We’re just about two weeks away from Halloween now, how’s your seasonal watchlist coming along? Feeling like you need some help?
It can be hard to get out of the rut your algorithm can create for you. Maybe it’s suggesting the same four movies over and over that yes, you like, but maybe don’t want to watch right now. Maybe it’s suggesting some baffling choices. So, if you’re looking for recommendations from someone human, rather than your algorithm, you’re in the right spot.
Here are the three best movies to watch on Prime Video this week.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Sarah Michelle Gellar may be the Buffy that everyone thinks of when they think of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” but she wasn’t actually the first one. That honor falls to Kristy Swanson, who played the hunter in the 1992 film.
Buffy is just a vapid high school cheerleader, who suddenly learns it’s her destiny to hunt and kill vampires. You can imagine how that news goes over with someone like her. Nonetheless, she is trained, and embraces her duty. The film is written by Joss Whedon, but quickly left the project, as he was unhappy with the direction the studio took it.
As a result, he went on to create the Gellar-starring TV series. So, not only can you celebrate the spooky season with this movie, but you can compare it side by side with the show and see where things deviated from the plan, which is always interesting.
Why Hulu Killed the 'Buffy' Reboot
Down With Love
Meanwhile, if you’re looking for lighter fare this week, you can head to Peyton Reed’s 2003 film “Down With Love.”
It stars Renée Zellweger as an aspiring author who’s very much a feminist. Her book encourages women to do away with love, enjoy casual sex, and break traditional gender roles (this is set in 1962, so it’s a pretty radical message for the time). Angered by the book, a chauvinistic journalist played by Ewan McGregor schemes to make her fall in love with him, to expose her as a hypocritical fraud.
Eventually, the two actually do develop real feelings for each other, in a proper “opposites attract” kind of way. The movie is very fun, parodying the comedies of the era — particularly their reluctance to show sex scenes — in a clever fashion.
Carrie (1976)
If you’re a horror fan, odds are you’ve been chewing through Mike Flanagan’s new “Carrie” series on Prime Video. So, once you do that, why not head back to where it all started?
The 1976 film adaptation of “Carrie” was the first Stephen King movie, based on the first Stephen King book, directed by Brian De Palma and starring Sissy Spacek. It was dubbed one of the best films of the year at the time, and remains one of the best horror films in general to this day. Obviously, it’s not for the faint of heart, so if you’ve never seen it and are easily scared (and/or squeamish about blood) maybe try another option.
But if horror is your jam? You’re about two weeks from Halloween now, make sure you don’t forget this one.
