I recently hit up a few of the seemingly endless legions of streaming services out there these days and came across a few gems I hadn’t seen, and fortunately for all the weirdos out there, I figured I would share in case you hadn’t checked them out before. I’m not going to say they are masterpieces by any stretch, but you could waste your time on worse flicks.
The Blood on Satan’s Claw
(1971) | Streaming on: Amazon Prime w/ Cineverse trial
I was feeling like going back to the early ’70s, not long after many of the restrictions on what could and couldn’t be shown on film had changed. One YouTuber recommended this folk horror flick, and I wasn’t disappointed. It’s a bit hard to follow, which made sense when I did a little research for this post and learned that it was originally planned as a three-story folk horror anthology. Apparently they said, “Screw it, just make it one movie!” and I’m not mad.
To summarize the story succinctly, some “kids” played by 20-somethings end up tormenting the local adults after demonic remains are found in a nearby field? Or something. A lot of things seem to just happen off screen, but ya know what? That’s fine. The somewhat nebulous story just adds to the experience.
One thing that stood out to me was being reminded that once upon a time, movies were shot on location using actual objects that exist! Holy shit. Much like the original The Wicker Man and the recent Midsommar, most of this movie takes place in broad daylight, and the amount of horrific imagery is limited, but the general creepiness of the whole thing is almost enhanced by that fact.
Note: There is a scene that depicts a woman being sexually assaulted, so if you or your viewing partner aren’t into seeing such things, skip this one.
Possession
(1981) | Streaming on Amazon Prime w/ AMC+ trial
This is probably the only film with a notable actor anyone would recognize in a young Sam Neill, unless you’re super cultured or something and watch enough French film to be familiar with the awesome Isabelle Adjani, who won Best Actress at Cannes for her role in the movie.
Director Andrzej Żuławski wrote this one after having his soul crushed by his ex-wife, only to follow that up by being exiled from his home country of Poland. The movie was shot in West Berlin when the Wall was still standing, and it’s so eerie to see shots of the Wall that include candid non-actor guardsmen lurking behind it. It’s essentially Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind meets The Shining, plus a hefty dose of mind-altering chemicals.
Let’s get this out of the way, though: this movie can be a bit slow, and the dialogue is obtuse. I imagine upon rewatch it makes more sense. I was reminded of Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Killing of a Sacred Deer, which wasn’t for me at first, but I ended up . . . uh . . . enjoying(?) more upon second viewing. People say weird shit and do weird things. Just accept it.
It’s worth that journey for a batshit ending, though, so if you begin to get bored with what’s agonizingly transpiring along the way, just know that Carlo Rambaldi — an effects artist with credits on Alien, E.T., and King Kong — is in the mix here. That’s all I’ll say. Enjoy.
If you go looking for this one to watch, make sure you find the original version. This movie was labeled a “Video Nasty” in the U.K. upon release, and the U.S. version was apparently butchered into an unrecognizable mess.
Demonic Toys
(1992) | Streaming on Amazon Prime
Charles Band and Full Moon Entertainment don’t howl “quality,” but you’ll usually be entertained by what you’re seeing on the screen, whether you’re laughing at or with the folks involved. Like many of the studio’s New Line–inspired movies, this one was straight-to-video at a time when that was usually a bad sign.
Thankfully, this one is the rare gem of cheese, sleaze, and practical creeps that actually manages to know exactly what it is and does everything it needs to do to make a warehouse of possessed toys performing murders to summon their demon lord work for the perfect runtime of 86 minutes.
There isn’t too much to deep-dive into with Demonic Toys, as it’s pretty straightforward. Probably the most notable fun fact about this one, and perhaps the reason the absurd premise manages to be entertaining, is that it was written by David S. Goyer, who was partially responsible for the scripts for both the Blade and Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogies. Of course, he also wrote that hot pile of garbage Batman v Superman. From Demonic Toys to Depressing Turds.
Of the three movies I’ve discussed, this one is probably the easiest watch. It’s goofy fun, without the deep thinking of Possession or the messy editing of Satan’s Claw. If you’re looking for an easy watch that’s fun and doesn’t overstay its welcome, this one does the trick.