5 films on VUDU to be thankful for this holiday season

1990’s: Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Francis Coppola’s take on Bram Stoker’s classic vampire novel, Dracula, is a romantic sweeping epic. While purists criticize it for the focus on the “love story” angle between Gary Oldman’s Count and Winona Ryder’s Mina, it is precisely this storyline that gives us an entirely different take on the Transylvanian legend and it’s captivating.

All the familiar players are on board, Van Helsing (Anthony Hopkins), Jonathan Harker (Keanu Reeves) and Renfield (singer Tom Waits in a surprisingly chilling turn). However, this adaptation, like Coppola’s approach to the Vietnam War in Apocalypse Now is no less grandiose but it fits the time period.

Dracula is called to England to seek the love of his life who he believes is reincarnated in Mina. The two have an instantaneous and chemically charged connection to one another. These two were lovers in another lifetime and despite the fact that the Count is bloodthirsty and has her fiancé, Jonathan captive in his castle, we manage not to care about that.

Oldman is firing on all cylinders in this performance. When he kills, you aren’t repelled, you are motivated to watch. His pursuit of Mina or Elisabeta is mesmerizing. Anthony Hopkins as his nemesis, Abraham Van Helsing is a bit of a mystical force himself.

Whoever said horror isn’t art, needs to check out this film.

2000’s: Frailty

If you would have told us that the man who made the quirky music video for Saturday Night Live in 1980 called “Fish Heads” would end up directing a brilliant horror movie, we would have thought you were crazy. However, the guy who created and stars in the video is none other than Bill Paxton.

Frailty is Paxton’s first directorial foray into feature film and it is stunning. The story has the actor playing a religious zealot who believes that God has called to him to start killing demons who are masquerading as people in the earthly realm.

What makes this even more terrifying is he enlists his sons Adam and Fenton to join him in ridding the earth of Satan’s minions. Only Paxton can “see” the victims’ deeds that are ultimately their undoing. His boys love him but Fenton believes his father may be a serial killer and that a higher power is not commanding him to kill.

Years later, when the God’s Hands murderer seems to be rearing his head again, adult Fenton (Matthew McConaughey) must relive his traumatic past to try and stop the killings. There is a twist to this but you have to see it because we won’t spoil it.

2010’s: Dark Skies

In our humble opinion, this might be one of the best sci-fi/horror films out there. This quiet effort was released in 2013 and stars Keri Russell and Josh Hamilton as the Barretts.

They are the all-American couple with two kids, a great house in the suburbs and the type of life that most people aspire to. However, it is an illusion. What happens at night, when their neighbors are fast asleep is truly horrifying.

The problem is much like the Barretts, we can’t see what is threatening them. It is this menacing presence that manifests like a ghost and yet isn’t. What is tormenting them?

Why do they have inexplicable marks, tattoos and bruises on their bodies? Missing time and other inexplicable events plague them.

What they end up finding out is that they have been “chosen.” And whatever is watching them may not be from this world. Will they be able to fight the unknown?

Check out the VUDU horror collection. You can sign up for free, watch certain titles for free or opt to rent or own. It’s your choice!  We are certain you will find plenty of films on VUDU to be thankful for over the holidays.

Do you have a favorite non-mainstream horror film? Have you registered for VUDU? Let us know in the comments.