Ho-Ho-Horror coming to Amazon Prime in December

We horror fans always love the gift of horror movies, and Amazon Prime has some good ones for us this Christmas season. Let’s see what’s under the tree for the good (and somewhat depraved) boys and girls.

12/1:

A Clockwork Orange – Stanley Kubrick’s classic dystopian thriller, released in 1971, enjoyed both box office success and the acclaim of critics. The film follows Alex (played by Malcolm McDowell) and his band of thugs as they commit horrific crimes of violence, with Alex ultimately being captured and subjected to sadistic “rehabilitation” techniques. When it was released in the US, A Clockwork Orange was given an X rating, but Kubrick later removed 30 seconds of sexually explicit footage in exchange for an R-rated re-release a year later. The excised footage has since been restored, but updated to an R rating.

Event Horizon – Classified as science fiction / horror, Event Horizon stars Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, Joely Richardson and Kathleen Quinlan. Astronauts on a rescue mission to recover the spaceship Event Horizon get more than they bargain for when they find the ship. The experimental engine has opened a hole in the space time continuum, and something very bad is now on board
Event Horizon did not perform well in theaters, but it has achieved cult status on home video. It’s dark and disturbing, and I highly recommend it to those of you who enjoy horror and sci-fi.

Gargoyle – This movie originally aired on Sci Fi (before it became “Syfy”), and opens in Romania in 1592. Terrorized villagers seal an evil creature in a tomb, where it remains until an earthquake frees it in 2004. When some brutal murders start piling up, a pair of CIA agents begin investigating.

Mars Attacks! – A sci-fi / comedy cult classic, Mars Attacks!  was directed by Tim Burton, and the music was written by Danny Elfman. With an all-star cast (including Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Danny DeVito, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michael J. Fox, and Natalie Portman), the movie was expected to be a blockbuster, but it bombed at the box office.

Silent Tongue – This horror/western was written and directed by Sam Shephard. Talbot (played by River Phoenix) is grief-stricken by the death of his Kiowa Indian wife, and sits under a tree with her body, waiting for his own death. In an effort to help him, Talbot’s father kidnaps a new wife for him. Silent Tongue holds an approval rating of only 38% on Rotten Tomatoes, so take from that what you will.

The Dark Crystal – Has anyone NOT seen this one? Just in case you are uninformed, The Dark Crystal  is a 1982 fantasy film with direction, voice acting and puppets by Jim Henson and Frank Oz (of Muppets fame). The plot concerns a Gelfling named Jen, who is attempting to return a lost shard from a mystical gem. The animatronics used in The Dark Crystal had never been used before, and the dark nature of the film was something new for the Muppets team.

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The Firm – More a thriller than an actual horror film, The Firm still deserves mention in this article. It is tense, and keeps you on your toes. It stars Tom Cruise, Jean Tripplehorn, Gene Hackman, Holly Hunter, and Ed Harris (among others), and is based on the best-selling novel by John Grisham. Cruise plays a young, up and coming lawyer, who joins a very prestigious law firm. It soon becomes apparent that the firm has a very dark side, and is up to something sinister.

The Game – One of my favorites, The Game is a super intense thriller, starring Michael Douglas as an investment banker named Nicholas, who is given an unusual “gift” by his brother Conrad (played by Sean Penn). The gift is a voucher for a game, and Conrad tells Nicholas that it will change his life. Soon, Conrad finds himself in danger and being followed, not knowing whom to trust. Is it all part of the game, or is it an elaborate ruse to get Nicholas’s money? The Game will keep you guessing right up to the heart-pounding finale.

Trucks – Based on the Stephen King short story of the same title (and the movie Maximum Overdrive), Trucks is set in small-town America. Quite suddenly, trucks start coming to life, seemingly to destroy everything and kill people. The townspeople have to work together to destroy the trucks before they themselves are destroyed.

12/27:

Hereditary – I am not quite sure how this happened, but I did not get to see Hereditary when it was in theaters a few months ago. I am excited to watch it on Prime! Toni Collette received rave reviews for her performance in this dark, unsettling film, and the movie itself received positive feedback. A grieving family is possibly being haunted after the death of their matriarch, and tragic events begin to pile up.

So, that’s what Santa has in his Netflix bag for your viewing pleasure in December! What do you think about this list, is it just what you wanted?

Amazon Prime member? Looking forward to the streaming service’s horror in December? Let the other terror titians know what you think in the comment section below.