The countdown to Halloween continues; This week’s streaming picks are dedicated to contemporary horror films set on or around Halloween. These post-2000 treats embrace the spirit of fall or Halloween iconography, making them great seasonal viewing this time of year.
As always, here’s where you can stream them this week.
For more selections from Stay Home, Watch Horror, click here.
Everything for Jackson – AMC+, thrill
Sheila McCarthy and Julian Richings play Audrey and Henry Walsh, an affluent couple mourning the tragic loss of their young grandson. Still deep in the denial phase of grief, they turn to Satanism. The pair kidnap a pregnant woman for their ritual; they plan to transfer their grandson’s spirit into his unborn baby. Novice practitioners unwittingly open the doors to the spirit world, turning their home into a house of horrors. The snowy setting screams winter, not fall, but the house is terrorized by ghosts, including a creepy, unrelenting thing. Consider this one perfect for Halloween or the holidays.
I am not a serial killer – AMC+
John Wayne Cleaver (Max Records) adheres to a strict therapeutic regimen and rules to ward off his sociopathic and murderous urges. His darker nature makes him deeply curious when a series of murders ensue in his small Midwestern town, leaving behind traces of black goo. This adaptation of Dan Wells’ novel offers a unique blend of supernatural mystery and a sweet but eerie coming-of-age tale. While it doesn’t fully embrace Halloween, the holiday takes into account the events of the film. Christopher Lloyd also stars.
Last night in Soho –HBO Max
Thomasin McKenzie stars as Eloise in Edgar Wright’s LAST NIGHT IN SOHO, a Focus Features release.
Credit: Parisa Taghizadeh / © 2021 Focus Features, LLC
Last night in Soho takes us back to London’s Soho district during the Swinging Sixties, with Thomasin McKenzie featuring a fashion designer who uncovers a murder from the past. The victim? Sandie by Anya Taylor-Joy, a 1960s singer. Edgar Wright’s psychological horror film is set during fashion school’s fall term, which means Halloween plays a starring role. shot in at least one significant fear sequence. Expect a lavish production design and great performances from its leads, with a shift in tone once the ghostly second half arrives.
Satan’s little helper – Screambox (October 25)
The Uncut Edition by Jeff Lieberman (Squirm, Blue Sunshine, Just Before Dawn) the cult hit makes its way to streaming just in time for Halloween. Dougie is a boy obsessed with a video game that makes him act as Satan’s helper. While on a trick or treat, he encounters someone in a costume who is arranging a corpse, assumes the costumed person is Satan, and asks Satan to send his sister’s boyfriend to hell. He then becomes the involuntary pawn of a serial killer. It’s a dark horror-comedy with a body count.
you are not my mother –Hulu
Writer/director Kate Dolan’s Irish folk horror is set around Halloween. It follows a teenager whose mother has disappeared, later returning home with no explanation and with altered behavior. What came home might not have been his mother but a Changeling. Dolan’s folk horror flick fosters psychological chills with a strained mother/daughter relationship and atmospheric terror over the jumps. Carolyn Bracken delivers an unsettling performance and Dolan embraces the Halloween decor.
Prime: Barbaric – HBO Max (October 25)
A non-Halloween bonus: Zach Cregger’s sleeper shot might not happen on or near Halloween, but it’s the exact type of heart-pounding horror you want to watch on Halloween anyway. Tess (Georgina Campbell) arrives at her Detroit rental late at night during a torrential downpour. When a man, Keith (Bill Skarsgård), answers the door, the strangers realize the place has been double-booked. Tess, out of options, agrees to share the space but remains on her guard. As Keith eases his apprehension, Tess realizes the danger has only just begun.
There is no mad rush prediction; it will take your breath away.
