock (Abigail Breslin). This duo is looking to revive Little Rock’s childlike nature by experiencing an amusement park she went to when she was younger.
That was before zombies took over the world.
The group carpools to California, where — hopefully — they can all accomplish their goals and experience a chance encounter with Bill Murray. That was by far my favorite part.
There are a few minor break-ups in the group as well as many hilarious and very quotable scenes. I recommend this movie to all people tough enough to stomach a slight bit of zombie gore and a never-ending eruption of laughter.

Jennifer’s Body (Rated R)
This movie would have been more accurately named Megan’s Body.
With a weak plot, gory special effects and many appearances from Megan Fox’s midriff and cleavage, this movie leaves a lot to be desired.
Directed by Karyn Kusama, the film opens with a description of the friendship between the two main characters. They are Jennifer (Fox) and Needy (Amanda Seyfried).
Jennifer and her follower go to a bar where a rock band from out of town is playing. After a fire rages through the place, the lead rocker, very attractive — and the only thing I enjoyed watching in the entire movie — takes Jennifer and tries to sacrifice her to Satan.
He wants to do this to up his popularity as a singer and overall make more money. However, since Jennifer isn’t a virgin, which is a requirement for the sacrifice, she instead turns into a raging demon.
Jennifer — clad in trashy clothes and way too much make-up — ravages her town by killing her school’s star football player and an exchange student, among others.
And every time she eats someone she glows with beauty.
But when she turns on Needy and tries to take her boyfriend to the senior prom — as well as a small plan for afterward — Needy did not stand for it.
Still, I don’t recommend anyone seeing this movie; it’s a waste of time, money and energy.

Paranormal Activity (Rated R)
Said to be the horror movie of the year, this low-budget film is sure to knock your socks off — and leave your movie date with a broken hand. It’s that scary.
Strange things have been happening to Katie (Katie Featherston) ever since she was little. Her family’s house burned down for no apparent reason. And now she senses a presence around her, especially when she sleeps.
Her boyfriend Micah (Micah Sloat) — and an instigator of major problems in the household — has huge doubts when they invite a psychic over. The psychic (Mark Friedricks) notices a very strong negative energy source somewhere in the house.
He recommends another psychic, an expert in demonology, be called to investigate. But that phone call is never made.
Instead, Micah sets up a camera in the room when they sleep and documents major occurrence of this demon on film.
During the night the horrid phenomena that has been following Katie comes out. At first, it only does small things such as move the blankets and the door.
But soon, after being thoroughly provoked by Micah, the demon becomes violent.
There are only four characters seen in this film. However, it has the heart of a lion when it comes to content.
This film does things movies with larger casts and bigger budgets can’t do, which — in my case — is scaring me enough that I jumped into the fetal position.
It also includes minor comic relief from the rather excellent acting of the two main characters. I very much recommend this movie for anyone that is up for a good scare!

The Fourth Kind (Rated Pg-13)
Unidentified Flying Object sightings are only a scrape off the surface of all this movie has to offer.
Paralleled by realistic clips of evidence of abductions and possessions, it not only scares you but it leaves you pondering the existence of other life forms outside of Earth.
Abigail Tyler (Milla Jovovich) is a psychotherapist trying to help many people in the town of Nome in upper Alaska. This is the UFO sighting capital of the United States. There have been hundreds of FBI visits there every year.
Tyler hypnotizes her patients to help open their minds to things that have been bothering them as they sleep. After a few people show the same symptoms, she notices a pattern and calls her fellow worker Abel Campos (Elias Koteas) to help her.
All the people affected have been seeing the same thing. They think they are seeing an owl, then realize it’s something far different. After this, they are prone to violence, including a snapped neck and a murder-suicide.
After more investigation, Tyler calls someone that helped her husband before his death. Awolowa Odusami (Hakeem Kae-Kazim) is a language expert who recognizes the words being spoken through the victims. It’s the oldest recorded human language, telling them “Stop your search” and “I am God.”
Tyler doesn’t stop, and her child is abducted. But the local sheriff doesn’t believe in extraterrestrial life and thinks Tyler is in an unstable state after her husband’s death. She’s then arrested.
If you have any interest in alien life forms, or if you’re up for a good scare, this movie is one for you!

— Lety Clark-Olivero is a senior at Eisenhower High School and a member of the Herald-Republic’s Unleashed journalism program for students.