If I had to trace the origins of my compulsion to seek out scary movies for Halloween, I might picture myself in childhood, horrified by a TV broadcast of Disney’s cartoon adaptation of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” I can still picture the Headless Horseman heaving that flaming jack o’ lantern right at me.
Countless nights spent enthralled by KIRO’s “Nightmare Theatre” library of old movies didn’t help, either. So here it is, Halloween, and one must have horror — which, thanks to streaming, is now at everybody’s fingertips (although plenty of great movies aren’t available through streaming — so long live physical media).
Here are some recommended titles, some brand new, some classic, all currently available via streaming or on demand.
“Mandy.” If it’s still playing in a theater near you, go see it. Otherwise, this gorgeous movie — your basic psychedelic-backwoods-revenge picture — has been On Demand for a few weeks already. If the Oscars ever noticed movies at the grindhouse level, Nicolas Cage and Andrea Riseborough would be nominated for their otherworldly performances, as two recluses whose lives are interrupted by a Manson-like cult. (Amazon)
“Hereditary.” A standout 2018 horror release, this deeply messed-up film depicts a family locked in an inherited nightmare. Along with Toni Collette’s spectacular performance, Ari Aster’s film presents a love-it-or-hate-it final act that divided audiences. I loved it. (Amazon)
“A Quiet Place.” It’s basically just an exercise, but smartly handled: In some post-apocalyptic world, alien monsters (evidently blind) will kill you if they hear you — so Emily Blunt and John Krasinski and family must stay as silent as possible. Good chills from director Krasinski, and also a subliminal argument for bringing children into a disintegrating world. (Amazon)
“Bone Tomahawk.” I’m a fan of horror Westerns, and this under-appreciated 2015 film is a riot of sagebrush and gore. Kurt Russell (doing some really fantastic beard-wrangling) leads a fine cast; director S. Craig Zahler has a new movie coming soon, the daintily-titled “Dragged Across Concrete.” (Amazon Prime)
“A Tale of Two Sisters.” South Korean horror has a healthy cult following, and if you’re a newbie to the genre, director Kim Jee-woon’s spooky 2003 yarn provides a good sample. It’s a slow-burner about two little girls with a stepmother who stepped straight out of a very unpleasant fairy tale. (Shudder)
“The Fog.” John Carpenter’s 1980 follow-up to “Halloween” has been recently restored, so this might be a good time to revisit this old-fashioned tale of ghosts and weather phenomena. It’s no “Halloween,” but there’s atmosphere galore, and Carpenter pairs Jamie Lee Curtis with real-life mom Janet Leigh (his own then-wife, Adrienne Barbeau, plays the lead). (Shudder)
“The Omen.” A rare example of a high-class horror flick (it even won an Oscar — for Best Original Score, duh), this 1976 thriller is one of the great “demon child” films, as the wee lad adopted by Gregory Peck and Lee Remick becomes destined for a career in politics. It’s full of religious hokum and creepy-kid nightmare fuel. (HBO)
“Night of the Living Dead.” It never gets old. George Romero’s zombie apocalypse, filmed on a shoestring around Pittsburgh, was always intended as a political horror movie, and it still is. It will also make you jump out of your skin a few times. (Amazon Prime)
“I Walked with a Zombie.” A nurse is hired to care for an invalid on a Caribbean island, and the proximity to voodoo proves an elegantly scary backdrop. Producer Val Lewton borrowed the story from “Jane Eyre,” but he and director Jacques Tourneur made the low-budget film into a poetic blend of light, shadow and sound. This is one of my favorite movies. (Criterion Channel/FilmStruck)
“Nosferatu.” Proving that not all rip-offs are bad, this German silent classic illegally stole the plot of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” (Stoker’s widow sued, and won). But director F.W. Murnau made a haunting classic of it, and the aptly-named actor Max Shreck created one of the all-time freakiest vampires. (Amazon Prime)
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