A whole lot of horror fans recently signed up for the Peacock streaming service, since Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends were both released on Peacock the same day they reached theatres. To help horror fans find ways to make their Peacock subscription worthwhile, we here at Arrow in the Head have compiled a list of the Best Horror Movies on Peacock Right Now! Check it out:
MIKEY (1992)
Director Dennis Dimster-Denk’s Mikey had the tagline “Remember, Jason and Freddy were kids once too”, and the movie does its best to make sure the titular creepy kid (played by Brian Bonsall) is just as deadly as any adult slasher. Mikey does some really nasty stuff in this movie and racks up an impressive body count… and Dimster-Denk certainly wasn’t afraid of pushing the envelope. The movie begins with the murder of a five-year-old and proceeds to show Mikey obsessively creeping on his teenage neighbor (played by Josie Bissett). Also starring John Diehl, Mimi Craven (who was recently divorced from Wes Craven at the time) and Hellraiser‘s Ashley Laurence, Mikey manages to be legitimately disturbing because the movie doesn’t flinch from showing just how evil its nine-year-old lead is.
MY FRIEND DAHMER (2017)
Written and directed by Marc Meyers, My Friend Dahmer is based on a graphic novel by John “Derf” Backderf, who attended high school with future serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. This isn’t a straightforward horror movie; it doesn’t dramatize any of the murders Dahmer committed. Instead, it’s set entirely before the murders began and offers a fascinating look at his early years, when he was a troubled kid and Derf and his friends were drawn to him because of his unusual behavior. As time goes on, the mental state of the young Dahmer – played by Ross Lynch – gradually crumbles, while Derf (Alex Wolff) and others grow less entertained and more disturbed by the way he acts. My Friend Dahmer is worth checking out, even if you’re not into movies about real serial killers, and is a worthwhile horror movie to stream on Peacock.
BODY BAGS (1993)
Seeing the success HBO was having with their horror anthology series Tales from the Crypt, Showtime tried to get in on that action with an anthology called Body Bags. It didn’t become a series, but at least we got a fun feature film out of it. Body Bags consists of three segments, two of them directed by John Carpenter and one by Tobe Hooper. Carpenter also turns in a goofball acting performance as the host of this show, The Coroner, who tells the stories of how corpses in the morgue ended up there. Some segments are better than others, but they’re all worth watching – and along the way you get appearances by Wes Craven, Sam Raimi, Roger Corman, Mark Hamill, and more.
WILLARD (1971)
Although the 2003 version of Willard wasn’t a box office success, it seems like most horror fans have seen that movie by now. Less talked about these days is the original version of Willard, which was a hit in 1971. If you haven’t seen the ’71 Willard, Peacock is offering you the chance to watch it. Bruce Davison stars as the title character, a meek person with a miserable life who befriends the rats infesting his home and uses them to strike back against his scumbag boss, played by Ernest Borgnine. Directed by Daniel Mann and based on the Stephen Gilbert novel Ratman’s Notebooks, this take on the material is more grounded than the often over-the-top (but great) remake. It’s a terrific, emotionally involving character study of very troubled young man, and a satisfying story of revenge. The follow-up Ben is also on Peacock.
DAY OF THE DEAD (1985)
George A. Romero‘s favorite of his zombie movies, Day of the Dead is also the darkest and dirtiest of the bunch – which is fitting for a movie that takes place underground. The characters are a mixture of Army soldiers and scientists who have been hiding out in an underground bunker since the zombie apocalypse began. Although the world seems like a lost cause at this point, the scientists are still trying to find a way to get out of this mess – which is how they discover Bub, a zombie who seems to be capable of learning and becoming domesticated. Boasting memorable dialogue and incredible performances, including Joe Pilato as one of cinema’s greatest douchebags, Day of the Dead was the black sheep of Romero’s initial Dead trilogy, but it’s still amazing and one of the best horror movies Peacock has to offer.
PROM NIGHT (1980)
You’ve seen a masked slasher stalk Jamie Lee Curtis before, but have you seen her bust out into a show-stopping disco dance in the middle of all the horror? That’s the sight director Paul Lynch’s 1980 slasher Prom Night offers. After a creepy opening sequence in which a bunch of kids play an unnerving version of Tag, a game that results in a tragic death, the story jumps ahead a few years – to a time when the survivors are getting ready to attend their high school prom. And there’s someone who doesn’t want them to survive their prom night. This film kickstarted a franchise that went off in a few different directions. Peacock also has Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II, so you can check that one out after you watch Prom Night to see just how different they are.
GINGER SNAPS (2000)
Director John Fawcett’s Ginger Snaps is highly recommended to all horror fans, as it’s one of the best werewolf movies ever made. The film stars Emily Perkins and Katharine Isabelle (both delivering incredible performances) as teenage sisters Brigitte and Ginger, outsiders in their dreary suburban hometown and extremely dependent on each other. Things start falling apart for them when Ginger gets bitten by a werewolf at almost the exact same moment she gets her period for the first time – so she’s becoming a werewolf and a woman simultaneously, leaving her slightly younger sister behind in the process. Ginger Snaps is a brilliant movie that expertly balances amusing moments, effective emotional scenes, and intense moments of horror.
NIGHT OF THE DEMONS (1988)
If you’re missing the Halloween season, director Kevin S. Tenney’s Night of the Demons is a film that can provide some Halloween fun at any time of the year. This gory horror comedy is about a group of youths making the terrible decision to have a Halloween party in a mansion on a cursed plot of land. Of course, they unleash the evil that inhabits the property and soon we have possessed teens attacking their pals. With a terrific spookshow atmosphere, memorable performances (including one from horror icon Linnea Quigley), an unforgettable sequence set to the song “Stigmata Martyr” by Bauhaus, and excellent special effects, Night of the Demons is a blast.
BAD MOON (1996)
Eric Red has created or helped create awesome movies in pretty much every sub-genre. Want psycho killers? Check out The Hitcher, Blue Steel, and Body Parts. Want to see a good haunted house movie? Red made 100 Feet. Vampire movie? He co-wrote Near Dark. Bad Moon is his try at making a werewolf movie, and it’s a very cool one that not enough horror fans have seen. Based on a novel by Wayne Smith, Bad Moon gets started with a stunning werewolf attack that leaves Ted (Michael Pare) cursed with lycanthropy. His affliction is soon discovered by his young nephew Brett (Mason Gamble) and a German Shepherd named Thor, leading to a climactic showdown between dog and werewolf.
ABOMINABLE (2006)
The only bad thing about Abominable is the fact that it leaves you wanting to see more feature films from director Ryan Schifrin, but so far this is the only feature he has made. The story is reminiscent of the Alfred Hitchcock classic Rear Window, but set in a wilderness that’s being terrorized by a Bigfoot creature that oddly resembles character actor Jack Elam. The Bigfoot rampages through a cast that includes Matt McCoy, Lance Henriksen, Jeffrey Combs, Rex Linn, Dee Wallace, Paul Gleason, and Tiffany Shepis – and it’s a bloody good time. There aren’t many good Bigfoot movies out there, but this one is awesome. Sixteen years later, we’re still holding on to hope for a sequel.
Do you think these are the best horror movies on Peacock? If there are any you think we left on the side, sound off in the comments below.