List Curated by GRACE DETWILER
This May on Video On Demand, dive into a fresh collection of spine-tingling horror films, from gripping sequels to boundary-pushing originals. This month’s streaming lineup offers diverse scares to satisfy any horror lover. Explore the dark and twisted secrets of Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever, or take a harrowing journey into the depths of the underworld with Pandemonium. Experience a mind-bending odyssey through time and identity in She Is Conann, and uncover the chilling mysteries of witchcraft in Witch. And with a selection of free frights available across various streaming platforms, prepare for a month of cinematic thrills that will keep you guessing until the end.
NIGHTWATCH: DEMONS ARE FOREVER
Streaming on Shudder May 17.
Starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Kim Bodnia, Ulf Pilgaard
Written and Directed by Ole Bornedal
Genre & Synopsis: Horror. 22-year-old medical student Emma (Fanny Leander Bornedal) has just taken a job as the night watch in the same forensic department where her parents were once almost killed by the famed psychopathic police inspector Wörmer. The events led to her mother’s suicide, and her father Martin (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) has turned to tranquilizers to suppress the memories. Determined to investigate what exactly happened to them, Emma tracks down and confronts Wörmer, only to unintentionally reawaken his bloodthirst and ignite a violent revenge on everyone who sealed his destiny years ago. Original cast members reunite and reprise their roles in this chilling sequel to the Danish cult-classic Nightwatch (1994), which inspired the 1997 U.S. remake starring Ewan McGregor. Watch the original and then delve deeper into the darkness with a Nightwatch double feature!
PANDEMONIUM
Streaming on Arrow May 27.
Starring Arben Bajraktaraj, Hugo Dillon, Ophélia Kolb
Written and Directed Quarxx
Genre & Synopsis: Horror. Pandemonium follows Nathan (Hugo Dillon), an ordinary man on a journey he never expected. After realizing he has died at the scene of a car crash, Nathan descends into the depths of hell, where he is doomed to experience the pain of tortured souls along the way. Drawing on themes found in Dante’s Inferno and Milton’s Paradise Lost, Pandemonium is a multi-textured existential fantasy, topped with signature notes of visceral horror, disturbing fairy tale, wry comedy, and dark thriller.
SHE IS CONANN
Availble on digital and on-demand May 7.
Starring Elina Löwensohn, Christa Théret, Julia Riedler
Written and Directed by Bertrand Mandico
Genre & Synopsis: Sci-Fi/Fantasy. In a barbaric fantasy sci-fi trip through time, sword-and-sorcery mythology is bent, fractured, and gender-swapped by master visionary Bertrand Mandico in his third feature epic. Six lives, six eras, and six deaths mark Conann’s poetic journey through different incarnations and lesbian loves. Guiding Conann through her many epic lives is Elina Löwensohn (Amateur, Let the Corpses Tan) as Rainer, a Cerberus of many otherworldly dimensions whose paparazzi camera sees all. The perversity of The Wild Boys and the hero’s journey of After Blue (Dirty Paradise) come together in this even greater handmade homage as Mandico ropes in influences as lush as Fellini Satyricon, The Night Porter, The Hunger, and Fassbinder’s entire oeuvre to craft a moving portrait of a warrior trying to find her place while outside of space, time, and meaning. This official selection of Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, Fantastic Fest, and Sitges “thrives on its own bizarre extravagance as it pushes the limits of substance and style” (Collider).
WITCH
Availble on digital and on-demand on April 30.
Starring Sarah Alexandra Marks, Russel Shaw, Ryan Spong
Written by Craig Hinde
Directed by Craig Hinde & Marc Zammit
Genre & Synopsis: Horror/Fantasy. Small town, England. 1575. William embarks on a journey to prove the innocence of his wife, Twyla, falsely accused of being a witch and will be put to death if found guilty. William must hunt down the real witch, to save Twyla from death.
Free On CRACKLE In May:
Ten Minutes to Midnight
The Rift: Dark Side of the Moon
Incredible Violence
Discarnate
The Yearly Harvest
The Fergusons
Blade: The Iron Cross
The Lost
Gargoyles
The Cabin
Army of Frankensteins
The 6th Friend
Free On POPCORNFLIX In May:
Prom Night II: Hello Mary Lou
Prom Night IV: Deliver Us From Evil
Spiders II: Breeding Ground
Slumber Party Massacre II
An American Werewolf in Paris
Black Water: Abyss
Crocodile II: Death Swamp
Day of the Dead II: Contagion
Godzilla Raids Again
Return of the Scarecrow
The Exorcist III
War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave
Ben
Free on REDBOX in May:
We Need to Talk About Kevin
Dark Encounter
Flora
Dead Before Dawn
Death Ranch
Don’t Kill It
Evil Takes Root
No Visitors
Big Legend
Black Magic
Dark Corners
Bundy and the Green River Killer
Cleavers Killer Clowns
Available on SCREAMBOX in May:
Life of Belle
México Bárbaro II
Death 4 Told
2-Headed Shark Attack
Old Habits Die Hard
The Bride
Haunt
Occult Bolshevism
Lone Wolf
Grace, thank you for the great reviews.My wife and I really appreciate your work. Loren and Kelly