Holiday Horror... The Gift That Keeps On Giving

I'm a horror guy and to be honest I've gravitated more to reading horror than watching horror. For me I believe the movie that plays in your mind after you've digested the author's words is usually better than the movie on the screen interpreted by a director. But there have been some killer (pun not intended) movies to come out in the last few years as well as TV series'.

It's a new golden age for horror whether it's books, movies or comics and there is so much to delve into and carry you into the New Year. As a matter of fact my wife allowed me to gift myself an all horror streaming service called Shudder... and I got plenty of mileage out of that over the downtime. Here are a few of the choices I watched over the holidays. They're not holiday themed... just consumed/viewed over the holiday season so there's no expiration date. They'll play just as well now or in March or in the summer. They're in no particular order. 

Shall we get started? 

Out of the box we've got 'May the Devil Take You'. 'Evil Dead' purists may turn their nose up at this one but I had a blast with it and actually watched it twice over a few days. Not really breaking any new ground but it's fun to see horror from other parts of the world and how they put their stink on it. Some genuinely creepy scenes and yes it's from Indonesia. Hence the the subtitles in the trailer. I believe you can choose from subtitles or an English dubbed version on Netflix. I have no problem rolling with subs. Runs a tad long...They could cut 10 minutes off easily. 

I got a thing for witches. Not sure why but it's probably best left for another post at another time. 'Witch in the Window' is a quick running flick with some great tension and spooky moments. I don't recall it being terribly gory either. Just great atmosphere with some good spooks and it's available on the previously mentioned streaming service Shudder.

I have a tradition of always watching this color remake of 'Nosferatu' over Christmas. Why? I guess it's because either the Sundance Channel or the Independent Film Channel (can't remember which) used to play it several times over Christmas on consecutive years. They don't anymore. And like a trained dog I now associate it with the Christmas holidays. Sure I prefer the original silent black and white version but for some reason nothing says Merry Christmas quite like a bald guy chomping on a beautiful woman's neck. Plus if you throw a goatee on the guy we're practically twins. For the hell of it I threw in both trailers just cuz. I've got both on DVD but I believe they're on Shudder and or other streaming services.

Of course I watched 'Bird Box' the day it came out on Netflix... as did, like, 45 million other people and that's not an exaggeration. I wouldn't call it great but it's an entertaining ride if you don't really think too long about the ridiculous premise of people trying to survive in a post apocalyptic world wearing blindfolds. And that woman repeatedly face planting on the glass skyway... I mean c'mon. We've all had Mondays like that. Is it 'A Quiet Place' with a different twist? Yeah, no, kinda. Give it a go and if you're already a Netflix subscriber you're not out anything, right?

We've all stopped in a creepy town somewhere. Where things just don't seem right. And you're happy to get gas, use the bathroom and get the hell out. 'Southbound' is an anthology of stories intertwined into a desert town that nobody wants to end up in. And the town has some strange guardians. You'll see. Find it on Kanopy which is a FREE streaming service if you have a Columbus Metropolitan Library card or also on Amazon Prime Video.  

Running out of time here but a couple of other quick hits are as follows...

Another Shudder exclusive... 'Terrified'. Not to be confused with 'Terrifier' on Netflix (which harkens back to vintage slasher movies and is a fun twisted ride). This is from Argentina so it is subtitled. Can't remember if there is a dubbed option or not but again I urge you to stick with the original soundtrack and go with the subs. Not just a haunted house but a haunted neighborhood. There's a creepy kid, a disturbing shower scene and a thing under the bed. To be honest the ending leaves something to be desired but the journey along the way is awesome.

And one other quick suggestion.... again from Indonesia, subtitled and on Shudder. I'm not shilling for Shudder but since I just got it it's my shiny new toy. 'Satan's Slaves' is a slow burn. If you don't have patience then skip this one. If you enjoy the gradual progression from smoldering into a full on blaze then you'll like it. Those should keep you busy for a while. Happy New Fear!


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