Halloween is the one night a year where monsters rule and stuffing your face with candy is perfectly okay! There’s nothing quite like the spine-tingling thrill of a good fright film to get the blood pumping and bring the family a little closer together. This year, we are thrilled to unveil an electrifying lineup of the finest in American cinematic terror that will have you gripping your popcorn and huddling under blankets. So, grab your broomsticks and jack-o’-lanterns because we’re about to embark on a spine-chilling journey through the most iconic and hair-raising horror films to make your Halloween night a scream-worthy success!
THE CLASSICS
Screen horror may well have started with Thomas Edison’s 1910 short, FRANKENSTEIN, filmed in his studio in the Bronx. But less than 20 years later, monsters got the big time Hollywood treatment as a new studio – Universal – began making movies that have stood the test of time.
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1925): Before the Broadway musical, before the remakes (1943, 1962, 1989) there was the OG – Lon Chaney, Sr. as a disfigured outcast roaming the Paris Opera House to stalk a lovely young singer played by Mary Philbin. Chaney’s makeup (which he did himself) still rivals anything created today! Streaming FREE on Pluto TV with TiVo+.
FRANKENSTEIN (1931): As legend goes, Boris Karloff, an unknown actor, caught director James Whale’s eye in the studio commissary and landed the title role that launched an epic 50 year career. Audiences swooned when the horrific creature made his appearance and movies have never been the same! Streaming on Peacock.
DRACULA (1931): Lavishly produced, with soaring music and stunning sets, Hungarian actor Bela Lugosi donned the cape and swooped into pop culture history as the thirsty count. (A role he had also played on Broadway.) Streaming on Prime Video.
BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935): FRANKENSTEIN proved so popular that audiences (and movie execs) demanded a sequel. Karloff didn’t want to do it, but fortunately was persuaded and the resulting film is still hailed as one of the finest horror features ever made, co-starring Elsa Lanchester as the monster’s main squeeze! Streaming on Vudu.
THE WOLFMAN (1941): Lon Chaney Jr. expertly portrayed a tortured soul cursed to turn into a werewolf whenever the moon is full. Stunning makeup effects and atmospheric sets has made THIS classic one to watch over and over… Streaming on Prime Video.
Every movie starts on the page. And when it comes to writing American horror stories, few scribes can hold a candle to Stephen King. He has released over 65 novels/novellas, which have sold over 350 million copies worldwide. Much of his work has been turned into films that have become classics on their own. Join TiVo as we celebrate one of the Masters of Horror–
THE KING OF HORROR
TiVo serves up some classics from the brilliant mind of Stephen King, perhaps the most famous genre author since Edgar Allen Poe! Check out these gems made from his novels and streaming for Halloween.
CHRISTINE: This car was born bad to the bone, er, carburetor! A possessed Plymouth Fury takes over its new young owner and wreaks havoc on a small town. Now streaming on Vudu.
IT: An evil clown terrorizes kids in a small town by embodying their deepest fears. One of King’s best novels and a truly horrific film! We all float too… Streaming on Max.
THE SHINING: Legendary director Stanley Kubrick took on King’s novel about a seriously haunted hotel shuttered for winter. Jack Nicholson pulled out all the stops in his portrayal of the hapless caretaker who puts his family in mortal danger to watch over the hotel. You may have to watch this one with the lights on! Now streaming on Prime Video.
Today’s filmmakers have been holding the horror torch high, creating some truly demented films using all of today’s tools – from ghoulish makeup and prosthetics to special effects and mobile camera rigs not even on the radar in old-time Hollywood. Watch ‘em if you dare…
MODERN HORROR
From deep beneath the surface to a lonely Texas farmhouse and the eerily anonymous internet, today’s movies use real life to scare us silly. TiVo braved a dark screening room to present some selects for your frightful enjoyment…
47 METERS DOWN: UNCAGED: An explorer’s daughter and her friends explore some submerged ruins only to discover it’s the hunting ground of an enormous Great White Shark – and they’re on the menu! Streaming on Netflix.
TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (2013): A young woman inherits a mansion in rural Texas and she soon discovers that it holds a terrifying secret from her family’s twisted past! Streaming for FREE on Freevee with TiVo+.
THE MUNSTERS: Rob Zombie puts his unmistakable spin on the beloved 1960s TV series as bumbling Herman Munster romances lovely vampire Lilly – except her father doesn’t approve of her green, 7 ft. suitor! Streaming on Netflix.
UNFRIENDED: Six high school friends get an unwanted visitor in their private online chat – their dead classmate. As they try to determine the origin, their deepest secrets become exposed! Streaming on Netflix.
Okay, our nerves can’t take any more jump scares and our stomachs can’t take any more candied corn, so we’ll get off the Halloween horror express for now. We hope you enjoy the roughly 100 years of horrific entertainment by generations of talented filmmakers. We’ll see you right back here next month when November brings an entirely new and exciting lineup of streaming entertainment.
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