It’s Halloween season, so it’s time to enjoy some scary movies. Here are five released this year that are worth checking out:
Renfield
Rent on: YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon
Stream on: Amazon
If you’re in the mood for something silly, watch Nicolas Cage sink his teeth in his role as Dracula. What makes Renfield work is its inspired twist on a toxic workplace relationship. Nicholas Hoult stars as Renfield, an eternal servant to the OG vampire. But after centuries of being bossed around by his overbearing boss, Renfield yearns for a different kind of life (or is it the afterlife?). In one of the funniest parts of this comedy, Renfield joins a support group to help him learn to establish boundaries and break away. Of course, no one escapes the Prince of Darkness that easily. Cage brings so much energy that lifts the movie even during some inconsistent parts.
No One Will Save You
Stream on: Hulu
The degree of difficulty here is considerable. Credit director/writer Brian Duffield for making an atypical sci-fi horror flick. There’s virtually no dialogue in this 90-minute feature. Duffield trusts his audience to figure out enough of what’s going on without the benefit of exposition. Because all the answers aren’t handed to us, it’s natural to have several questions at the end. Still, that’s part of the enjoyment. Not every detail needs to be spoonfed. There’s a young woman in a small town battling aliens. What more do you want? Kudos to Kaitlyn Dever, who was so good in Booksmart. Her expressive face proves you can do quality acting without saying a word.
Talk to Me
Rent on: YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon
Why are there so many horror films? They’re cheap to make, you don’t need stars because audiences come for the horror not necessarily the actors, and if a horror movie hits big, the profit margins are huge. Talk to Me, an Australian feature, has grossed $88 million worldwide on a $4.5 million budget. A sequel is already in the works. Talk to Me is a supernatural tale about an embalmed hand with the power to conjure up spirits. A group of teenagers unwisely use it as a party trick for their own amusement. But one character is looking to connect with her deceased mother. Of course, eventually, they go too far with dire results.
Birth/Rebirth
Rent on: YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon
You don’t need jump scares or fancy CGI to make a frightening movie. Birth/Rebirth is a terrifying medical horror film. Marin Ireland and Judy Reyes are fascinating to watch every step of the way. Ireland plays Rose, an unusual pathologist, brilliant and stoic You might remember her from Hell or High Water as Chris Pine’s character’s ex-wife). Reyes is Celie, a maternity nurse who works in the same hospital as Rose. She’s outgoing with a gentle bedside manner. Rose and Celie don’t know each other, but an unexpected tragedy will bring the women together for a disturbing experiment. Birth/Rebirth is the creepiest cinematic experience of 2023.
The Blackening
Rent on: YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon
Stream on: Starz
This is a comedy that pokes fun at horror flicks. You’ll laugh more than shudder, and that’s by design. If you watch enough scary movies, you know the cliché of a Black character being the first to die. The Blackening is a sharp satire of this well-worn trope. Director Tim Story and screenwriters Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins have plenty of material at their disposal and put it to good use. The Blackening is not only hilarious, but it also makes salient points about who gets to decide who is “Black” enough and what is and what is not accepted in Black culture. Behind the jokes are some serious and uncomfortable conversations.