The Lazarus Effect

Given the low-budget film's bottle-episode feel, horror fans could've gotten extra mileage out of a disorienting and original psychological treatment.

It's thematically thin but competently made and good for a few scares.

I would have loved to see more from the filmmakers, daring to fail while staking out some new terror incognita instead of just going through the motions of an experiment for which we already have the results.

A grimy, dopey, confused thriller that wastes a very likable cast.

Death may not be the end in The Lazarus Effect, but it should be.

"The Lazarus Effect" boasts nothing special. It's not going to provide much relief for horror-starved audiences.

David Gelb's new film is so dependent on the classic standbys of the genre, and so slight in every other regard, that it immediately draws attention to just how creaky they've gotten over the years

As far as cautionary tales go, The Lazarus Effect is pretty good stuff overall and effectively rises above its mild approach to deliver a thoughtful and intense horror experience that I had a lot of fun with despite all its flaws.

Thanks to Duplass's 'regular guy' appeal and Wilde's ability to play the girl-next-door with the same aplomb as possessed siren, The Lazarus Effect proves believable enough to be entertaining but a little too bland to leave much of a scar.

The script gets less adventurous as it goes along, slowly shedding every intriguing idea and character detail for an utterly conventional final act.

The Lazarus Effect is a scary movie that pokes around with some big questions, but never really goes far enough to say anything.

Nothing fresh is brought to the screen and the stars end up treading water with well-worn cliches.