Movies
Five Apocalyptic Horror Movies to Stream This Week
This week brings the release of M. Night Shyamalan’s Knock at the Cabin, an adaptation of author Paul Tremblay’s The Cabin at the End of the World. The premise sees a vacationing family held hostage by four armed strangers that make harrowing demands under the claimed threat of an apocalypse.
This week also continues HBO’s compelling “The Last of Us,” an apocalyptic series based on the video game. The fourth episode will air this Sunday on HBO and HBO Max. Naturally, it feels apropos to continue the apocalypse theme in this week’s streaming picks.
While horror’s apocalypse starter often falls to zombies, these five apocalyptic movies showcase other means of humanity’s doom, from Gates of Hell to extraterrestrial takeovers.
As always, here’s where you can stream them this week…
For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.
The Beyond – AMC+, Fandor, Kanopy, Peacock, Screambox, Shudder, Tubi
One of Lucio Fulci’s most beloved horror films and the second entry in his unofficial “Gates of Hell” trilogy, The Beyond is also the director’s most influential. Set in Louisiana, a young woman inherits a hotel and discovers it was built over one of the gates to Hell. Bleak, surreal, and dreamlike in its storytelling, The Beyond toes the line between beauty and horror. Essentially, The Beyond is what happens when you cross Fulci with H.P. Lovecraft. The result is a foreboding, apocalyptic horror movie with a tangible sense of doom.
Body Snatchers – Screambox (February 1)
Abel Ferrara’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers remake shifted the story from its California setting in favor of a military base in Alabama, making for an interesting parallel between the structural army and the conformity of the alien invasion. It follows teen Marti Malone (Gabrielle Anwar), the daughter of an Environmental Protection agent studying the effects of the military on the ecosystem, as she uncovers a paranoid plot of aliens covertly taking over humanity. The impressive cast ensures this propulsive thriller maintains airtight suspense, but look for Meg Tilly to steal the movie with a bone-chilling monologue.
The Girl with All the Gifts – Kanopy, Pluto TV, Roku, Tubi, Vudu
Based on the novel by Mike Carey, The Girl with All the Gifts is set in the near future when a parasitic fungus has ravaged the world. Those infected turn into mindless “hungries.” Only a small group of children seem immune; they still hunger for flesh but retain the ability to learn and think. Among them is Melanie (Sennia Nanua), the most intelligent and remarkable. When the military base holding the children captive falls, Melanie embarks on a quest with her teacher and the survivors, discovering her new place in the world. Nanua’s casting lends a new layer to the narrative, and Glenn Close makes for a formidable, icy antagonist in an already brutal world.
Pulse – AMC+, Mubi, Plex, Roku, Vudu
Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s supernatural chiller Pulse (Kairo) gives an eerie supernatural spin to the apocalypse. A heavily overcrowded afterlife caused the dead to spill over into the world of the living to a chilling effect. They invade like a viral infection via technology, plunging the globe into hopeless despair and death. Kurosawa spins this tale through two distinct halves, as different groups of characters discover that ghosts are invading through the internet. The more methodical pacing allows the sense of unease to unfurl slowly, eventually stripping away any semblance of hope through terrifying spectral encounters and devastating loss.
Take Shelter – Hulu, Tubi
Writer/Director Jeff Nichols, a writer on the upcoming A Quiet Place: Day One, already established his apocalyptic horror chops in Take Shelter. Michael Shannon stars as Curtis, a construction worker and family man suddenly plagued by visions of the apocalypse. But are these visions real or a symptom of inherited mental illness? Nichols toes the line between haunting drama and apocalyptic thriller, centering this tale around an emotionally charged performance by Shannon. The fallout and paranoia that arises from Curtis’s unraveling make this a worthwhile watch.
One of the all-time foundational fixtures in horror is the vampire. That means over a century’s worth of bloodsuckers in film, in various styles and mythology, from across the globe.
As prominent as this movie monster is, with dozens of adaptations of Bram Stoker’s Dracula alone, there’s an overwhelming selection of vampire fare that makes it easy for many worthwhile gems to fall through the cracks. This week’s streaming picks are dedicated to underseen vampire horror movies worth seeking out.
As always, here’s where you can stream them this week.
For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.
Mr. Vampire – The Criterion Channel – Plex, the Roku Channel
This supernatural genre-bender from director Ricky Lau stands far apart from standard vampire fare thanks to its comedy, martial arts, and jiangshi. Taoist priest Master Kau (Lam Ching-ying) guards the realm of the living by maintaining control over the area’s hopping vampires, and other restless spirits. When Master Kau is hired to oversee the reburial of an affluent town elder, he and his two bumbling assistants find themselves in a supernatural battle to the death when the elder’s corpse resurrects as jiangshi. Produced by martial artist and Hong Kong cinema legend Sammo Hung, Mr. Vampire was a huge box office success in Hong Kong and launched a franchise. Still, it’s a charming, lively horror comedy that could use more love among contemporary audiences.
My Heart Can’t Beat Unless You Tell It To – Plex, Prime Video, SCREAMBOX
Writer/Director Jonathan Cuartas‘s feature debut feels like a spiritual sibling to We Are What We Are in many ways. Both offer meditative, brooding depictions of isolated families far removed from the rest of the world. Both families are willing to commit unspeakable acts on behalf of their loved ones. In this case, siblings Dwight (Patrick Fugit) and Jessie (Ingrid Sophie Schram) find themselves routinely tasked with murder so their sickly younger brother Thomas (Owen Campbell, Super Dark Times) can have the fresh blood to survive. In the vein of The Transfiguration or Martin, this brooding debut feature grounds its vampirism in reality and focuses on the constricting, devastating toll of familial obligation.
The Night of the Devils – Kanopy
A disturbed man, Nicola, recounts the story of getting stranded in the woods, only to find refuge in a charming family’s house. The longer he’s there, the more he uncovers something is deeply amiss. Witches, vampires, and sordid family secrets ensue. Like Mario Bava’s anthology segment “The Wurdulak” in Black Sabbath, The Night of the Devils is also based on The Family of the Vourdalak by Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy. Director Giorgio Ferroni balances the gore and sleaze with haunting Gothic atmosphere and stunning cinematography. While it’s methodical in its buildup, the craftmanship and grim ending make this underseen Italian and Spanish co-production worth the watch.
Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat – Fandango at Home (formerly Vudu), Plex, the Roku Channel
Director Anthony Hickox (Waxwork, Hellraiser III) has a blast with his high concept horror comedy that sees vampires living in the reclusive desert town Purgatory. They seek a peaceful life, with the plan to get an artificial blood factory in operation. Everything goes off without a hitch until Van Helsing’s descendant, Robert Van Helsing (Bruce Campbell), arrives in town. It’s a vampire western horror comedy that lovingly pokes fun at vampire tropes. The simple setup becomes anything but thanks to town politics, new tourists, and Van Helsing’s irresistibility to a vampire (Deborah Foreman). David Carradine presides over the vampire hijinks as Count Jozek Mardulak. For those looking for something fun and lighthearted, this pick is your best bet.
Vamp – AMC+, Plex, the Roku Channel, Shudder, Tubi
This highly entertaining horror comedy features a vampire that doesn’t get nearly enough attention; Grace Jones exudes raw power as vamp Katrina. Robert Rusler and Chris Makepeace star as two fraternity pledges that venture into the city to hire a stripper, all to impress their frat brothers. They find themselves in a shady part of town, unaware that the dive bar they’ve entered is full of vampires. Naturally, they find themselves in an all-night battle for survival. The neon haze-soaked urban setting makes for a refreshing change of pace. The bromance between the leads is as sweet as it is funny. Most of all, though, watch for Grace Jones’ riveting performance.
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