Thanks to the continued string of postponements on the theatrical front, along with endless theatrical closures, the current box office slate is currently, well, void. At least there’s no shortage of streaming services available, with seemingly infinite horror titles at our fingertips. That volume can be seriously overwhelming.
To help, here are five worthwhile horror picks currently available to stream.
Last week’s selection was dedicated to Irish horror in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. This week’s selection is devoted to horror-comedies, the perfect vehicle of escapism that offers both laughs and scares. Narrowing the choices down to five was no small task, so consider this the “Cult Edition.”
Turbo Kid – Prime Video
It’s 1997; the “future” is a dystopian wasteland. BMX bandit The Kid (Munro Chambers) scavenges the Wasteland to survive, and bumps into a strange girl, Apple (Laurence Labeouf), in his travels. They forge a deep and tight-knit bond that becomes threatened when tyrannical ruler Zeus and his henchmen kidnap her. The Kid faces one insanely bloody battle against Zeus for revenge and the pink-haired girl of his dreams. A retro genre mashup with an insanely catchy earworm score, Turbo Kid brings the gore and laughs in spades.
Housebound – Tubi
If you’re feeling stir crazy from being stuck inside, this might be the perfect watch. At the very least it’ll provide loads of entertainment. Kylie (Morgana O’Reilly) gets placed on house arrest after her latest crime. She doesn’t get along with her mother, Miriam (Rima Te Wiata), or her stepdad, and her frustrations become compounded when Miriam insists their house is haunted. A series of unexplained phenomena soon convinces Kylie that her mother might be telling the truth. Creepy, twisty, and hilarious, this New Zealand comedy is a must.
Slumber Party Massacre II – Shudder
Courtney Bates, the younger sister who survived the first film, is now a well-adjusted teen in a rock band with her fellow gal pals. Well, mostly well-adjusted. She suffers intense nightmares about the Driller Killer and worries she’s following in the footsteps of her mentally troubled older sister. This time, though, the Driller Killer has gone full-blown psychobilly, singing and dancing his way into her disturbing dreams. A weekend getaway with Courtney’s friends and their lovers means nightmares made flesh as the Driller Killer crashes the party to slay them all. Slumber Party Massacre II delivers on schlocky ‘80s fun. From an over-the-top villain to exploding monstrous zits, this takes a significant tonal departure from its predecessor.
Tammy and the T-Rex – Shudder
An unbelievable “how did this get made?” crowd-pleaser from beginning to end, Tammy and the T-Rex defies the boundaries of realism at every possible turn. Including the opening credits that refer to the movie as “Tanny” and the T-Rex. After a bizarre accident, high school football player Michael (Paul Walker) is murdered, and his brain transplanted into a mechanical dinosaur. He escapes, the body count rises, and he reunites with his girlfriend Tammy (Denise Richards). Originally trimmed down to a PG-13 to be touted as a family-friendly movie in 1994, John Carl Buechler’s fantastic SFX gore bits were recently reinstated, and you can see this film as it was intended on Shudder. It’s the precise type of film that needs to be seen to be believed. Perhaps we should make a Twitter group watch party around this one??
Nothing but Trouble – Vudu
Dan Aykroyd’s sole directorial credit may be classified as a straightforward comedy, at least upon initial release, but it firmly belongs in horror-comedy. It belongs in the same conversation as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, outlandish humor and nightmarish scenarios, set pieces, and all. Chevy Chase stars as a selfish and greedy businessman that agrees to accompany lawyer Diane Lightson (Demi Moore) on a trip to Atlantic City. They and two unwanted accompanying guests run afoul of local police in a backwoods town, who take them to a sadistic judge’s home in a bizarre, decrepit mansion. Horror and chaos ensue. Emphasis on chaos. From the adult babies Bobo (Aykroyd) and L’il Debbull that terrorize Diane to the utterly unnerving penis-nosed Judge Alvin (also played by Aykroyd), Nothing but Trouble is a carnival house of horrors. Look for double the John Candy and a musical number by Digital Underground, marking Tupac’s first acting credit.