Period movies transport viewers to another era, tying their narrative to a specific place in time and creating an immersive experience around it. They’re often steeped in history, and as such, have developed a reputation for slow-pacing or tedium. In other words, period-set movies can get a bad rap. But that immersive world-building can also make for some great horror, lending a larger-than-life quality or escapism at its most impressive in scale.
This week’s streaming picks belong to period horror movies that whisk you away to a bygone era yet unleash timeless terror. Here’s where you can stream them this week.
A Field in England – AMC+, Hulu, Kanopy, Shudder, Tubi
Set in 17th-century England during the Civil War, Ben Wheatley’s trippy horror movie follows a trio of deserters. They flee from battle and find themselves on a nightmarish voyage when they cross a circle of magic mushrooms. A Field in England, starring Reece Shearsmith and Kill List’s Michael Smiley, embraces folk horror imagery to illustrate the brutal clash between Catholicism and Paganism. The horror comes from the horrific acts the characters commit and inflict upon each other while under the influence. A horror movie featuring characters tripping on mushrooms gets as wild as you’d expect, and then some.
Apostle – Netflix
Writer/Director Gareth Evans brings every bit of the bone-crunching brutality of The Raid and The Raid 2 for his period folk horror film. The Guest’s Dan Stevens stars as Thomas, a man who travels to a remote island in 1905 to infiltrate the cult that’s kidnapped his sister for ransom. The cult leaders claim that the barren island was made fertile through blood sacrifice, and in his quest, Thomas learns the grim truth behind those sacrifices. Apostle is a slow-burn intent on building mystery, but it’s worth the wait. The twists and visceral violence make for a gripping, gory final act with torrential bloodletting.
Black Death – HBO Max, Roku
During the first outbreak of bubonic plague in medieval England, a group of men embarks on a journey to find a hidden village untouched by the plague, rumored to be led by a necromancer. They find Langiva (Carice van Houten), the village leader that’s amassed a devout following her Pagan ways. She orders brutal acts of torture and death upon the men, reveling in their pain as her power within the community grows. None of that holds a candle to her devious manipulations that transform an innocent searching for his love into a stone-cold killer by the film’s end.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula – Netflix
Francis Ford Coppola’s sprawling horror epic transforms the iconic bloodsucker into the genre’s biggest romantic. After a 1462 prologue that presents how and why Vlad Dracula turned to the dark side, Dracula shifts to 1897. He travels to England to woo the reincarnation of his beloved. Impressive, lavish set pieces and production design, a star-studded cast, and a slew of memorable Gothic horror moments make this period horror movie an all-timer.
Brotherhood of the Wolf – AMC+, Shudder
This highly underseen, very loose telling of Beast of Gévaudan has finally made a rare appearance on streaming courtesy of Shudder. Christophe Gans’ genre-bender follows Chevalier de Fronsac (Samuel Le Bihan) and close friend Mani (Mark Dacascos). They are sent to the Gevaudan province to investigate brutal slayings by a mysterious beast. It’s a stylish take on a historical account, full of conspiracy, court intrigue, horror, and martial arts. A slickly shot retooling of its source inspiration, only in the loosest sense- don’t expect historical accuracy here.