Top Horror Movies to Stream on Amazon Prime October 2016
Originally published October, 2016
It's that time of year! October is the month to give yourself an excuse to watch some good-ol' horror movies. Whether they be classics from an era where "horror" is not that horrific, gruesome practical effect showcases of their time, or psychological thrillers that stretch the definition of the genre, it's the month to see what's out there. It's also the month that gives streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime a reason to update their horror genre cache and put some films in there worth seeing. But since there's only so many days in the month, and you probably don't have time to watch them all, I've gone through the services under their respective "horror" collections and selected the movies I've seen that I think are worth watching at least once.
Available on Amazon Prime October 2016
How did I come up with this list? I selected Horror from the genre bar and started scrolling down the page and simply picked out the ones I've seen that I thought had something to them. I would not necessarily call all of these movies "good," but they may still be worth a watch for one reason or another, especially if you haven't seen them.
If you want to see what I found and have seen on Netflix, check out my Top Horror Movies to Stream on Netflix October 2016 list.
Something Academy Award-Winning
Rosemary's Baby (1968)
I'll be upfront about this one. I don't really think Rosemary's Baby is as great as everyone seems to think it is. It's a good movie with some really good acting, but the overwhelming praise it's gotten reminds me of The Babadook and how I felt like the odd-man-out for not enjoying it as much. It could just be that, since I'm a male with no desire for children, I will not likely experience the natural fears that come with childbirth, therefore, I'm missing part of the formula that makes Rosemary's Baby so terrifying for some people. However, I think there's a little more to it than that. Maybe someday I'll review it and discuss why I don't love this movie as much as everyone else.
I won't go into much detail, because the only way this movie can be as "terrifying" as people say is to watch it without knowing too much about what's going to happen. Rosemary moves to her new apartment in New York with her douchy struggling-actor husband in the hopes of starting a family and all that jazz. There's something weird about the apartment and her neighbors, despite how friendly everyone seems to be. The film is filled with paranoia and solid direction to help make everything more ambiguous. We don't know what's real or not when Rosemary starts getting more and more paranoid and that makes the movie far more interesting as a result. Also, there's some funny moments when people yell "Hail Satan."
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
If you want the best werewolf movie ever made, and you don't have access to The Wolfman from the 1940's, look no further than An American Werewolf in London. This is a well-paced, entertaining horror film that has plenty of snappy dialogue and comedy amidst is horror segments. It has its scary moments, but the film never stops trying to be fun. Fun is something that most John Landis films have in common, regardless of genre. To give you an idea on how the filmmakers had a sense of humor in regards to this horror classic, they chose songs for the soundtrack based on the fact that they had something to do with the moon, like "Bad Moon Rising," for instance.
David is backpacking and travelling through the UK with his friend Jack when they end up in a small pub in the middle of nowhere. It's the classic scenario of two American outsiders wandering into a tavern, acting out-of-place, and then finally leaving for the scary unknown when they get too uncomfortable. There's a little more to this scene that makes it better than a simple cliché, but it serves the purpose of sending them off to expected deaths. A werewolf eventually attacks them while they're wandering and David passes out. When David wakes up, he's in a hospital. From here, he goes through the usual denials about turning into a monster as he tries to ignore ghosts of his victims and some brutal nightmares. The film is not overly ambitious with telling a new story. It's just a film where the likable characters are forced to endure some horror, with some humor sprinkled in to make it less melodramatic than most werewolf movies.
Lastly, I'll mention that this won an Academy Award for special effects, with one of the best werewolf-transformation scenes ever. Check it out.
Misery (1990)
Misery is a film adapted from a Stephen King story about a writer who ends up crashing his car in the snowy mountains somewhere in the US. The writer, played by James Caan, is rescued by the eccentric lone woman Anne, played by Kathy Bates. She brings him back to her isolated home and nurses back to health, sort of. Anne happens to be an obsessed super-fan of his various books and has her own opinions about how his story should go. As you might know or guess, it doesn't take long for everyone to learn that Anne is insane beyond the level of eccentric and incredibly dangerous.
Misery's biggest strengths are in its acting and direction. It's a movie with a small cast in a single location most of the time, so it relies heavily on the performances of its characters. Kathy Bates is the real star of the film and is able to navigate through a torrent of different emotions seamlessly in a single scene as Anne. I'm not sure I've seen many other performances where a person was able to play "crazy" so well without overacting. The movie is pretty tense from start to finish and well worth a watch if you haven't seen it.
Something Classic
Nosferatu (1922)
Predating the classic Dracula film of the 1930's, Nosferatu is a German silent Dracula film without using the count's copyright-protected name. It's an interesting movie and, being one of the silent era, a relatively short experience. The main reason to see it is for the set designs and to see how the abstract sets that were synonymous with German film-making at the time could have inspired so many future filmmakers. It's not my favorite silent horror film, but it's a damn good one.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
Of the numerous Invasion of the Body Snatchers movies, this is not my favorite, but it's still a real good movie. The premise is pretty simple. Alien pods come down to earth and when a person falls asleep near one, the person is replaced by an emotionless replica of him or her. It's not entirely clear how this all works, but it's best not to get hung up on that part of the premise.
The film is filled with solid acting and tense moments. It also has a dream-like quality to it, which is assisted by the fact that the story is being told by the protagonist in the past tense. This adds to the ambiguity and makes us wonder if it's a crazy story, or if it's all true and the world is being invaded. It's never quite as unsettling as its remakes, but still worth a watch, especially if you want to see a movie that encapsulates the fear of communism in its metaphor.
House on Haunted Hill (1959)
This movie is a classic, though not necessarily because it's very scary. In fact, if you don't enjoy watching cheesy horror movies, you may not enjoy this one. I don't think House on Haunted Hill is bad. It's just similar to going through a haunted house ride at an amusement park. There's little more than some dangling skeletons, a few jump scares, and a paper-thin backstory that is ultimately forgotten. If you're into that sort of fun with horror, then this may be worth your while.
What really elevates the film's value is the presence of Vincent Price. His performance and his interactions with the other characters, especially with his character's wife, really add to the quality. The film has some solid dialogue, despite its campy tone. There's some good stuff here, but the movie is far from being scary or even mysterious. Recommended for people who want something old-fashioned and fun.
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
The first flesh-eating zombie film ever made, George Romero's Night of the Living Dead is a classic horror movie that is still quite creepy and disturbing, decades later. Due to a copyright error, it's also public domain, so you can easily find it on various streaming sources other than Amazon, or in numerous DVD box sets.
Part of what makes this film so interesting to watch is the low-budget quality to it. It's gritty, slow, and dark. It also has some pretty bad acting, since the only person in the cast who had any experience acting was the male protagonist. The zombies themselves almost seem like ghosts, which is probably helped by the fact that the film was shot in black and white.
Night of the Living Dead is an important horror film because of how ground-breaking it was. It invented the flesh-eating zombie, which has become one of the most popular monsters in film and video games these days. It disturbed audiences enough with its violence and horror to push the genre in gory and ghastly new directions to the point that it's partially responsible for the film-rating system.
It's also is something of an unintentional civil-rights film. George Romero claims that the circumstances and messages about racial inequality of the time were never his intention. Nonetheless, if you watch the movie, it's hard to deny some of the blunt political statements one could pull from the film, simply due to the fact that the main character is a black man in the 1960's. If you like zombies, or if you like horror movies at all, it's a must watch.
Carrie (1976)
The first film to have been adapted from a Stephen King story, Carrie is an interesting movie in its tonal presentation of its protagonist. For every moment where Carrie is treated poorly and we feel empathetic toward her, the film tries to play up the "evil" within. The poster's tagline of "if only they knew she had the power" insinuates that it's more Carrie's fault than that of the assholes around her, pushing her to the breaking point.
Of course, if you've never seen the film and don't know what I'm talking about, I'd recommend just watching the movie. It's a classic that holds up rather well due to its simplicity and quality performances. Carrie has been remade a few times and has had a sort-of sequel since it came out in the seventies. However, none of these follow-up films felt necessary because the original film was so self-contained and successful at what it was trying to say. A strange girl is bullied at school and at home and is pushed over the edge into a murderous rage. Also she has psychic powers. What part of that story needs to be retold? I don't think Carrie is an especially scary movie, but I think it's still relatable and powerful for as old as it is.
Something Basic
The Mist (2007)
Surprise! The third movie on this list to be based on something written by Stephen King. A vast majority of the numerous Stephen King stories that have been translated to film have been utter trash, but there are still some good ones out there. Of the King films on this list, The Mist is probably the weakest entry, which is why I put it into this category.
The Mist is a very simple story that doesn't explain too much about what is going on. The main thing that's interesting about it is how it focuses on the people in the film. A strange mist crawls into a small mountain town. With it come many strange and dangerous monsters. The townsfolk retreat to a local supermarket and hold up there. While they wait and hide in fear, they slowly form a collective of uber-religious antagonizes around the local crazy lady. Naturally, conflict ensues. It's both a frustrating and interesting representation of how human beings are likely to behave in a disastrous situation they don't understand. There's not too much else to it, but the acting isn't bad and it is a somewhat memorable movie. Heads up: it has a rather infamous ending.
The Woman in Black (2012)
The Woman in Black is a completely middle-of-the-road average horror movie: the plot is pretty basic, the jump scares are a bit too plentiful, and the "surprises" are very telegraphed. The most interesting thing about it is the fact that it's the first feature-length film to star Daniel Radcliffe since the final Harry Potter movie, and it's the first feature film to be made by a company called Hammer since the old Hammer horror films of the 60's and 70's.
A young single father in the early 1900's brings his son with him while he travels to an isolated house at the end of town to tally up the assets of the property and do boring arbitrary work that forces him to stay at the obviously haunted location. While there, he uncovers a mystery about the previous owner, a woman in black, and a coincidence around children dying. Some of the scares are well done, the set and location is great, and the acting is fine. There's just not too much else to sell on this one. Worth your time if you got nothing else going on.
Something Cult
Tremors (1990)
Tremors is almost not a cult favorite, considering the fact that it was successful enough to spawn multiple sequels and a TV series. Still, there's a cult-like quality to it and it's one of my favorite horror movies that always seemed to appear on television in the middle of the day for one reason or another. That's not to say it lacks disturbing moments or anything horrific. It just happens to have a lot of light-hearted comedy and fun scattered throughout the film that they're able to make a day-time TV edit of the film that's still worth watching.
Two local handymen in a relatively empty town in the middle of nowhere keep uncovering some weird things in the desert valley as they go around to do small jobs for the local residents. They soon discover that there's some bizarre wild animals in the area killing people and they need to mount the defensive if they're to survive. I know that's a generic description, but I don't want to expose too much to those who haven't seen it because the first half of the film is built on not knowing much about the creatures. It's a good movie that balances horror and comedy really well. I'd gladly watch any day of the week. For those curious, the follow-up sequel was not terrible, but the others you should probably avoid unless you want to watch some hot trash.
Let the Right One In (2008)
Let the Right One In is a quiet Swedish film that takes some traditional legends about vampires and gives them a bit of a twist while also telling a story of friendship between two social outcasts. Aww. It's like The Iron Giant mixed with Dracula.
Oskar, a young shy boy who's surrounded by people to whom he can't relate, is bullied at school and is having a miserable time in his community. That is, until Eli shows up one day. Reclusive and strange, Eli intrigues Oskar and visa versa. They eventually form a friendship as outcast children. Did I mention Eli's a vampire that's several hundred years old and has no qualms about eating people in a violent fashion? Well, despite that, they become good friends and the film focuses on the inherent conflict of being childhood friends with a vampire.
This is one of the more artistic films on the list with numerous silent shots and a strong focus on the characters occupying very bleak and empty scenes. The movie is punctuated by the horror and the drama, while the rest of the time is spent painting a picture with some beautiful and depressed landscapes. The most violent moments in the film, of which there are a handful, are shocking and brutal, but they can also be quiet and poetic. In 2010 the film was translated and remade into Let Me In for us dumb Americans. I heard the remake wasn't terrible, but you might as well see this one since it's really good and available for streaming.
Something New or Unique
Under the Skin (2013)
Did I say Let the Right One In was an artistic film? Well, take a look at the most abstract piece of art on the list. Under the Skin is a "horror film" starring Scarlett Johanson. She plays a wolf in sheep's clothing. More specifically, she's some sort of monster or alien that is going around abducting single men, who won't be missed, and harvesting their bodies for an unknown purpose. As she spends more time among the flock, she starts to question her own purpose and becomes more interested in what makes up humanity.
Under the Skin gets under the skin with some intense moments that are often enhanced by the silence or distant background noises of the scene. It's a very cerebral film with a strong focus on the auditory and visual senses, without using much dialogue to progress the film. There's not much to the plot and there doesn't need to be. Most of what is happening can be easily explained by the actions and the subtleties of the characters. It's a strange and slow film, but I like it. If you want more of my thoughts around Under the Skin, you can read my review of it.
The Witch (2015)
The Witch is an interesting film in many different levels. It is one of the most unique horror films I've watched in a while. It uses a lot of the familiar tropes of horror films about witches and satanism such as possession, demonic omens, and a heavy focus on religious worship. The Witch, however, takes a lot of risks that I think help make these familiar tropes pay off a lot more. For one thing, the characters doth speaketh in ye olde English of the Puritan tongue. Thus, I recommend watching it with subtitles, because they might as well be speaking a different language. This was released in theaters and if they didn't include subtitles, I'm glad I waited till I watched it at home, because I might have had a much less satisfying experience as a result.
Expect a full review about this movie in the future, but for now I'll quickly summarize. A family of pilgrims that migrated to America in the 1600's abandon their Puritan community to settle a farm somewhere close to a nearby forest. It doesn't take long before things start to go real bad for the family and a witch in the woods may be the one responsible. The Witch rarely ever tries to scare you. It's just a creepy film with a lot of atmosphere and emotion. The acting is great and the film manages to make me feel a great deal of empathy for the family as they go through hell.
Something Bad
Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959)
Plan 9 from Outer Space is a well-known film by infamous director Ed Wood. Wood was known for making cheesy sci-fi/horror films in the 50's and 60's, and for his eccentric personality. Plan 9 is his masterpiece of garbage and has a reputation for possibly being the worst film ever to be released. I've seen less reputable films with a far less coherent story, but I can certainly understand the criticism.
Plan 9 from Outer Space is a fun, bad film with a plot that doesn't make sense or matter. The dialogue is terrible, the effects are poor, the acting is poorer, and the sets are laughable. Yet, I think that for a bad movie, it's rather watchable. It's definitely one of the more entertaining shitty movies I've seen. It's a great film to get drunk and watch on Halloween.
Vampire's Kiss (1988)
Oh look, a horror movie with Nicolas Cage on a streaming list. Coincidentally, the same reasons why I recommended the Wicker Man in the Netflix streaming list apply to Vampire's Kiss. The main reason to watch this movie is for Nicolas Cage hamming it up and going nuts on camera. There's a movie in here somewhere, but it's overshadowed by all the crazy moments where Cage is losing his mind.
Cage plays a yuppie sleazeball in New York with a weird accent. I think his accent is from the douchebag region of the country, but I'm not sure where that is exactly. This yuppie prick is living up the nightlife and enjoying his 80's while-male privileges, until he starts to have an identity crisis. Eventually he starts to believe he's turning into a vampire, begins harassing one of his employees, and slips further into madness with absurd tantrums and fits of psychosis. The psychological nature of the film had potential for being an interesting movie, but it ends up not mattering, due to Cage's performance, for better or worse. It is, by far, one of the most entertaining bad films I've ever seen.
Troll 2 (1990)
Amazon sure is full of shit. Troll 2 happens to be widely regarded as the other "worst film of all time," next to Plan 9 from Outer Space. Troll 2 is a bizarre movie that is borders on unwatchable. For every moment that is embarrassing or uncomfortable, there's a laughable moment with some extremely bad acting or special effects. When it comes to the two worst movies of all time on this list, I prefer Plan 9. Troll 2 is good for a laugh the first time around and for the sake of seeing this failed experiment of a film that is so infamous, but it's not nearly as watchable. If you've already seen Troll 2, I recommend just looking up the "Oh My Goooood!" scene on YouTube to get your fix rather than watching the whole movie again.
Something Fun
Gremlins (1984)
One of the best holiday horror films ever made, Gremlins is a classic Christmas movie that happens to feature adorable little furballs that transform into hideous, diabolical, little monsters hell-bent on creating chaos and destruction. Gremlins is another one of those fun films that fits right alongside Tremors for having a great balance of humor and mischievous fun with tension and horror. I'd argue that Gremlins is scarier than Tremors, though.
One day, an ambitious but clueless inventor happens upon a small antique shop run by a mysterious old man. He buys a small animal as Christmas present for his son. This animal is friendly, weird-looking, and has special needs, but the little critter is so adorable, he's instantly loved by the son. There are some important rules involved with caring for his pet that the movie quickly tells us and that the characters quickly ignore. Chaos, naturally, ensues. It's a great movie that is even fun for the older, braver kids.
The Witches (1990)
Based on a Roald Dahl book, The Witches is a fun little family film with some dark moments and ominous tones, because of course it does; it's a Roald Dahl story, after all. There's not too much horror and is probably the tamest film on this list, but there are some good horror moments including some fantastic makeup prosthetics and some disturbing animatronics.
I watched The Witches a number of times as a kid and I'd say that the film holds up relatively well having watched it again just recently as an adult. It's no masterpiece, but its a good horror film that even kids can enjoy without getting too scared.
I know there are some movies on here I missed, since there are hundreds of horror movies in Amazon's database. I also excluded From Dusk Till Dawn and Tucker and Dale vs Evil since I mentioned them on my Netflix list. Let me know what you think of these picks and what I might have left off from the list that I need to see.
Be sure to check out my list of horror movies available on Netflix if you haven't already!
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