Several horror movies are releasing on HBO Max in February 2021, including installments in notable franchises. The streaming service has been updating its library with a growing selection of all types of content, so it's comforting to know that the horror genre hasn't been forgotten amongst the shuffle.
HBO Max has been dutifully keeping up its horror content with a diverse array of tones and subgenres. The service has had and will continue to add everything from slasher movies to haunted house films, from psychological thrillers to goofy horror-comedies. The sheer amount of content all across the streaming service board can be staggering, but WarnerMedia has done a respectable job at standing out amongst its competitors, and they will be releasing some new horror movies onto the service in 2021 as well, thanks to the day-and-date Warner Bros. movie premieres.
The selection of films also includes a host of mainstream classics alongside cult curiosities, meaning that there's something for any type of horror fan. The most gratifying part of all of this is that all of the following films will be available to watch as early as February 1st, meaning that fans can start streaming them right away.
The Amityville Horror (Original & Remake)
The original version of The Amityville Horror arrives on HBO Max in February 2021 alongside the maligned 2005 remake. Both versions are based on the controversial book written by Jay Anson and tell of the haunting of the Lutz family's home in the Long Island town of Amityville, New York. The original film, released in 1979 and starring James Brolin and Margot Kidder, received criticism upon release, but time has been kind to what is now considered a haunted house classic.
The Apparition
This poorly-received ghost movie is notable for bookending the weird library of horror flicks throughout the 2000s that came from Joel Silver's Dark Castle Entertainment. Like most of the other Dark Castle films, The Apparition was a critical failure, though at least it wasn't' a remake and thus didn't besmirch the names of House on Haunted Hill or House of Wax. It is based on the Philip experiment (called the Charles experiment in the film), a Canadian venture into parapsychology that attempted to summon spirits through the sheer power of the human mind to believe and manifest activity.
Ghoulies and Ghoulies II
The release of Gremlins in 1984 launched a specific wave of movies about little creatures wreaking havoc and mayhem. Interestingly enough, Ghoulies was actually in production at the same time as Gremlins, but due to financial issues during shooting, Gremlins was released the next year. This means that even though Ghoulies is often cited as one of the many Gremlins ripoffs, it's most likely not actually a Gremlins ripoff. Schlock legend Charles Band of Puppet Master fame also helped fund and market the project, while his father Albert Band directed the unconnected sequel.
Jacob's Ladder
This heavily grim and existentially dark cult classic of psychological horror will now be available on HBO Max for those brave souls looking to take a journey through the dark recesses of their minds. Jacob's Ladder is directed by Adrian Lyne, known largely for his erotic thrillers such as Fatal Attraction and Indecent Proposal, and stars Tim Robbins as a Vietnam War veteran struggling with nightmarish visions that permeate his everyday life. Drawing comparisons to the works of David Lynch, Jacob's Ladder may be a surreal descent into madness - or, to some, a beautiful portrait of human existence.
Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday
Existing in a strange legal snafu, the Friday the 13th films have been juggled between streaming services, popping up and disappearing intermittently. This time, HBO Max gets the ninth entry in the series, the 1993 outing that promised (for the second time in the franchise's history) to be the last time audiences will see Jason. Unfortunately, the movie is notorious for sending the slasher out on a low note, turning him into a strange worm demon that can possess others instead of letting him bask in his hockey mask glory. Still, it's at least a worthwhile curiosity to check out for any Friday the 13th fan.
The Last Exorcism
Among the bevy of found footage films at the turn of last decade, The Last Exorcism stands out as one of the more critically respected. The story reuses a concept that helped make The Exorcist so profound, the idea of a priest losing his faith but having to perform an exorcism. In this case, it's an evangelical reverend played by Patrick Fabian, now known for Better Call Saul, who feels guilty about performing fake exorcisms and wants to document their phoniness. Only this time, the exorcism might very well be real.
Monkey Shines
George A. Romero's psychological oddity about a killer monkey was rather confusing to critics when it first came out in 1988. On one hand, it can be read as a tragic and philosophical tale about an animal manifesting the violent and vengeful tendencies of the human she bonds with, played by Jason Beghe. On the other hand, it's a movie about a killer monkey. Monkey Shines is one of those rare features that became the topic of debates about how bad it is, exactly. It's generally regarded as so bad it's entertaining, but there's also a legitimately good movie in there somewhere. In any case, it's supremely watchable and should be on any cult horror fan's list.
My Bloody Valentine 3D
The 2009 remake of the holiday slasher cult classic My Bloody Valentine will release on HBO Max just in time for February. Harkening back to the giallo-inspired elements of early slasher flicks, the film is a whodunnit of creative kills and teenagers making bad decisions. The killer in question here is the Miner, a hulking figure in a gas mask whose weapon of choice is a pickaxe he uses to carve people's hearts out and place them in Valentine's Day chocolate boxes. There's a small but fierce debate about whether this version is better than the original or not, making the film an intriguing watch for any slasher aficionado.
Saw 1-7
HBO Max rounds out its February 2021 horror additions with a bang, as almost the entirety of the Saw series will be available to marathon. Even more exciting to the horror fan is the fact that these will include the director's cuts, which are slightly gorier and, in the special case of Saw III, contain extra story material. The only film not included in this rollout is Jigsaw, the 2017 return to the franchise after a seven-year break following The Final Chapter (which, in true slasher series fashion, means it was not actually the final chapter). Catch these before Spiral, the detective thriller sequel/spinoff of Saw, releases in May 2021.
