October is here, and that means Halloween month (aka Spooky Season) has officially started. It’s not a surprise to see the interest in all things scary reflected in the most-watched list of some of the best streaming services, and that includes Netflix.
As of October 3, a pair of horror movies have crept into the Netflix top 10. Currently “It Chapter Two” ranks in the No. 3 spot behind entrenched favorites “Jailbreak: Love on the Run” and “The Garfield Movie” alongside newcomer “Escape Plan”. A few spots back, you’ll find the 2018 “Halloween” reboot in the No. 8 spot, ahead of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie”.
Netflix offers a wealth of horror favorites, but these are the two frontrunners drawing the most interest from subscribers looking to get into the seasonal mood. However, I’ve mixed feelings, as one of these picks is a total triumph, while the other is more frustrating than frightening. So, here’s the one to stream, and the one to skip...
‘Halloween’ is a rare remake that matches the original
John Carpenter’s “Halloween” is a sacred movie for horror fans. While not the first slasher, it’s arguably among the most influential, and its position within the upper echelons of horror masterpieces is well-secured. Attempting to remake or reimage such a revered movie is a dangerous game as Rob Zombie proved in 2007 with his largely ill-judged attempt.
So when director David Gordon Green and writer Danny McBride teamed up for a legacy sequel that would disregard the mess of continuity that came after the 1978 original, expectations weren’t exactly high. The confirmed return of star Jamie Lee Curtis offered green shoots of hope, but even then, the high quality of the final product was a (very pleasant) surprise.
“Halloween” (2018) follows the same basic blueprint as its predecessor, as the masked murdered Michael Myers (James Jude Courtney) escapes from a maximum-security prison to once again stalk the streets of Haddonfield, carving a bloody course on his way to a showdown with Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis). The narrative may not have evolved much, but the tense atmosphere remains just as effective.
Myers’ kills are also particularly brutal, with a few likely to make some viewers wince. And it all builds to a satisfying finale that gives us the Laurie vs. Michael rematch that fans had wanted for decades (many of the sequels failed in this aspect). It’s a reboot done right, and if you’re looking for a chiller to kickstart your Halloween season it’s a very suitable pick.
However, be sure to skip the two sequels, “Halloween Kills” and “Halloween Ends”, the former is seriously flawed, while the latter is among the worst horror sequels ever made.
‘It Chapter Two’ is a bold swing, but a big miss
Speaking of disappointing sequels, we have “It Chapter Two”. This 2019 follow-up to 2017’s “It”, adapts the “grown-up” portion of Stephen King’s original novel and sees the members of the self-declared Losers Club reunite in the town of Derry, Maine to finally put an end to the evil entity that stalked them as kids — an entity that often takes the form of a dancing clown.
While the first “It” movie rode the success of “Stranger Things” — the Netflix show itself partially inspired by the works of Stephen King — the sequel never captures that same youthful energy. At least the casting is top-tier with James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain and Bill Hader all fantastic picks to play the grown-up versions of their young counterparts in the first “It”. Bill Skarsgård is also once again phenomenal as the returning Pennywise the Clown.
The movie’s biggest mistake is its gargantuan runtime. Clocking in at only 10 minutes short of three hours, “It Chapter Two” is unable to sustain any form of narrative momentum, and while a few sequences do ratchet up the creepiness factor, the oppressive atmosphere starts to lose its effect when stretched across such a long runtime. Well-paced this movie isn’t.
If you’re a huge Stephen King fan or really enjoyed the first “It” movie (which curiously isn’t on Netflix, you’ll need a Max subscription to watch it), you might feel compelled to watch this sequel just to see how things end. However, unless you have quite a lot of movie-watching time to spare, I advise you to skip this one. It’s simply too much of a slog to recommend.
“Halloween” and “It Chapter Two” are making waves on Netflix, but other streaming platforms are also seeing a surge in the popularity of horror movies. So, if you’re looking for more options, here are five Halloween movies to stream on Prime Video.
