Mimic

The original Mimic aspired to evoke a mood and tension akin to classic horror films like the original versions of The Mummy or Frankenstein--to create the kind of dream imagery that lingers in the brain for months after. This may seem like a high ambition for a movie about giant predatory bugs that learned to roughly imitate the appearance of human beings, but Mimic was more successful than you'd expect. And so is Mimic 2, a movie with much simpler goals--Mimic 2 just wants to be a lean, effective horror flick that capitalizes on the inherent creepiness of insects. A schoolteacher named Remi (Alix Koromzay, previously seen in Children of the Corn 666: Isaac's Return and the remake of The Haunting) has trouble with men, but not half as much trouble as they end up having with her; every guy she's recently dated has been killed and had his face sheared off. Before too long, her school has a serious infestation of giant mutant cockroaches. By the end, the story is full of holes--but Mimic 2 does a smart job of delaying any explanation for a long time while building some compelling eeriness and successful jolts. The special effects are sparingly used and surprisingly good when they do appear; Koromzay and costar Bruno Campos are engaging presences. All in all, worth checking out. --Bret Fetzer