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In this file photo, a University student shows off their Halloween costume. Here are five movies to stream for Halloween.
File Photo/Kansan
5 streamable movies to get you in the Halloween spirit
GUS HUNNINGHAKE @gushunninghake
t's that time of year again: leaves are turning, the weather is getting colder (kind of) and Halloween is right around the corner. This makes it prime time for watching some great horror movies. Luckily for us, there are multiple places to stream quality fright flicks. Here are some solid movies currently streaming on Netflix and Hulu for you to enjoy in the days leading up to Halloween:
"The Guest" (2014). Available on Netflix.
This genre-blending masterpiece stars Dan Stevens as David, a former soldier who becomes involved with the Peterson family, claiming to have
served in the Afghanistan War with their son. As he becomes closer with the Petersons, his actions become stranger. Eventually, one family member catches on, and everything goes sideways from there. Adam Wingard uses his horror-style directing skills to build plenty of tension, Simon Barrett's script uses tight, sharp dialogue and Dan Stevens delivers a wonderfully twisted performance that steals the show.
"The Babadook" (2014). Available on Netflix.
This film tells the story of Amelia (Essie Davis), a widower raising her six-year-old son Samuel (Noah Wiseman). One night, Amelia reads Sam "Mr. Babadook,"
a book about a creature who terrorizes children when the lights go out. In the days that follow, Amelia and Sam's relationship deteriorates as the creature Amelia denies only becomes more present in her life. Jennifer Kent creates loads of tension in her directing, the sound design is awesome and the presence of true horror instead of jump scares makes this a unique monster flick worth the weekend view.
"Jaws" (1975). Available on Netflix.
"Jaws" stars Roy Scheider as Brody, a police chief who's investigating local shark attacks around Amity Island. With pressure from the mayor and attacks becoming more frequent, Brody hires Quint (Robert Shaw), a
fisherman, and Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss), a scientist, to help him hunt the great white shark responsible and kill it before it kills anyone else. Surprisingly, this film's success is largely due to its production problems. The automated shark never worked, which led director Steven Spielberg and cinematographer Bill Butler to film most of the shark's movements from an underwater POV perspective. These shots are now considered some of the best cinematographic choices in modern film. To this day, "Jaws" remains a perennial classic.
"Cloverfield" (2008). Available on Hulu and Amazon Prime Video.
found-footage
Most
horror movies are terrible, but "Cloverfield" is one of the few outliers. The events are filmed by Hud (T.J. Miller), a run-of-the-mill guy filming a farewell party for his friend Rob (Michael Stahl-David). During the party, an earthquake and a power outage sends Rob and his friends into a panic and they flee to the streets, only to find out that an extraterrestrial creature has begun destroying the city. Miller's comic, yet heartfelt performance, Matt Reeves' kinetic, careful directing and an overwhelming sense of helplessness make this one of the best found-footage movies out there.
husband and daughter in a car accident, Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) decides to reunite with her friends and go spelunking. When Juno (Natalie Mendoza) leads them down an unknown path, and the opening closes in on them, Sarah and her friends are forced to continue into the cave, where they run into sinister creatures out for blood. A game cast of relatively unknown actresses, claustrophobic set pieces and unrelenting, yet effective, jump scares complemented by Neil Marshall's unique direction make this cult film a truly terrifying experience.
"The Descent" (2005) Available on Hulu.
A year after losing her
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