10 movies offering frights this Halloween
It’s nothing but treats for horror movie fans this Halloween.
High-profile projects are popping up on streaming services, including a couple that also had theatrical runs. And both classic and cult films are getting reissued on Blu-ray, either in ultra-high definition or deluxe editions designed to appeal to collectors.
Here’s a look at 10 movies, new and old, that will keep you up long after the trick-or-treaters have gone home.
Streaming
“The Black Phone”: Working from a story by Joe Hill, director Scott Derrickson delivers a ’70s-set serial killer tale that feels like a nightmare captured on Super 8 film. When The Grabber (Ethan Hawke), a killer who preys on teenage boys in a Colorado town, nabs him, Finney (Mason Thames) tries to survive with some supernatural assistance from previous victims. Streaming on Peacock
“Deadstream”: This haunted house tale, which premiered at South by Southwest, makes something of its live-streaming gimmick with a mix of gore, comedy and social commentary. It’s about a disgraced internet personality ( Joseph Winter, who directed the movie with his wife, Vanessa) who tries to make a comeback by streaming a sleepover at a reputedly haunted house. When the ghosts come out, his followers gleefully egg him on; a few of the smarter ones helpfully explain why he’s never getting out alive. Streaming on Shudder
“Halloween Ends”: This movie has been billed as the final showdown between Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Michael Myers, 40 years after their first encounter in John Carpenter’s “Halloween.” It is that, but it goes deeper, exploring how decades of trauma of changed the small town of Haddonfield. Choose your metaphor — from COVID to mass shootings. None of the survivors are all that well, and some have become monsters, too. Streaming on Peacock
“Hellraiser”: This remake works whether you’re obsessed with the 1987 Clive Barker horror film and its sequels or a newcomer to their, um, pleasures. It details the mythology of the Cenobites, other-dimensional beings who are gratified by pain, and the puzzle box that summons them. But the new story stands on its own, following a young addict (Odessa A’zion) who opens the box and then tries to beat Pinhead and her ghastly companions at their own game. Streaming on Hulu
“Werewolf by Night”: The world’s most accomplished monster hunters gather at an old estate for a competition. The prize is a powerful artifact called the Bloodstone. Some of the hunters have hidden agendas, none more so than Jack Russell (Gael García Bernal). Hint: See the title. The characters
in this Disney+ special, which evokes old Universal horror movies, are based on Marvel Comics, but you don’t have to be a fan, or know their back stories, to enjoy it. Streaming on Disney+
Home video
“Army of Darkness”: This movie begins where Sam Raimi’s “Evil Dead II” improbably ended, with Ash (Bruce Campbell) stuck in the Middle Ages with a shotgun, a chainsaw and an Oldsmobile. He takes on a quest that’s basically an excuse
for sight gags and lots of animated skeletons — the Three Stooges meet special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen. That’s cool. Shout! Factory 4K UHD Steelbook, $44.98
“The Bat”: A faceless killer with clawed hands adds a horrific element to this 1959 whodunit. Agnes Moorehead (“Bewitched”) stars as a mystery writer who gets caught up in a case of small-town embezzlement and murder. Vincent Price plays the town’s doctor, who has a smooth graveside manner. Film Detective Blu-ray,
$29.95
“The Kindred”: After her death, a geneticist learns that he inherited more than his passion for science from his mom. She also made him a brother — though they don’t really look alike. Familiar faces in this creature feature include Rod Steiger, Kim Hunter and Amanda Pays. Synapse Films Blu-ray, $39.95
“Poltergeist”: “The Amityville Horror” and “The Shining” were scary. But they didn’t hit home like this suburban haunted house tale, a collaboration between “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” director Tobe Hooper and producer Steven Spielberg, which opened in the summer of 1982, just a week before “E.T. the Extra-terrestrial.” Warner Bros. 4K UHD, $33.99
“Satan’s Little Helper”: “Big Sky” star Kathryn Winnick has a very bad Halloween in this bonkers horror flick. Her plans to go trick-or-treating with her gullible little brother are thrown off track when he invites a serial killer home for the holiday. Synapse