Weekend Watchlist: Halloween horror weekend special
The year 2020 has pretty much been like a year-long horror film. Even the most commonly used words this year happen to be horror movie titles.
The Pandemic has forced people to Quarantine in their homes and live in Isolation to prevent the Outbreak from spreading and to avoid Contagion. We’re all turning Psycho with Cabin Fever and wish we could just Scream and Get Out. You get my drift.
It’s a crazy world, but at least we can look forward to the time-honored tradition of Halloween weekend, where it’s socially acceptable to forget real-world problems and binge on the most horrifying things on television for movie night.
Here are a few horror classics as well as new films and series currently available on streaming sites.
Netflix
The Shining
Synopsis: Jack Torrance descends into madness - terrorizing his wife and young son - after living at a deserted and eerie hotel during its off season. This 1980 psychological horror film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick is based on Stephen King's 1977 novel of the same name and stars Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Scatman Crothers, and Danny Lloyd.
30 Days of Night
Synopsis: When a month-long period of darkness sets in on the tiny Alaskan town of Barrow, the residents are visited by a flock of bloodthirsty vampires. This 2007 American horror film based on the comic book miniseries of the same name is directed by David Slade and stars Josh Hartnett and Melissa George.
The Purge: Anarchy
Synopsis: In this dark sequel to the American dystopian action horror film ‘The Purge,’ (2013) ordinary citizens do their best to survive during an annual 12-hour amnesty when any criminal act can be committed.
Cadaver
Synopsis: When a peculiar hotel dinner show draws crowds during a postapocalypitc famine, one family discovers they'll pay much more than the price of admission. This 2020 Norwegian film is directed and written by Jarand Herdal and stars Gitte Witt.
Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight
Synopsis: Addicted to technology, a group of teens attends a rehabilitation camp in teh forest, but a sinister force there intends to take them offline forever. This has been dubbed as the first Polish slasher flick ever made.
Asih
Synopsis: Years after a woman tragically takes her own life and drowns her baby, a couple expecting a child finds themselves terrorized by a sinister ghost. The film is a spin-off of Danur, one of Indonesia’s highest-grossing horror film franchises.
Tales from the Dark Part 1
Synopsis: These chilling shorts include the tale of a haunted fortuneteller and a man who faces dire consequences after blackmailing grieving families.
IT
Synopsis: As kids vanish throughtout town, a group of outcasts must face their bigest fears as well as a murderous, terrifying and seemingly invincible clown. This 2017 American supernatural horror film based on Stephen King's 1986 novel of the same name is the second adaptation following Tommy Lee Wallace's 1990 miniseries.
HBO Go
IT: Chapter 2
Synopsis: 27 years after he was defeated, Pennywise is back to terrorise the town of Derry. Now adults, the Losers have to come together to conquer their deepest fears and destroy Pennywise once and for all.
Doctor Sleep
Synopsis: In this sequel to Stephen King's "The Shining," the troubled, now-adult Dan Torrance (Ewan McGregor) meets a teen who shares his extrasensory gift of the "shine" and tries to protect her from a cult whose members feed off the shine of innocents to become immortal. Premieres October 31.
The Curse of La Llorona
Synopsis: Ignoring the eerie warning of a troubled mother suspected of child endangerment, a social worker and her own small kids are soon drawn into a frightening supernatural realm.
Zombie Tidal Wave
Synopsis: An homage to the zombie classics of the '80s with a modern twist, the film finds a mysterious ocean-borne outbreak threatening rogue, veteran sea captain Hunter Shaw's (Ian Ziering) seaside island community, forcing him to lead a disparate band of locals to uncover the origins of the undead pandemic. The film comes from the same director as all those Sharknado movies.
The Conjuring
Synopsis: Two paranormal investigators are called upon to help a family terrorised by a dark presence in a farmhouse.
The Conjuring 2
Synopsis: This supernatural thriller follows another real case from the files of renowned demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren.