Newer horror movies can make Halloween scarier

On November 1, 2024By Littum

If you’re looking for a movie to watch on Halloween, here are a few recent releases available on DVD, Blu-ray or digital platforms.

“A Quiet Place” Class B: Prequels are tricky. “A Quiet Place: Day One” shows how difficult it can be to set a movie in a period before we know where the story is going.

The previous “A Quiet Place” films showed the aftermath of an invasion by aliens with incredible hearing. The only way to survive is not to make a sound. It really wasn’t important in the two films to explain why the world had become so quiet. The thrill came from watching the Abbott family make it through another day without making a deadly sound.

That left “Day One” writers Michael Sarnoski (who also directed the film), John Krasinski and Bryan Woods the only option to go back before the introduction of the Abbotts. This was a way to give a backstory to how and why the aliens appeared.

Other invasion films build on the glory of fighting back for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. “A Quiet Place: Day One” is about the human spirit.

“The Succubus” Class B: Chris (Brenden Bradley), a new father, joins a dating app and eventually concludes that he should rekindle things with his estranged wife. Then Adra (Rachel Cook) appears on his screen. She’s so alluring that Chris thinks it would be dangerous to hook up with her, but his buddy convinces him to swipe right, and that’s when the seduction begins, pulling Chris into a sexual abyss.

Writer/director RJ Daniel Hanna has structured the narrative of seduction to go terribly wrong in his film in a unique way. It’s easy to get drawn into this tale of terror because there’s both an intimate and claustrophobic feel to the structure.

“The Radleys” Class B: Vampires have featured in serious tales of terror like “Nosferatu,” teen angst offerings in “Twilight” and even in a comedy like “Once Bitten.” Director Euros Lyn offers a completely different perspective with his production, which makes it more of a family drama.

The film stars Bo Bragson plus award-winning actors Kelly Macdonald (“No Country for Old Men”) and Damian Lewis (“Billions”) as the Radleys. In the light of day they may seem normal, but they can only refrain from their natural urges for so long until the bloody truth comes to the surface and turns their quiet country life upside down.

The entire film becomes a metaphor for any kind of addiction that can tear a family apart – gambling, addiction, drug use.

“The Exorcism” Grade D+: Russell Crowe never finds the emotional depth to power rookie director Joshua John Miller’s spiral down through the levels of hell. There are few creepy moments, but overall Crowe’s performance in “The Pope’s Exorcist” was better, but it was a very low bar.

The original concept of what can happen while making a classic like “The Exorcist” is solid. Once it is used to establish why a film is made about exorcisms, the concept disappears. It all leads to the kind of battle with the demon that has been featured in so many other projects.

“Long Legs”: Nicolas Cage stars in this tale of an FBI agent who uncovers evidence of the occult after being assigned to an unsolved serial killer case.

“Evil: The Final Season”: The set contains the final episodes of the series that ended on Paramount+. It features a forensic psychologist recruited by an assessor from the Catholic Church.

“Strangeness”: Woman goes after those responsible for her sister’s death, using haunted objects as her tool for revenge.

“Crackcoon”: In the grand tradition of “Cocaine Bear” comes this tale of what happens when a forest creature ingests a synthetically altered street drug that has been dumped in the woods by a drug dealer.

“Interview with the Vampire – Season Two”: Anne Rice’s 1976 novel serves as the basis for this cable series that follows a vampire and his formed family.

“The Beat Within”: A 10-year-old girl is forever changed after watching her father undergo a transformation.

“The Witch”: Husband must prove his wife is not a witch in this story set in 1575.

“Sanctuary: A Witches Tale”: The first season of this TV series is now available. It takes place in a modern world where witchcraft is real.

Available on digital platforms

“Piece by Piece”: The biopic about music icon Pharrell Williams’ life is told through LEGO bricks. It will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on December 17.

“The house from…”: The documentary looks at real locations used to film productions from “A Christmas Story” to “Halloween.”

“Hanging Dog”: The man must find the dog he was entrusted to watch after it has been stolen.

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