PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — One of the best and worst things about our new streaming landscape is that we’re absolutely spoiled for choice. There’s never been a more bountiful time for TV and movie fans, and that’s especially true as we finally reach Halloween.
But it also means many of us get stuck cycling through the same Netflix or Hulu menus for hours on end trying to decide on the perfect way to spend a couple hours.
Fortunately, we’re here to help. And while it may be the spookiest weekend of the year, it doesn’t mean that’s all there is to watch.
Netflix is going against the grain this Halloween weekend with this prequel to Zack Snyder's “Army of the Dead.” Here, the zombie apocalypse is relegated to the background, while the main focus is on safecracker Ludwig Dieter (Matthias Schweighöfer, who also directs). "Army of Thieves" is more heist flick than horror, but those are always fun, too. Premieres Friday on Netflix.
Another new Netflix arrival is this limited series centered on Colin Kaepernick's youth, directed by Ava DuVernay. Jaden Michael plays teenage Kaep, while Nick Offerman and Mary-Louise Parker play his adoptive parents. Kaep also narrates and appears as himself in documentary segments. It's an interesting approach to profiling the athlete and activist. Premieres Friday on Netflix.
Speaking of athletes, Apple TV+'s latest series is co-created and loosely inspired by Kevin Durant. Isaiah Hill stars as a teen basketball prospect, and O'Shea Jackson, Jr. plays his coach, a former star in his own right. The show looks to explore everything from race to exploitation of young athletes. First three episodes premiering Friday on Apple TV+. New episodes weekly.
Paramount+ has gone all-in on Star Trek, and the latest series in the franchise is an action-oriented animated series for kids, perhaps a first for the franchise. (Yes, there was 1973's "Star Trek: The Animated Series," but that wasn’t really for children or all that action-packed.)
A group of alien teens living on a dead-end Delta Quadrant world discover an abandoned Starfleet ship. Guided by a holographic version of Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew, reprising her "Voyager" role), this new crew ventures off towards the Alpha Quadrant. The trailer promises bright, bombastic adventure in a tone closer to "Guardians of the Galaxy" than "Star Trek," but hopefully the values of "Trek" — exploration, inclusivity, and justice — will shine through. One-hour premiere currently streaming. New episodes weekly.
Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin
But of course, it’s Halloween weekend, so you’re probably here for the scares. And there’s almost nothing scarier than poltergeists messing around in our homes and threatening our families. The “Paranormal Activity” series mined this fear for six movies before seemingly calling it quits with 2015’s 3-D entry “The Ghost Dimension.”
But to quote Stephen King, “Sometimes they come back.”
The latest “Paranormal Activity” reboots the series with a story of a woman whose search for her missing mother turns up secrets perhaps best left buried. For those who love found footage scares, it’s a welcome Halloween treat.
Horror Noire (Shudder)
In 2019, Shudder debuted the documentary "Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror," featuring Black horror actors, filmmakers and scholars discussing the origins of horror from a Black lens. If you've never seen it, you really should.
But that was the past, and now Shudder is releasing a follow-up, "Horror Noire," an anthology film from the producers of the documentary. The new movie features six tales of terror that look ahead to the future of Black horror. Currently streaming on Shudder.
Speaking of Shudder anthologies, season three of Creepshow is wrapped up and ready to binge with today's finale, "A Dead Girl Named Sue," which spins off from the classic "Night of the Living Dead."
The late George A. Romero, who directed that seminal zombie movie, also helmed the original "Creepshow" movie from 1982, so perhaps we should expect a loving, if gore-soaked and frightening, homage to the master. Currently streaming on Shudder.
Of course, there are also the old standbys — you know, your Jasons, Freddys, Michael Myerses. This six-part documentary series goes deep into the backgrounds and legacies of those elder states-monsters, as well as Chucky, Candyman, and of course, Pinhead. "Behind the Monsters" aims to be an enlightening look down the darkest corners of cinema history. Premiere episode currently streaming on Shudder. New episodes weekly.
Once upon a time, there was a streaming service called Quibi that created big-budget, short-form content, and staked its existence on people willing to watch that content solely on their mobile devices.
Boy howdy, did that fail.
Then Roku came along and picked up their shows for streaming on televisions, and wouldn’t you know it, people realized the shows were actually good.
The latest Quibi-to-Roku import is this supernatural thriller, directed by Mary Harron (“American Psycho”) starring AnnaSophia Robb as a young woman who realizes something is off about her pregnancy. Mira Sorvino and Rory Culkin co-star. Premieres Friday on The Roku Channel. Free with ads.
Sometimes the best scary movies aren’t the newest, or the flashiest. Rather, they’re the old classics or underappreciated favorites that find inventive ways to creep under our skin.
“10 Cloverfield Lane” fell somewhere in between there. The “Cloverfield” follow-up was a moderate success in 2016, but fell short of its predecessor. And that’s a shame, because to many — including me — “10 Cloverfield Lane” was the better movie.
Directed by Philly native Dan Trachtenberg, “10 Cloverfield Lane” stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Michelle, a young woman rescued from a car wreck by Howard (John Goodman), a tightly-wound recluse hiding in a well-stocked bunker.
Howard claims there’s been an attack and the air is unsafe, but Michelle and fellow rescuee Emmett (John Gallagher, Jr.) have their doubts about Howard’s story, and the movie takes advantage of the single, enclosed location for maximum tension. A third-act twist slightly derails the movie’s momentum, but ultimately, it’s Goodman’s thunderous performance that elevates this into must-see territory. Sometimes, the scariest monsters are humans. Streaming free with ads on Roku Channel through Sunday, and free with ads on Pluto TV.
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