Hello International Horror and Sci-Fi Film Festival friends. The festival is fast approaching, April 8th will be here sooner than we know it. Tickets for the festival will be available very soon at www.PhoenixFilmFestival.com.
Gone are the days of waiting for VHS rentals at the video store or scouring all the media stores in the Valley for that last copy of “Evil Dead 2”. Everything is available at the simple point and push of the few buttons on your computer. With so many streaming platforms available it has made watching movies easy and accessible, and there are some really good films out there just waiting for all you eager genre fans to devour them. We watch lots of movies here at IHSFF so let us offer a few suggestions on some noteworthy films currently available out there in our new monthly streaming recommendations article, hopefully we can point you towards your next favorite horror or science fiction film or help you clear out that stuffed queue.
IHSFF Streaming Horror and Science Fiction Recommendations (January)
Presented by: Matthew Robinson (Founder of the Arizona Filmmaker Showcase and www.DarkoftheMatinee.com)
Pod (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu Plus)
“Pod” is like the opening scene of an X-Files episode extended out to a full episode. When it wraps, you will fully expect Mulder and Scully to show up to figure out the mess left. Two friends check in on their unstable friend. They find him locked up in a cabin claiming he shot an alien hunting. He believes he is part of a government conspiracy, his friends don’t fully believe him. Then we realize there is something locked up in the cabin with them and from there things get crazy.
Wyrmwood (Netflix)
This is a super fun, fast paced zombie action film from down under. There is so many ideas executed with such energy that even if you are burned out on zombies, you will find plenty to like here. The three leads are great but Leon Birchill as Benny is a standout. The film packs thrills and laughs.
The Nightmare (Netflix)
“The Nightmare” is an unsettling documentary about people who experience sleep paralysis. The nightmares are acted on in very effective ways. This movie literally makes you not want to go to sleep. Hearing from each victim, patterns begin to form that shed light on this horrifying ailment.
Automata (Netflix)
An interesting companion film to “Ex Machina” (one of 2015’s best films), this film shines is in its world building and its visual style. Antonio Banderas plays an insurance investigator who gets caught up in the plight of an AI. Set in a desert landscape, the film isn’t perfect but consistently gorgeous to look at.
You’re Next (Amazon Prime, Hulu Plus)
“You're Next” is an uncluttered, uber-violent thrill ride that packs more fun into 90 minutes than most horror films can dream of. Home invasion thrillers like this tend to be such downers but “You're Next” is energetic, cathartic, and a hell of a good time. The film features a refreshing take on the helpless Final Girl trope as well.
