Streaming Recommendations for the Scary Season
It’s that time of year again, people! Halloween is rapidly approaching, and there is still so much fun to be had. One way to take part in the festivities is with the classic tradition of kicking back on the couch, turning off the lights and watching a scary movie with some friends. So, let’s get right to it and dive into some of the best options available to watch on streaming services this Halloween season…
The Conjuring 2 (4.5 Stars)
It isn’t often a sequel is able to match the heights of its predecessor, especially when the original in question is a horror masterpiece like The Conjuring, which is a masterclass in tension-building and, some may say (myself included), the scariest movie of all time. That’s a lot to live up to for a sequel, yet returning writer/director James Wan is up to the task with The Conjuring 2, delivering an expertly crafted supernatural tale that will get the audience’s hearts racing with the best of them. Released in 2016, The Conjuring 2 continues to follow the Warrens (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) as they take on more jobs as paranormal investigators. This time around, they travel to Enfield, England in 1977 to help a single mother (Frances O’Connor) and her four children living in a house believed to be plagued by a supernatural presence. The story is similar in structure to the first one, introducing its new cast of characters and developing them enough to get the audience to genuinely care. The stars of the franchise continue to be the Warrens, and this new chapter continues to flesh them out even more so as characters. Vera Farmiga again shines as the MVP of the series with another standout performance. She strikes a perfect balance between being charming, serious, and slightly odd making her portrayal of a psychic medium thoroughly believable. A combination of lingering camera work and timely quick cuts assist in further elevating the overall experience. The way James Wan is able to continually build suspense and keep the audience guessing when the payoff is coming is masterfully done. Like many sequels, The Conjuring 2 attempts to go bigger and in doing so has a more epic climax which mostly works. It also introduces one of the most memorable characters in recent horror cinema: the Nun. Truly a 1B to The Conjuring’s 1A, The Conjuring 2 is another instant addition to the pantheon of horror classics and should be seen by anyone in search of a good scare.
Available on HBO Max
Sinister (4 Stars)
Released in 2012, Sinister follows a true crime writer, Ellison Oswalt (Ethan Hawke) as he searches for inspiration for his next book. This process leads to Ellison moving the family to a new town where, unbeknownst to the rest of the family, a recent horrific crime took place. As Ellison digs deeper researching the case he begins to stumble onto more than he bargained for. The script for Sinister is way better than it ever needed to be to tell this story. It functions incredibly well as simply a family drama about a struggling author obsessed with trying to reclaim his past notoriety with another hit novel. Ethan Hawke is great here, really imbuing the central figure with a level of intellect, as well as desperation, that makes the character feel authentic and his actions believable over the course of his plight. It is also a marvelous mystery, slowly unraveling in a wonderfully paced manner with well-timed jump scares throughout. It may be more successful as a true crime mystery than as an outright terrifying ghost story, but the tension remains palpable throughout and will undoubtably hold the audience’s attention through its enthralling conclusion.
Available on Hulu
Smile (3.5 Stars)
When it comes to dishing out praise within the horror film genre Smile certainly earns some accolades. Best performance I’ve ever seen in a horror movie? Check. Best jump scare I’ve ever seen in a film? Also check. Released in 2022, Smile centers on Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon), a psychiatrist who witnesses a traumatic incident involving a patient. Following that bizarre experience, she begins to suspect she has become the target of a sinister entity. Smile’s slower pacing allows time to get to know the protagonist as well as effectively build up an unsettling vibe over the course of the story. The script asks a lot of its lead, centering pretty much every scene around Rose’s unfolding situation and Sosie Bacon rises to the challenge. She is mesmerizing from start to finish, initially displaying a more subdued personality with the practical nature of a believable medical provider before convincingly changing over time as a result of her experiences. Smile is quite gruesome, which will certainly be a turnoff for some, and the climax unfortunately fails to match the intrigue created by the buildup. Still, if one can see past the gore, the result is an engrossing supernatural game of cat and mouse that provides an incredible acting showcase.
Available on Paramount+ and Pluto TV
-Matt Chouinard
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