Worst2First: My Top Ten Films to Watch on Hulu This Halloween

Worst2First:
My Top Ten Films to Watch
on Hulu This Halloween

Halloween is the time for ghosts, ghouls, and everything dark and twisted to be celebrated, and the streaming services offer a plethora of ghastly goodies to watch. For this "Huluween," I picked ten films from the streaming service I would suggest watching this Halloween season.

**THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS**

#10

Lights Out

Based off a short film on YouTube (and featuring the actress in it), "Lights Out" will give you another reason to fear the dark. The film follows Rebecca (played by Teresa Palmer), who discovers an evil entity that thrives in the darkness that seeks to kill her and her younger brother, and finds it has a tether to their family in particular. Filled with effective jump scares and a decent family storyline, "Lights Out" will have you keeping the lights on when you go to sleep at night.

#9

The Collection

Lost amid the sea of other torture porn films "Saw" and "Hostel," "The Collection" is the sequel to the gory "The Collector," and ups the ante in every way possible. When a serial killer booby traps a rave and massacres numerous people, he takes one girl captive to add to his "collection," and her wealthy father hires a gang of mercenaries to track him down. Filled with gory effects (especially the opening rave scene that's akin to "Ghost Ship") and pulse-pounding action, "The Collection" will satisfy your every blood-thirty need.

#8

Hellraiser

Clive Barker's legendary tale of the Priest (otherwise known as Pinhead to the uninitiated) has been one of the 80s horror slasher icons, and has finally been re-introduced for the 2020 generation. Focusing more on the concepts of pain and pleasure and how they often coincide with one another, the "Hellraiser" franchise has always been more cerebral than carnal, although that element is there as well. For this soft reboot, the film follows a drugged up girl who accidentally opens the Lament Configuration that brings the Cenobites back to our world, seeking the blood of five victims in order to grant the owner whatever they desire. Filled with bloody good effects, creepy Cenobies, and the introduction of Jamie Clayton's female Pinhead, "Hellraiser" pays homage to the original while keeping itself fresh, new, and terrifying.

#7

Possessor: Uncut

Proving the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, Brandon Cronenberg (son of body horror director maestro David Cronenberg) brings "Possessor: Uncut" to Hulu this Halloween season. The story centers around a woman who transfers her mind into the body of an unsuspecting person in order to accomplish an assassination on a mark, leaving behind no trace of her existence. All is going well until one man decides he doesn't like having her in his head, creating a rift in her own mind that could threaten herself and everyone she loves. Filled with unforgettable body horror imagery and a top-notch espionage story to boot, "Possessor: Uncut" will linger in your mind long after you turn off your television set.

#6

The Lodge

If you're looking for a tense, moody, atmospheric, claustrophobic psychological thriller, take a vacation at "The Lodge." Featuring Riley Keough in a career-best performance, the film follows the story of a father and two young children who just lost their mother to suicide as their father begins a relationship with a new woman. They vacation in an isolated cabin in the middle of winter, and when the father leaves mysterious events begin to occur that links to his new love's past - but is it her, the children, or something else that's the root of the terror going on? The ending is shocking, but the slow burn story to get there is equally compelling and lingering.

#5

Oculus

Before playing Nebula in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the successful "Jumanji" reboot franchise, Karen Gillen fought a supernatural mirror in Mike Flanagan's directorial debut "Oculus." When they were kids, Kaylie and Tim were orphaned when their parents met a brutal end. Now adults, Tim (Brenton Thwaites) believe that their father killed their mother and then himself, while Kaylie (Gillen) believes that the antique mirror her father bought harbors evil spirits that caused their demise. Kaylie decides to test the mirror's power one night, culminating in an unforgettable battle between the mind and reality, causing you to question everything you've seen.

#4

Prey

Director Dan Trachtenberg already proved that he can turn the sequel subgenre on its head with "10 Cloverfield Lane," and he continues that tradition with "Prey," serving as the original prequel to "Predator." Set in the Great Plains in 1714, young Comanche warrior Naru finds herself in the battle of her life against an alien invader who hunts apex predators like herself. Giving the horror action subgenre a new heroine comparable to Ellen Ripley, "Prey" is atmospheric, tense, and filled with cat-and-mouse thrills that'll entertain both the horror enthusiast and the action lover within us all.

#3

Hostel

Hot on the heels of torture porn film "Saw," "Hostel" follows three backpackers who make their way through Europe in hopes of partying and women, and find themselves in a living nightmare. They're abducted at a local hostel and taken to an underground world where the wealthy pay to torture the poor, and they delight in their evil torturing techniques. Not for the squeamish or faint of heart, "Hostel" will leave you squirming in your seat and have you thinking twice about that European trip you want to take.

#2

The Blair Witch Project

The film that gave birth to the found-footage subgenre, "The Blair Witch Project" remains a legend to this day, with one of horror cinema's most iconic movie moments. When three friends decide to investigate the legend of the Blair Witch, they find themselves hunted by a sinister force to which they might not escape with their lives. Utilizing an ingenious marketing campaign, the film sent shockwaves through the cinematic world, turning into one of the most successful films in history due to its low production budget and high viewing attendance - and it's no surprise why.

#1

Let the Right One In

This Swedish vampire romance film is hailed as one of the best modern-day vampire movies, and it's a no-brainer why. The film follows a 12-year-old who's bullied at school and meets an odd girl at his apartment complex who turns out to be a vampire, but he doesn't care because she sincerely cares for him. Their budding romance is threatened by her need for blood, culminating in an unforgettable finale. Young child actors give impeccable performances, and the characters are so richly written you can't help but fall in love with them even though it's a horror movie, there's still a sweet innocence in it as well.