Whether it be the ever-constant streaming options of Shudder or even Hulu-ween, your given platform of choice has many options for this spooky season. John Kramer’s (Tobin Bell) return in Saw X and the recent Exorcist revival has put everyone in the mood, but there is one service that shouldn’t be discounted.
Recently merged with Showtime, Paramount Plus has many spooky favorites this Halloween season. Though mainly known for its Star Trek content and practically every Tom Cruise film known to man, it also has a selective list of films that appeal to even the darkest of hearts. From Dario Argento classics to more modern and socially aware films, the streamer deserves to be the only stop on your Halloween fear fest this year.
Suspiria (1977)
Not to be confused with the Dakota Johnson-led reboot of 2018, Paramount Plus features the original Suspiria, and it is beyond reproach. Directed by Italian horror icon, Dario Argento, the film is not only one of Paramount’s best horror films but is also a classic film that anyone who deems themself a horror aficionado should watch. A stark difference from the modern remake, Argento’s 1977 film takes a terrifying look at witches.
When Suzy (Jessica Harper) attends a prestigious ballet academy in Germany, she discovers that the school has more “lessons” to offer than dance. As murders start to wrack up, Suzy discovers that this is the work of a coven of witches. The film doesn’t lean on an ungratifying twist ending like the 2018 film. Instead, it immerses its audience in the mastery of Argento’s atmosphere.
Train To Busan
In the current culture of The Walking Dead fatigue, it may be hard to make zombies — for lack of a better term — fresh. But the South Korean film, Train To Busan does the trick.
Taking the ever-present fear of the undead and putting them on an inescapable train creates an even more claustrophobic event. In addition to the terrifying zombies akin to those in 28 Days Later, the characters of Train To Busan also have to contend with the fact that they have nowhere to hide. Even getting off the train at a military base has no reprieve. All in all, Train To Busan should be considered a modern classic for including all the joys of zombie fare in a new location.
The Faculty
There is a fine line between alien films and horror, but The Faculty is so self-aware that it accomplishes this feat easily. A ‘90s take on Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Faculty takes place in an Ohio high school where an alien outbreak starts wreaking havoc in the teacher’s lounge. A dehydrated alien race takes over the bodies of the aforementioned faculty, and it is up to a ragtag group of teenagers to save the day.
Starring the likes of Josh Hartnett, Elijah Wood, and Clea Duvall at the beginning of their career, The Faculty is a genre film that takes joy in what it is. The film contains many twists and jumps cleverly roped into a world where your closest friends could surreptitiously be the enemy.
Event Horizon
For fans of Hellraiser who were itching to see a story that takes place in space, Event Horizon is the film for you. After a spaceship that has been missing for years remerges with a distress signal, an investigative team finds they have been pulled into a torturous hell dimension. With a more ambiguous villain than Pinhead, Event Horizon’s true terror belongs to the ship itself. As it has the ability to transform itself into your greatest fears and regrets, it drives the film’s characters mad with no escape. Actors Laurence Fishburn, Sam Neill, and Jason Isaacs certainly don’t hurt either.
It Follows
It is a true horror film that features a villain that can never be stopped. A possible allegory for STDs, but more likely just a depiction of a nameless terror, It Follows shows the path of a nameless entity that has no mercy. After Jay (Maika Monroe) has a sexual encounter with Hugh (Jake Weary), she finds that she can see visages that no one else can. Hugh warns her that the only way to get rid of it is to “pass it on” before it touches you.
As the entity is only visible to Jay apart from her, she has a hard time convincing her friends of its existence and does her best to avoid it before it kills her. But true to Hugh’s word, the only way to combat the encroaching terror is to have sex with someone else. It Follows uses the horror trope of an insistent curse to great effect, all while showcasing the playground of the Metro Detroit area.
10 Cloverfield Lane
A far superior venture to its predecessor, 10 Cloverfield Lane leans into the genre of psychological torture. Taking place in the same universe as the monster feature, Cloverfield, the spin-off-of-sorts is a clever twist on expectations.
A young woman, Michelle, wakes up after a car crash to find herself sealed in a bunker. The bunker’s owner, Howard (John Goodman), tells her that the world has become inhospitable, but she has a hard time accepting his claims. Her time with Howard and additional roommate Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.) is filled with tension as she questions the reality that Howard has been telling her. A film full of twists until the very end, 10 Cloverfield Lane is a hidden gem on Paramount Plus.
Pearl
Ti West’s follow-up to his ‘70s grindhouse love letter, X, Pearl is a prequel that follows its titular villain. Depicting Pearl in her youth, the film shows exactly how she went from a farm girl to a sexually deprived mass murderer.
Mia Goth takes on the lead role after X maintains that Pearl and Maxine look shockingly alike. As young Pearl yearns for stardom, she finds conflict in a traumatizing home that is a precursor to her crimes later in life. More than just the straight slasher that X flirted with, Pearl is a character-driven drama that embellishes the previously established lore.
A Quiet Place
In John Krasinski’s first foray into horror, the actor-director seems to have found his niche. Set during the aftermath of a cataclysmic and world-ending event, Lee (Krasinski) and his family struggle to stay alive. Monsters with acute hearing have made living out and about impossible. Instead, families such as Lee’s find refuge underground and communicate silently, lest they be discovered and ripped apart. This is made significantly more difficult when Evelyn (Emily Blunt) goes into labor. Once you get past questioning why this family would decide to have a baby in this world, the film delivers on the intriguing prospect with a genuinely heartbreaking ending.
The Blair Witch Project
The film that started it all, The Blair Witch Project is a must-watch for every Halloween. Popularizing the documentary-style horror film, the horror picture follows three film students as they investigate the spooky woods where the legend lies. Horror fans continue to love the iconic film for the mere fact that at the time of its release, most of the public was under the impression that this was a real documentary and the film students actually went missing. More than two decades after its release, the film still delivers terrifying visuals and fear so palpable it makes you question if it is real or not.
The Ring
Gore Verbinski’s Western adaptation of the Japanese classic Ringu may divert from its source material, but like the videotape in the movie, The Ring has taken on a life of its own. After Rachel’s (Naomi Watts) niece dies under mysterious circumstances, the journalist investigates the urban legend about a tape that kills you after you watch it.
It cannot be denied the film became a big part of pop culture after its release. From uttering “7 days” to the stark visual of a girl crawling out of a television, The Ring still works on the basic levels of horror. Watts became a genre queen after this film, lending her name to many movies of its kind. And even when you know the twist at the end, it still pulls you in every time.
Published: Oct 14, 2023 10:14 am