Now Scream This: 10 Great Horror Movies Streaming Right Now
(Welcome toNow Scream This, a column where horror experts Chris Evangelista and Matt Donato tell you what scary, spooky, and spine-tingling movies are streaming and where you can watch them.)Matt:HOW IS IT ONLY, LIKE, TWO WEEKS INTO 2020 AND I’M ALREADY THIS EXHAUSTED?! Maybe because we’re in the cinematic “Ides of January,” looking at youDolittle- but that’s poppycock becauseUnderwaterrules and none of y’all showed up. This is why we can’t have good aquatic horror things! In any case, all this stalling is to say Chris and I decided we’re just going to throw some random picks against the wall in favor of trying to get a little more sleep this year. The sacrifices we make for you, dear reader. Where else would you get your streaming horror recommendations? (No answer needed!)Chris:Welcome back, folks. We’re all just trying to get through this month (almost there!), so Matt and I decided to take things easy and just give you a grab-bag of titles. No theme here – except the theme of having a good time watching some unpleasant films.
Now Streaming on Netflix
Matt:Getting ahead of my partner here and stating that I think Chris will absolutely despiseDeadconeven though it gets my endorsement.Caryn Waechter’s YouTuber horror flick played Cinepocalypse last year, but came and went after an unceremonious VOD dump. Yes, it stars internet personalities and influencers who congregate for a fake streamer convention that’s haunted by past rituals. Yes, it’s a splice ofParanormal ActivityandUnfriended, except with more narrative walkaways from screen-life horror. It’s got its glitches – and I’m one of the first to be turned off by the likes of Logan Paul hopefuls appearing on my theater screens – butDeadcongets more right than not. It’s an easy Friday night stream with pizza on the way.Chris:Well, here we go again, starting things off with a Matt pick I have never even heard of.
Matt:I refuse to censor myself: Blumhouse didJ.D. Dillard’sSweetheartdirty upon release. This aquatic creature feature was one of my biggest surprises out of last year’s Fantastic Fest. Not only becauseKiersey Clemonsdelivers another spot-on performance, this time as a shipwrecked survivor fighting for her life on a remote island. More because the creature creation is so impressive, working with physical suits and a monster reveal that’s so pitch-perfect under a red flare illuminating the blackest night. Then you realize why it’s called “sweetheart,” and Dillard’s sea baddie flick becomes something more in-tuned with societal commentaries outside survival terror. Why did this movie get so unceremoniously shoved onto VOD? Don’t bother – no reason is good enough.Chris:Sweetheartis a fun little monster flick with a killer Kiersey Clemons performance and one of the best monster reveal scenes you’ll ever see.
Now Streaming on Shudder
Matt:Do you like your possession flicks with a heavy influence that some might describe as “arthouse” or “experimental?” In a good way?Tilman Singer’s graduate thesisLuzis an endlessly inspired take on demonic infiltration.Luana Velisplays a taxi driver in an interrogation room who slowly blurs flashback and reality as her miming turns into live-action without viewers even noticing. That means nothing to you now, but it’s Singer’s most impressive trick and you’ll know exactly why once watching yourself. Plus it’s under eighty minutes? What else do you want in a streaming horror selection! In, out, and tries something fresh. You’re welcome.Chris:Weird, disturbing, and loaded with powerhouse performances.
Matt:There are so many malevolent beings to pick from given the vast writings on religion and folklore, which makes me wonder why we don’t see more dybbuk cinema.Demon- which I just learned is not only based on Jewish histories but an actual theater play – infects a farmhouse wedding night with cultural nightmares. A groom, nuptial jitters, and an unrested spirit. Plenty of vodka and dancing and possession unrest. I love a movie that takes the happiest of occasions and drags a family into hell, andMarcin Wronagives us a damn fine example why.Chris:Demonis a haunting, unsettling story that goes off in directions you’ll never see coming. Don’t sleep on it.
Now Streaming on HBO Go
Matt:Do you know whichResident Evilfranchise entry is best?Resident Evil: Apocalypse.You’re gosh-diddly-darn right. Maybe because its characters feel like they’re navigating a video game blueprint that favorably respects Capcom’s survival horror series. Maybe becauseSienna Guilloryas Jill Valentine was a sexual awakening for this hardcore gamer turned hormonal movie fan. Maybe because it’s no-frills, dreadful, but still packs all that STARS action those who’ve spent too long exploring Raccoon City have come to expect. All that and we get Nemesis? Save your breath and aim your arguments elsewhere. I’mResident Evil: Apocalypseor die.Chris:::Jason Bateman voice::I don’t know what I expected.
Now Streaming on Amazon Prime Video
Chris:I lovedHereditary, butAri Aster’s follow-upMidsommaris even better. It’s bigger, bolder, and – most surprising of all – funnier.Florence Pughis as great as everyone says she is as Dani, an emotionally fragile young woman who follows her gaslighting boyfriend to Sweden for a midsummer festival. What should be a fun getaway quickly turns into a sun-drenched nightmare, building towards an ending so twisted and so satisfying it’ll leave a sick grin on your face.Matt:Midsommar! Love it. You know, Ari Aster’s hilarious breakup thriller! Seriously. This movie is so funny in the most unexpected ways, but still spikes that brutal, visceral horror Aster is proving to wield with sledgehammer impact.
Now Streaming on Hulu
Chris:Frankensteinis a story told and re-told so many times that it’s lost much of its impact. But leave it to indie horror legendLarry Fessendento find a lively new way to take on the tale. The story beats inDepravedare familiar: a young doctor finds a way to reanimate a stitched-together corpse. But Fessenden’s film goes deeper, putting us into the transplanted headspace of the “monster” as he comes to terms with his new life – while being haunted by memories of the man he was before.Matt:Larry Fessenden’s “hipster” Frankenstein is a successful Brooklynized spin on a classic story that I’m here for. Enjoyed this one more than I thought I would, frankly.
Chris:Teen witches, ’90s jams,Fairuza Balkbeing crazy and hot as hell – what more do you need?The Craftisn’t exactly high-art but it gets the job done, overloading with atmosphere and somewhat-dated flourishes that keep things lively.Robin Tunneyis a teen witch who moves to a new town and discoversotherteen witches (Fairuza Balk,Neve Campbell, andRachel True). Soon, they form a coven, and it’s all fun and games until someone gets hexed.Matt:Witchin' and bitchin' flick.
Now Streaming on Starz
Chris:People seemed mixed onBrightburn, but I really dug this surprisingly nasty superhero horror flick. The basic set-up: what if Superman was a psychopath? A young boy (Jackson A. Dunn) growing up on a farm in Kansas learns he’s not from this planet – and he possesses superpowers. Unfortunately for us, he’s not the most stable of kids, and begins using his powers for evil rather than good.Matt:Oh look, one of my picks for my Fangoria article on the top death scenes of 2019! This film is sooooo nasty and plays with the “evil superhero corruption” arc in a way that hooked me.
Now Streaming on HBO Now
Chris:Unfriended: Dark Webisn’t as good asUnfriended, but it packs a disturbing punch. Once again the film is told entirely through screens, a gimmick that has continued to work much better than it has any right to do. InDark Web, a hapless dude steals a laptop, only to discover it’s hooked-up to the infamousdark web. Soon, he and all his online buddies are in serious danger, forced to play a deadly game that won’t end well for anybody.Matt:I’m apparently in the minority here, but I hatedUnfriended: Dark Web. It abandons everything I loved about the far-superiorUnfriendedand becomes this basic-bitch, uneventful rehash of glitchy screen doodooness.
