I’m not a big horror movie fan. But as the days get shorter, the temperatures get cooler, and summer greens give way to autumn reds and yellows, my movie tastes turn decidedly bloodthirsty. I jumped the gun this year and started compiling scary movie lists on various streaming services before September was over. Now that we’re counting the final days before Halloween I want to share these nasty notes from my diabolical diary of movie madness to help you plan an evening of scary cinema after you run out of treats for the tricksters.
A Hole in the Ground
One of the biggest surprises I discovered during this Halloween horror movie season is the Irish supernatural thriller, A Hole in the Ground. Lee Cronin’s feature film debut begins with Sarah (Seana Kerslake) and her son Christopher (James Quinn Markey) renting a house next to a spooky forest. What could go wrong? The pair have left Christopher’s father behind and Cronin’s script and the scar on Sarah’s forehead point to a possible case of domestic abuse. That said, Sarah begins the film optimistically and Christopher just starts adjusting to a new school before the pair discover a massive, mysterious hole in the middle of the woods, and their new lives get turned upside-down. A Hole in the Ground is a body-snatcher film that’s a perfect fit for Halloween. Come for the spooky children, stay for the damp chilly woods and sweater-weather vibes. A Hole in the Ground is currently streaming for free to Amazon Prime members. Amazon Prime offers a 30-days-free trial.
Doctor Sleep
Speaking of domestic horror films, The Shining began as a novel about abusive alcoholism in the hands of author Stephen King. But when Stanley Kubrick adapted the book for his horror movie classic, the director transformed it into a haunted house thriller, crackling with paranormal encounters and psychic phenomena. King hated the film and his Doctor Sleep sequel catches up with Danny Torrance, who’s become a middle-aged mess suffering from PTSD. Danny lives a subsistence existence in the shadow of his father’s abusive legacy and the otherworldly happenings he experienced as a child at the Overlook Hotel. Mike Flanagan’s (the auteur behind Netflix’ The Haunting of Hill House and the now-streaming The Haunting of Bly Manor) film adaptation of Doctor Sleep gives viewers an always-game Ewan McGregor as grown-up Danny Torrance, struggling between his own battle with the bottle and a reluctance to engage his psychic abilities. In the film’s first act, Danny tries to run from his demons, arriving homeless at a small town New Hampshire bus stop, looking to make a new start. Be warned: this contemporary vampire film gets shockingly dark, and you may want to be keep the fast-forward button on your remote control handy. I love Flanagan’s homages to Kubrick’s original film, and this new movie throbs with deep dark pathos. This is the adult horror cinema that Danny Torrance deserves at the end of his hero’s journey. Doctor Sleep is streaming on HBO Max where they also offer a 7-day free trial.
‘70s Horror on Criterion Channel
Doctor Sleep is part of HBO Max’ curated, creepy season movie collection, “Halloween is Here.” I love this kind of thoughtful trick-or-treat organizing. Another shocking selection of ghoulish goodies is The Criterion Channel’s “’70s Horror” category. American films of the 1970s are the greatest movies ever made, and part of that achievement is due to the groundbreaking horror movie-making of that era.
Don’t miss Tobe Hooper’s masterpiece, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974). This film still feels too-real, but, if you can keep your eyes open, Hooper delivers one of the greatest final sequences in all of movies. Nicolas Roeg’s Don’t Look Now (1973), like Doctor Sleep, is a haunting thriller shot-through with deep grief. It’s also visually stunning and vividly inhabited with emotional performances from Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie. Also, be sure to check out Sutherland in The Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978). The Criterion Channel is currently offering a 14-day free trial.
