Look, I’ll be the first to admit that, when it comes to horror, I’m a bit of a scaredy cat. While I can handle a spooky video game every now and then, there’s something about sitting in a movie theater and having my nerves shredded by some big-screen unspeakable horror that I just cannot deal with.
Trick or Stream
Welcome! This article is part of Trick or Stream, a seasonal series in which members of the Tom’s Guide staff share what they’re planning to watch for Halloween 2024 and their takes on the horror genre, with the goal of helping you find great movies that you might want to stream during the spooky season.
To be clear, it’s not because I have it out for horror fans or horror filmmakers: I’m well aware of just how popular the genre is. In fact, the way some fans talk about their fave flicks, I sort of wish I was more of a horror guy.
Typically, an “Alien” movie is my limit, and even then, some of the scenes in “Alien: Romulus” left me a little queasy. So, when we were planning our Halloween coverage this year, I decided to stop being a chicken and asked my fellow Tom’s Guide for some horror recommendations. Much to my chagrin, they didn’t hold back.
I only had a couple of stipulations going in, save for the fact that I wanted to watch stuff I’d not seen before and that I wouldn’t be watching anything laden with blood and guts (I’d only throw up; sorry, “Terrifier” stans).
Beyond that, I committed to being seriously scared and pressed play each time with a decent amount of adrenaline coursing through my veins. Here’s what they made me watch, and how freaked out I got.
‘The Witch’ (2015)
We got off to a brilliantly creepy start with “The Witch.”
I’m already a certified Robert Eggers fanboy, having been enchanted by the strangeness of “The Lighthouse” and the brutality of his action-packed Norse revenge thriller, “The Northman,” so I expected quality, and I got it — in the form of some very disturbing folk horror.
An exercise in slow-building tension, to begin with, “The Witch” excels in establishing an uncomfortable vibe, one built on isolation, family tension and religious fears, stacked with horrendously creepy imagery and an oppressive, off-kilter mood.
The chills pile up slowly, but constantly, until things really turn dark and we’re tipped over into the grim, hallucinatory black magic of the piece. It’s evocative, engrossing, and chilling stuff. Oh, and I’d quite like to never want to watch someone vomit up an entire apple ever again.
Watch “The Witch” on Prime Video now
‘Talk To Me’ (2023)
I’m going to be honest, here: “Talk To Me” didn’t talk to me much at all. I remember seeing a lot of hype about it last year and was expecting an all-time supernatural thriller, but I left a bit disappointed.
Teens getting hooked on reaching out and connecting with the other side is a fun set-up, and there’s a critical look at social media and imitating stuff online hidden underneath. But I was expecting scares, and there just weren’t many packed in, and given I wasn’t taken in by the creepy atmosphere, “Talk to Me” left me a little cold.
That’s not to do down the Philippou brothers’ work; technically, it’s well put together. The spirits are ghoulishly rendered with wonderfully macabre practical effects and in its gnarliest moments, I did cringe, but I don’t think “Talk to Me” quite met the expectations I had going in.
Watch “Talk To Me” on Hulu now
‘The Exorcist’ (1973)
Yeah, this sucked. I was told that this Trick or Stream experiment would only really be worth it if I was genuinely terrified by at least one of the things I watched, and thus, “The Exorcist” was added to my watchlist.
Given how pervasive “The Exorcist” has been, and how I knew about many of its iconic scares going in, I sort of expected this not to frighten me as much as it could have. Boy, was I wrong. Even knowing what was around the corner didn’t prevent this from being horrifying.
The relatively sedate, slow-paced opening really effectively helps build that sense of dread. But from then on, we’re just confronted by ever-more distressing scenes as the demon takes hold.
It’s a testament to the movie’s quality, I guess, that over 50 years later, it still made me feel genuinely sick to my stomach in the middle act, and I can’t think of another time when I’ve felt such a sense of relief watching the credits roll; it’s nightmarish stuff.
Watch “The Exorcist” on Max now
