The glut of ’80s horror movies, thanks mainly to the home video boon, means no shortage of underseen and undiscovered gems to this day. Like February’s obscure ’80s streaming selection, this week’s streaming picks continue the exploration of underseen horror titles.
These five ’80s horror movies embrace the Halfway to Halloween spirit, deliver unexpected left turns into the bizarre, and blend genres. As always, here’s where you can watch them this week.
For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.
Siege – AMC+, Shudder
Siege‘s fictional story draws from the 1981 police strike in Halifax, Nova Scotia, resulting in a tense survive-the-night thriller similar in tone and style to Assault on Precinct 13. Also known as Self Defense, the story kicks off with an intense introduction to the villains, a fascist group that uses the strike to create their form of lawless order. When they attempt to scare patrons at a gay bar, the owner gets killed accidentally. The New Order members decide to cover their tracks by slaughtering all witnesses; only one escapes and finds refuge in a nearby apartment building. The New Order descends upon the building with murderous intent, but they didn’t expect the residents to fight back. It’s a lean, mean thriller with reprehensible villains and endearing protagonists.
Lady in White – HBO Max
April marks the halfway point to Halloween, so this pick is for the budding horror fan looking to get a head start on holiday celebrations. Based on the legend of “The Lady in White,” in which a ghost searches for her daughter in Rochester, New York, the film begins on Halloween in 1962, where 9-year-old Frankie (Lukas Haas) gets locked in the schoolroom closet by bullies and witnesses the ghost of a young girl getting murdered. This event sets off a murder mystery full of spirits that are spooky and entertaining enough for kids yet layered with complex social themes for grown-ups. Paralleling Frankie’s journey, it’s the type of film that will teach budding horror fans that perhaps ghosts aren’t so scary after all.
Cemetery of Terror – Tubi
Rubén Galindo Jr.’s most prominent horror feature is the American-influenced Don’t Panic (available on Shudder), but the Halloween-centric Cemetery of Terror offers the most fun. A trio of college kids decides to impress their ladies by stealing a body from a morgue for a Halloween prank and party in an abandoned house. It happens to be the body of a serial killer, and reading an incantation from a book revives it. This supernatural slasher brings bloody mayhem in the vein of Lucio Fulci and features legendary character actor Hugo Stiglitz as the occult expert.
The Caller – Tubi
On a cold winter’s night, a woman (Madolyn Smith Osborne) living alone in the woods receives an unexpected knock at the door from a man (Malcolm McDowell) asking to use her phone due to car troubles. She reluctantly lets him in, beginning a series of mind games between the pair that blurs the lines between predator and prey. Occasionally, a horror movie delivers something so unexpected that it must be seen to be believed. Nothing about the enigmatic and twisty cat and mouse game can prepare you for the wild ending. It’s the type of ending that takes up permanent residence in your skull, leaving you wondering how the narrative events led to that sharp detour in the first place.
Vamp – Arrow, Plex, Tubi
This highly entertaining horror-comedy features a vampire that doesn’t get near enough attention as she should; Grace Jones exudes raw power as vamp Katrina. Robert Rusler and Chris Makepeace star as two fraternity pledges that venture into the city to hire a stripper. All to impress their frat brothers. They find themselves in a shady part of town, unaware that the dive bar they’ve entered is full of vampires. Naturally, they find themselves in an all-night battle for survival. The neon haze-soaked urban setting makes for a refreshing change of pace. The bromance between the leads is as sweet as it is funny. Most of all, though, watch for Jones’ riveting performance.
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