August 2020- Shudder Must-See Movies Leaving the Service!
I noticed that a few rare gems of horror movies are about to leave Shudder TV, the horror movie streaming service, and I just wanted to point them out so you can be sure to catch them before they are gone!
Southbound (2015)
Southbound takes place in it’s own Twilight Zone-style universe. An abstract disjointed anthology that is thoroughly enjoyable not only for solid stories, but for a tightly woven theme that stitches them together!
Dead of Night (1977)
Another anthology, this one three creepy tales, directed by horror icon Dan Curtis and written by twilight zone master Richard Matheson, featuring a young Ed Begley, Jr in the first story. Solid anthology stories for the time, with a fun, serious tone, but with the atmosphere that Dan Curtis was so adept at. Lots of 1970s horror fun.
Dan Curtis’ Dracula (1974)
Okay, this is NOT the best Dracula movie ever made. Like most of Dan’s work, it’s quickly made with lots of atmosphere, lush sets, and a few babes. It’s a serviceable telling of Dracula. No, the reason to watch this movie is simple: JACK PALANCE. Jack is at his scenery chomping, inhaling, hissing best in this movie and manages to crank the entertainment value high!
Starry Eyes (2014)
Starry Eyes is about an actress who is willing to LITERALLY transform herself into someone else’s idea of what she should be in exchange for the ultimate fame. She begins as an awkward, out of work actress and is given the opportunity to achieve all her dreams if she merely gives up being who she is. A great slow-burn identity horror movie that gets creepier as it reaches it’s inevitable conclusion.
Sleepaway Camp 2: Unhappy Campers (1988)
8 or so years after the success of Sleepaway Camp, a sequel was inevitable. Instead of the stark examination of a girl who is pushed to homicidal mania through harassment and abuse, the idea recieved the 80s slasher treatment. Recasting Felicia Rose, Sleepaway Camp became kind of campy and kind of fun. The second one, in my opinion, was the only one worth watching, as it was a new direction that pretty much worked along the lines of any 80s slasher film. Double feature this one with Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night 2 for a campy teen slaugher double feature.