Sure, Halloween is on a Tuesday this year, but nothing says you can't enjoy some scary movies on a week night. Here are a few flicks found on various streaming services to close out spooky season:
ALL HALLOWS EVE: I'm torn on Damien Leone's feature length debut "All Hallows Eve" - which showcases his short films and introduces the world to horror icon Art the Clown. On one hand, I don't care for the first two shorts in this Halloween horror anthology. But I absolutely love the third short with Art the Clown, as well as the wraparound chapters centering on a babysitter watching a mysterious videotape. And the ending is truly spooky AF.
UNFRIENDED DARK WEB: I was totally surprised at how much this superior sequel exceeded my expectations. Trading the previous entry's supernatural ghost-in-the-machine approach, this chapter deep dives into illegal surveillance, Identity theft, deep fakes, human trafficking, torture and murder. Truly creepy.
LAST SHIFT: A lone rookie is under siege by all manners of ghostly apparitions. Skillful editing, bloody makeup effects and a standout performance by Juliana Harkavy make this a ghost story to remember.
ROB ZOMBIE'S HALLOWEEN II: The unrated version of Rob Zombie's Halloween II is one hell of a horror flick about post-slasher trauma, doomed fate and dysfunctional family units. I also like the "is it supernatural or insanity" angle. Plus it has one of the best Halloween parties ever put on film.
THE POPE'S EXORCIST: Russell Crowe stars as Father Gabriele Amorth, the two-fisted, espresso-sipping, whisky-swigging, scooter-riding, demon-fighting, most exorcisting exorcist who ever exorcisted. "The Pope's Exorcist" is a fun romp with fantastic art direction and cool '80s needle drops.
V/H/S/85: Another excellent installment of the horror found-footage anthology, featuring a stellar group of filmmakers. Special shout outs to Gigi Saul Guerrero (Satanic Hispanics, Bingo Hell), Scott Derrickson (The Black Phone, Sinister), C. Robert Cargill (The Black Phone, Sinister) and Freddy RodrÃguez (Planet Terror, Harsh Times).
CHILDREN OF THE CORN: GENISIS: I have to give Children of the Corn: Genesis credit for trying to bring some new ideas to the franchise and show an evolution of the mythology. Going in I thought it was going to be a prequel (with the title) and was pleasantly surprised that it was instead centered on the beginnings of an entirely new cult.
CABIN FEVER: PATIENT ZERO: The second sequel (or is it a prequel?) to Eli Roth's cult classic "Cabin Fever" brings the waterborne flesh-eating virus to the Dominican Republic with mixed results. While it lacks the satire and social commentary of Roth's original, the film does feature some fun gore effects in the third act.
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