This week’s new horror releases bring The Last Voyage of the Demeter, based on “The Captain’s Log” chapter from Bram Stoker’s Dracula. It features the iconic vampire at his most monstrous as he lurks about the schooner and preys upon the passengers and crew. Thanks to Dracula, much of cinema’s portrayal of the vampire leans romantic; their predatory tactics are often seductive, masking their monstrous nature until far too late. This week’s streaming picks are dedicated to monstrous vampires, the vicious bloodsuckers unafraid to show off their inner creature. These vampires are vicious in their kills and showcase great creature designs.
As always, here’s where you can stream them this week.
For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.
Blood Red Sky – Netflix
Nadja (Peri Baumeister) and her ten-year-old son, Elias (Carl Anton Koch), board a flight from Germany to New York. She’s very ill and hopes the doctor in New York can cure her illness with an experimental transfusion. Violent terrorists hijack the flight straight away, putting their lives at risk. When a particularly sadistic terrorist causes harm, it unleashes Nadja’s inner monster. A beating heart of familial love pumps through the veins of this intense horror-thriller with a vicious take on vampire lore. High-altitude thrills bring intensity, while character development and pathos instill rooting interest. It makes for a compelling action horror movie.
From Dusk Till Dawn – Max
This vampire classic by director Robert Rodriguez and screenwriter Quentin Tarantino bides its time getting to the horror. The first act plays like a crime thriller, with the Gecko Brothers (George Clooney and Tarantino) taking a family hostage to get them across the border while running from the law. They wind up at an all-night truck stop, unaware that it’s home to a hive of vampires that use the place as their feeding ground. It’s the type of creature feature with it all: humor, action, and loads of viscera. The vampires may start human-like, but they quickly reveal their monstrous form once the blood starts spilling.
Lifeforce – MGM+, Paramount+, Pluto, TV, Tubi
Tobe Hooper gives a wholly unique vampiric twist to the alien invasion format. The crew of the space shuttle Churchill finds a long artichoke-shaped spaceship hidden in the coma of Halley’s Comet. Inside they see hundreds of massive, desiccated bat creatures and three preserved, naked humanoids. Naturally, they decide to take the naked humanoids back with them. The female humanoid wakes up and begins draining the life force from all humans she comes in contact with, turning London into ground zero of a zombie apocalypse and leaving a trail of shriveled human husks in her wake. It’s part zombie film, part dreamlike space odyssey, part erotic vampire tale, and part creature feature all wrapped up into one long ode to Hammer Horror.
Nosferatu – AMC+, Crackle, Hoopla, Kanopy, Roku Channel, SCREAMBOX, Shout TV, Tubi
No monstrous vampire list would be complete without cinema’s original monstrous vamp: Count Orlok (Max Schreck). F. W. Murnau’s silent horror film adapts Bram Stoker’s classic tale in an unofficial capacity, meaning it mostly adheres to the familiar plot but with a few name changes. Murnau infuses the story with atmosphere. Its German Expressionistic style and Schreck’s monstrous portrayal ensure a highly creepy depiction of the vampire. Nosferatu remains one of the most enduring and influential vampire films, with a remake from Robert Eggers on the way, which makes now a great time to watch this classic.
Stake Land – freevee, Kanopy, Peacock, Plex, Pluto TV, Roku Channel, Tubi
A plague has devastated the world and turned the country into a ravaged land of vampires. A vampire hunter (co-writer Nick Damici) travels cross-country with an orphan (Connor Paolo) he rescued, searching for the fabled safe haven. They encounter survivors and endless death traps along their journey. Director Jim Mickle (“Sweet Tooth”) takes a standard setup and gives it a brooding, dark fantasy spin. The vampires are downright monstrous, and humans sometimes fare no better. Above all, it’s the characterization that makes this one unique.
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