What to Watch This Halloween: Horror Films and Spooky Stories To Get You Through Quarantine Night

For Those Looking For Digital Horror - Come Play (Theaters)

Come Play is a modern Babadook, with fantastic sounds, a creepy modern creature, and palatable tension.  For more information, check out our review!

For Those Feeling The Lockdown - Host (Shudder)

The quintessential quarantine movie (and probably the best horror movie this year), Host dials in the scares with a clever use of technology, references to the current predicament, and enough jump scares to keep you from dropping out of this zoom meeting.  For more information, check out our review!

For Some Mind Games - Black Box (Amazon)

Black Box takes you on a technological deep dive with strong characters led by the amazing Mamoudou Athie, an intriguing story, and a mental mystery that will keep you guessing.  For more information, check out our review!

For a New Classical Classic - Nocturne (Amazon)

Nocturne's fantastic music, story, and characters create a slowly building symphony of suspense, obsession, and madness.  It also has probably my favorite movie poster released this year!  For more information, check out our review!

For Those Wanting To Get Outside - Creep (Netflix)

Creep was one of the earlier found footage horror films and did it so incredibly well, fueled by Mark Duplass's intense, unpredictable, and wholly personable performance.

For the Kids - Addams Family (Hulu)

The Addams Family is a nostalgic animated feature that captures the style and characters of the main show.  For more information, check out our review!

For Nostalgic Kids - It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown (AppleTV+)

The Halloween classic is now only on Apple TV+, so if you still have your free year remaining, now is a great time to take advantage of it.  A mainstay in my own childhood, this is a classic Halloween film that can be enjoyed against and again!

For Those Looking For A Different Type of Horror - Cats (HBO)

Yes, this movie was universally panned.  Yes, it is a strange film.  But it is also catchy and has enough in there that I'm sure you'll be singing through the fever dream that is this film.

What to Watch This Weekend: The Opening Act, More Halloween Horror (Broil, Mortuary Collection, Evil Eye, Nocturne), Time, Helpsters, Trial of the Chicago 7, Tomiris

For Those Looking to Follow Their Dreams (or For A Laugh) - The Opening Act (Theaters and Digital)

The Opening Act is a hilarious, entertaining, and highly personal coming of age story with a who's who comedy cast and a touching, universal message.  For more information, check out our review!

For Horror Fans Looking For A Meaty Film - Broil (Disc and Digital)

Broil is a feast for the senses, with meaty characters, a savory simmering style, and an accompaniment of sharp writing and full bodied music.  For more information, check out our review!

For Horror Fans Looking Style - The Mortuary Collection (Shudder)

The Mortuary Collection teaches some macabre lessons while telling some wonderful short horror tales that are dripping with both blood and style.   For more information, check out our review!

For Horror Fans With Family Issues - Evil Eye (Amazon)

Evil Eye is a slow burning character drama with a wonderful dynamic between Choudhury and Mani and a suspenseful finale.  For more information, check out our review!  

For Horror Fans Looking For Suspense and Madness - Nocturne (Amazon)

Nocturne's fantastic music, story, and characters create a slowly building symphony of suspense, obsession, and madness.  For more information, check out our review!

For Those Looking For Something Uplifting - Time (Amazon)

Time is a beautiful expression of perseverance, love, and faith and gives you a personal window into this amazing family's life and growth.  For more information, check out our review!

For History Buffs (And Action Fans) - The Legend of Tomiris (Disc and Digital)

The Legend of Tomiris tells the epic tale of the warrior queen with exciting, well choreographed action sequences, good acting, and epic music.  For more information, check out our review!

For the Kids - Helpsters Season 2 (Apple TV+)

Helpsters Season 2 continues the great format of Season 1 with more celebrity guests, musical guests, helpful plans, and important lessons for kids and adults to enjoy.  For more information, check out our review!

For Justice Seekers - The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix)

The Trial of the Chicago 7 tells a relevant, raw story with amazing performances, strong storytelling, and a balance of serious subject matter with up tempo music and some comedic elements.  For more information, check out our review!

Nocturne Review: A Slowly Building Symphony of Suspense, Obsession, and Madness

Release date: October 13, 2020
Running time: 90 minutes
Starring: Sydney Sweeney, Madison Iseman, Jacques Colimon, and Ivan Shaw

Welcome to the Blumhouse is a seasonal horror event by Amazon and Blumhouse that is releasing four horror movies during October in two waves.  Nocturne is part of the second wave of movies, releasing October 13 along with Evil Eye.  Inside the halls of an elite arts academy, Juliet (Sweeney), a timid music student, begins to outshine her more accomplished and outgoing twin sister Vivian (Iseman) when she discovers a mysterious notebook belonging to a recently deceased classmate.  The notebook wakes something inside her but also causes her to change attitude, playstyle, and her overall personality.  But it seems like this blessing is also a curse when her actions start hurting those around her.

Nocturne is part a horror film but also partly a character study.  Juliet is a talented, but timid and lacking confidence student who longs for the spotlight that her more outgoing sister has.  And when she discovers this book that seems to awaken something hungry and dark inside her, it really changes her overall personality.  And this is accomplished by Sweeney's nuanced and fantastic acting.  Sweeney has to contend with a lot of different personalities and motivations in this film and does it perfectly.  She goes from timid to confident to horrified through various stages of this transformation and really makes Juliet come alive.  And her sister is a very good foil for Juliet.  Iseman does a great job as a more confident pianist who seems to effortlessly float between social circles and intense musical accomplishment.  She also plays the supportive sister quite well when needed.  And the sister dynamic is an interesting one to see; they should be happy for each other and supportive but they are also so different causing natural friction.  And as talented musicians they are inherently competitive, although one hasn't traditionally been so.  

As you would expect from a story set in an elite musical school, the film has some beautiful music.  And it is not just classical piano songs that are showcased, but also some really good electronic music to set the scene during some of the more mind bending scenarios.  It just feels right that a film about music would have a strong soundtrack accompanying it.  And the story of Nocturne has this wonderful sense of impending doom throughout it.  It starts off timidly enough, but like Juliet, builds as she gets deeper into this new personality and life.  It builds slowly but this allows you to really see the changes in Juliet and how those changes affect those around her.  And it really does highlight some of the darker human emotions that can be prized in our society: ambition and competition.  And in doing that it also highlights some less desirable traits that we all have inside us betrayal, jealousy, and pride.  It is a quick descent and a strong push and pull throughout that really makes this film one that you can't turn away from.

Nocturne's fantastic music, story, and characters create a slowly building symphony of suspense, obsession, and madness. 

Watch it.

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Nocturne is available to stream on Amazon Prime starting October 13, 2020.

Screening: Welcome to the Blumhouse: Nocturne

Amazon Prime Video and Blumhouse invite you to step inside the worlds of Nocturne, Black Box, Evil Eye, and The Lie for an interactive virtual mystery that weaves the Blumhouse universe together in chilling synchrony.

After an exclusive screening of one of the four films, The Blumhouse Live will be open for you to explore. Kicking off with a live DJ set, you will be beckoned to discover a labyrinth of virtual sanctuaries, live performances, interactive tarot readings, an escape room that unlocks hidden levels, and more unsettling twists.

The screening takes place on Monday, October 12.  The event kicks off at 6:00 PM PST / 9:00 PM EST, with the movie starting at 6:30 PM PST / 9:30 PM EST.  After the movie, at 8:15 PM PST / 11:15 PM EST, the virtual experience will happen, giving you 45 minutes to explore to your hearts content.  Please note the recommended age for the film and the experiences is 18+.  This is a great way to kick off Halloween month and a unique experience to do from home!

To enter, please enter from the Gleam.io widget below.  Winners will be notified on Monday, October 12.  

NOCTURNE 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AoGu5WxduM

Inside the halls of an elite arts academy, a timid music student begins to outshine her more accomplished and outgoing twin sister when she discovers a mysterious notebook belonging to a recently deceased classmate. 

Written and Directed by: Zu Quirke 

Starring: Sydney Sweeney, Madison Iseman, Jacques Colimon, and Ivan Shaw 

Screening Passes to Nocturne

News: Amazon Prime Video and Blumhouse Launch "Welcome to the Blumhouse" Featuring Eight New Thriller Films

Amazon Prime Video announced today “Welcome to the Blumhouse”, a program of eight unsettling, genre movies produced by Jason Blum’s Blumhouse Television and Amazon Studios. Each film presents a distinctive vision and unique perspective on common themes centered around family and love as redemptive or destructive forces. This slate marks the first ever program of Amazon Original movies on Prime Video that are thematically connected. The films showcase exciting up-and-coming talent, alongside established actors in exceptional and shocking new roles. “Welcome to the Blumhouse” will launch in October, timed for the Halloween season, on Prime Video in over 240 countries and territories worldwide. 

Amazon Prime Video will launch the initial slate of four films as double features starting with The Lie directed by acclaimed writer/director Veena Sud (The Killing, 7 Seconds) and Black Box directed by up-and-coming writer/director Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour Jr. (Born with It), both premiering on October 6. Launching the following week on October 13 is Evil Eye, from talented young directors Elan Dassani and Rajeev Dassani (A Day’s Work, Jinn) and executive produced by Priyanka Chopra Jonas (Quantico, White Tiger), and Nocturne written and directed by filmmaker Zu Quirke (Zugzwang, Ghosting) making her feature film debut. The latter four films will launch in 2021. 

The Lie is written and directed by Veena Sud, and stars Mireille Enos (The Killing), Peter Sarsgaard (An Education) and Joey King (The Kissing Booth 2, The Act). When their teenaged daughter confesses to impulsively killing her best friend, two desperate parents attempt to cover up the horrific crime, leading them into a complicated web of lies and deception. Produced by Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Christopher Tricarico, and Jason Blum.  Executive produced by Howard Green, Kim Hodgert, Jeanette Volturno, Couper Samuelson and Aaron Barnett.

Directed by Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour Jr. (Born With It) and script by Osei-Kuffour Jr. and Stephen Herman, Black Box stars Mamoudou Athie (Jurassic World 3, The Circle), Phylicia Rashad (Creed), Amanda Christine (Colony), Tosin Morohunfola (The Chi, The 24th), Charmaine Bingwa (Trees of Peace, Little Sista), and Troy James (The Flash, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark). After losing his wife and his memory in a car accident, a single father undergoes an agonizing experimental treatment that causes him to question who he really is. Executive produced by Jason Blum, Jay Ellis, Aaron Bergman, Lisa Bruce, Marci Wiseman, Jeremy Gold, Mynette Louie and William Marks.

Based off the award-winning, best-selling Audible Original production from writer Madhuri Shekar, Evil Eye is directed by Elan Dassani and Rajeev Dassani, and stars Sarita Choudhury (Mississippi Masala, Lady in the Water), Sunita Mani (GLOW), Omar Maskati (Unbelievable), and Bernard White (Silicon Valley). A seemingly perfect romance turns into a nightmare when a mother becomes convinced her daughter’s new boyfriend has a dark connection to her own past. Executive produced by Jason Blum, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Lisa Bruce, Marci Wiseman, Jeremy Gold, Guy Stodel, Anjula Acharia, Emilia Lapenta and Kate Navin.

Nocturne is written and directed by Zu Quirke in her breakout feature debut. Starring Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria, The Handmaid’s Tale, Player’s Table), Madison Iseman (Jumanji: The Next Level, Annabelle Comes Home), Jacques Colimon (The Society) and Ivan Shaw (Insecure, Casual). Inside the halls of an elite arts academy, a timid music student begins to outshine her more accomplished and outgoing twin sister when she discovers a mysterious notebook belonging to a recently deceased classmate. Executive produced by Jason Blum, Lisa Bruce, Marci Wiseman, Jeremy Gold, Matthew Myers and Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly.