Welcome to Horrorscope, a monthly column keeping horror nerds and initiates up to date on all the horror content coming to and leaving your favorite streaming services. Here’s what to watch in December 2023:
Congratulations, gang. We’ve made it through another year.
2023 added a good handful of horror flics to the genre pile: When Evil Lurks provided an Argentine answer to Lucio Fulci; Huesera: The Bone Woman reminded us that motherhood has lost none of its body horror lustre; Talk to Me proved that the possession genre is in good hand(s), and Infinity Pool proved that Brandon Cronenberg’s talent is only appreciating with age.
We’re big fans of holiday horror around these parts. When the air gets chilly and the decorative lights start to twinkle, all we want to do is flood our screens with Krampus, Wendigos, and Satanic Santas. In that spirit I’ve culled through this month’s streamable horror offerings and identified the trends, highlights, and fearfully festive additions. So be sure to peruse the complete list below, calendar in hand, for a full picture of what horror movies are coming and going from your favorite streaming services in December 2023.
Please keep in mind that all dates listed below may not apply to viewers outside the US.
The streaming service champion of the month is Shudder, which easily brought the most Holiday-themed ho-ho-horror films to the table out of any service.
The streaming service dunce of the month is Peacock, which had the audacity to assail us with both The Exorcist: Believer and Halloween Ends, two legacy remakes that can kick rocks. Sure, both ARROW and Disney+ didn’t bring any new horror to their services, but at least they aren’t sadists.
Synopsis: It’s December in the 1970s, and while the rest of the students at the Blackvale School for Girls have gone home for the holidays, two holdovers remain. What promises to be a boring snowed-in Christmas takes a Charles Manson-inspired turn when four maniacs show up with body parts aplenty to enact an occult ritual.
As someone who dug 2018’s The Ranger, it delights me to announce that The Sacrifice Game is proof that Jenn Wexler is a name well worth knowing. The Sacrifice Game feels like breath of fresh freaky fun in a genre landscape that’s become overly preoccupied with the real monster being, trauma, actually. If you’ve ever wondered what it would look like if Quentin Tarantino made a Christmas-set teen slasher, this is the film for you!
Available to stream on Shudder December 8th.
Synopsis: Even if she could afford it, Karen (Catherine Hicks) couldn’t get her hands on a Good Guy doll if she wanted to. They’re the toy of the season. But wide-eyed Andy (Alex Vincent) wants one for his birthday. It’s all he wants. And you just don’t say no to a face like that. Fortunately, Karen is able to buy a “Chucky” doll from a literal back-alley vendor for a cheap price. Unfortunately, the doll is possessed with the soul of the voodoo-practicing serial killer Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif).
Child’s Play isn’t a Christmas movie in the strictest sense of the term. But there’s something about Tom Holland‘s 1988 film that has an affinity, shall we say, with this time of year. Maybe it’s the crisp Chicago setting or the toy-centric-mania. Maybe it’s the genuinely touching sense of familial love and trust between Karen and Andy. In any case, if you want a rock-solid seasonal double bill about how terrifying things come in small packages, boot up this and Gremlins.
Leaving MAX on December 31st.
Synopsis: After learning that her cute neighbor Shep (James Stewart) is engaged to her nemesis, modern-day witch Gillian (Kim Novak) conspires to work her magic to make him fall in love with her, instead. Sure, if she catches feelings herself, Gillian could loser her powers. But hey, that kind of reversal only happens in the movies. Oh, wait.
A hex on anyone who questions whether or not Bell, Book and Candle is a horror film. Frankly, I think genre fans deserve their own spooky version of a holiday-set romantic comedy. Sue me for wanting the best for us!
Directed by former child actor Richard Quine (whose pitch-black How to Murder Your Wife is equally horror-adjacent), Bell, Book and Candle features immaculate Christmas vibes, an impish cat named Pyewacket, and supporting performances by the likes of Elsa Lanchester (The Bride of Frankenstein) and Jack Lemmon. It’s like a warm Technicolor cup of hot apple cider on a cold night. Did I mention there’s a Zodiac-themed nightclub?
Available to stream on Screambox on November 1.
Synopsis: A car accident leaves improbably-named schoolteacher Johnny Smith (Christopher Walken) in a coma. He wakes up five years later. The bad news is that his girlfriend left his side and started a family with another man. The “good” news is that he now has the ability to psychically connect with anyone he touches. Burdened with foresight, Johnny wrestles with the obligations of his new gift … especially when he learns that if elected, a popular third-party political candidate (Martin Sheen) will incite a nuclear holocaust.
A bit of an oddity both within Stephen King cinematic universe and David Cronenberg‘s genre offerings, The Dead Zone is a chilly political thriller with a delicious Twilight Zone-style twist to it. Produced by the great Debra Hill and decisively shot by frequent Cronenberg collaborator Mark Irwin, The Dead Zone also benefits from an adapted screenplay by Jeffrey Boam (the guy who brought us Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and The Lost Boys).
Reagan-era coded and cold to the touch, The Dead Zone earns its frigid feeling in large part thanks to Cronenberg’s dogged determination to shoot as much in Ontario, Canada as possible — even in the midst of a historic deep freeze. So, cuddle up next to the space heater and strap in for an icy genre-mish mash that also happens to feature one of the worst bowl cuts in cinema.
Available to stream on Prime Video and Paramount+ on December 1st.
Related Topics: Horror, Horroscope
All the Horror You Need to Stream in December 2023
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07.12.2023
Welcome to Horrorscope, a monthly column keeping horror nerds and initiates up to date on all the horror content coming to and leaving your favorite streaming services. Here’s what to watch in December 2023:
Congratulations, gang. We’ve made it through another year.
2023 added a good handful of horror flics to the genre pile: When Evil Lurks provided an Argentine answer to Lucio Fulci; Huesera: The Bone Woman reminded us that motherhood has lost none of its body horror lustre; Talk to Me proved that the possession genre is in good hand(s), and Infinity Pool proved that Brandon Cronenberg’s talent is only appreciating with age.
We’re big fans of holiday horror around these parts. When the air gets chilly and the decorative lights start to twinkle, all we want to do is flood our screens with Krampus, Wendigos, and Satanic Santas. In that spirit I’ve culled through this month’s streamable horror offerings and identified the trends, highlights, and fearfully festive additions. So be sure to peruse the complete list below, calendar in hand, for a full picture of what horror movies are coming and going from your favorite streaming services in December 2023.
Please keep in mind that all dates listed below may not apply to viewers outside the US.
The streaming service champion of the month is Shudder, which easily brought the most Holiday-themed ho-ho-horror films to the table out of any service.
The streaming service dunce of the month is........
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