Recent Halloween horror picks
Great fright flicks from 2020-21.
There has been no shortage of scares over the last couple of years.
Most of them, of course, came from the real world — as COVID19 put all of us, to some degree or another, in very real danger.
Yet, there’s also been a fair share of spooky things coming from the movie world. And those are the type of ones we’re looking for during the Halloween season.
Much of the entertainment industry was shut down for over a year due to the pandemic, yet the horror film machine just kept right on pumping out ghastly good offerings during that time period. Indeed, 2020 and 2021 have been great years for horror releases — some of which hit the big screens (often the driveins) and others went straight to streaming platforms.
Here is a look at our favorite releases from the past two years. All of them are widely available to stream/rent/purchase right now. So, pick one (or all) and have yourself a happy Halloween!
‘Freaky’
Nobody is doing better work these days in the horror-comedy genre than Christopher Landon. Having given the world the wonderful “Happy Death Day” and the solid sequel “Happy Death Day 2U” — which are both built on a “Groundhog Day”-esque storyline — the director hits another one out of the park with this film that can be considered a kind of horror movie version of “Freaky Friday.” Vince Vaughn and Kathryn Newton are brilliant as a serial killer and high school student who end up switching bodies through the usual dark evil spell mumbo-jumbo.
‘The Wretched’
It’s a chilling supernatural horror film, with a few scenes — is that a monster crawling out of that deer carcass? — which could end up keeping you up at night. The film stars John-Paul Howard as Ben Shaw, who suspects that there is something wrong going on with his neighbors. (Spoiler alert: He’s right.) “The Wretched” is truly a movie that lives up to its name, yet in all the right ways, and it’s highly recommended for anyone who likes witch stories.
‘Becky’
Wait a second — a horror movie starring Kevin James? Kevin James from those goofy “Zookeeper” and “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” flicks and “The King of Queens” TV sitcom? Yes, that Kevin James. And he’s very convincing in his cinematic turn to the dark side, playing an ex-con who might just have bitten off more than he can chew when he tangles with 13-year-old
Becky (Lulu Wilson) in this home invasion tale.
‘Spiral’
“Saw” has been one of horror’s most consistently entertaining franchises, beginning with the stone-cold classic first film in 2004 and continuing through several well-directed sequels. This 2021 offering is a worthy addition to the legacy as well as a plausible reboot, delivering plenty of new avenues to further explore in the “Saw” storyline for years to come. Chris Rock stars in the film and adds a sense of humor to the mix — something that the franchise has never really had before.
‘The Toll’
How safe are you really when you jump into that rideshare vehicle? You might be thinking twice about using an app to arrange your next ride after seeing this Canadian thriller, which tells the story of a woman who simply needs a lift from the airport to see her father
Halloween