This Friday brings the release of Malum, a demonic new reimagining of 2014’s Last Shift. It seems to kick off a month-long trend dedicated to demonic horror, with April releasing The Pope’s Exorcist and Evil Dead Rise. So, we’re getting into the Halfway-to-Halloween celebrations earlier with streaming picks dedicated to the horror that unleashes demonic mayhem. Some bring the laughs, while others get under your skin and refuse to leave.
Here’s where to watch these five titles this week.
For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.
The Convent – AMC+, freevee, Pluto TV, Roku, Shudder, Tubi
The Convent is what happens when you blend director Mike Mendez’s sense of humor, a colorful UV light aesthetic, and influences from films like Evil Dead II, Demons, and Night of the Demons. And it features Adrienne Barbeau refusing to put up with any demonic bullshit. In the film, a group of college co-eds sneaks into an abandoned convent to leave their mark and get high, and a run-in with Satanists leaves them all battling demons for their lives. And souls. A splatstick horror comedy full of blood, guns, and demon nuns ensues.
The Dark and the Wicked – AMC+, Shudder
Bryan Bertino, a filmmaker known for bleak horror, creates unrelenting dread and evil in the vacuum of loss here. His latest is rife with suffocating dread, disturbing visuals, and a haunting atmosphere. Siblings Louise (Marin Ireland) and Michael (Michael Abbott Jr.) return to their childhood home to say their final goodbyes to their dying father, much to their mother’s disappointment. She’d warned them not to come, and it won’t take long to figure out why; an evil presence has taken root on the family’s rural land, and it wants them all. Ireland and Abbott Jr. deliver tremendous performances. The horror is intrinsic to a family coping with grief and loss, but it’s heightened to a horrifying degree thanks to Bertino’s distinct style and twisted vision of evil. It makes for a volatile, frightening viewing experience steeped in nihilism.
Dark Waters – AMC+, Screambox, Shudder, Tubi
Director Mariano Baino’s first and only feature-length film, Dark Waters sometimes makes little sense, but it’s visually stunning and weird. A surreal atmospheric horror film that feels like a throwback to the earlier works of Lucio Fulci and Mario Bava, this dreamlike story follows a woman who travels to an isolated island to find out why her father funded a monestary there before he died. Occult horror with a demonic presence, it’s a dream logic nightmare filled with unforgettable imagery and a wild ending.
Demons – AMC+, Mubi, Night Flight, Plex, Shudder
A large group of people invited to attend a screening of a mysterious horror movie quickly find themselves living in one when locked inside with ravenous demons. A rocking soundtrack, ’80s energy, and a lot of gruesome demonic fun under Lamberto Bava’s direction makes for one hell of a good time at the movies. They will make cemeteries their cathedrals, and the cities will be your tombs. They are… the Demons.
The Taking of Deborah Logan – AMC+, Prime Video, Screambox, Shudder, Tubi, Vudu
For her Ph.D. thesis on Alzheimer’s disease, Mia Medina (Michelle Ang) thinks she’s found the perfect subject in Deborah Logan (Jill Larson) for a documentary. In desperate need of the money, Deborah’s daughter Sarah (Anne Ramsay) allows Mia and her team to set up cameras in their home to record and study Deborah over the next several months. As the days progress, it becomes apparent that something more sinister might be at play than Deborah’s illness. Co-written by Gavin Heffernan and director Adam Robitel, this found-footage gem knows how to craft effective scares. It’s incredibly creepy, oozing with atmosphere for days. This pick is for those in the mood for major chills.