This week, we’ve got a special holiday edition of streaming recommendations on Prime Video. Amazon’s streaming service is a little light on go-to Christmas classics this year, but they’ve got a handful of hidden gems in the mix that offer something a litte more offbeat for the holiday viewer who’s maybe seen “Elf” a few too many times. Check out our seasonal special selection of movies to watch on Prime Video this week below.
“Black Christmas” (1974)
Filmmaker Bob Clark has two Christmas classics to his resume: his charming 1983 family film, “A Christmas Story,” and, before that, his seasonal horror classic “Black Christmas.” Released in 1974, “Black Christmas” arrived at the tail end of the Italian Giallo wave and a few years ahead of America’s slasher craze, an essential step in the path from one to the other. If you’re in the mood for Christmas spirit, you won’t find that here, but if you’re in the mood for one of the all-time great slasher movies that happens to take place during the season, this is it. Set in a sorority house, where the young women are getting grotesque prank calls before they suddenly start disappearing, “Black Christmas” is a marvelous movie; intelligent and chilling, surprisingly funny at first and then ultimately, not funny at all as the sorority house grows empty and the film creeps toward its bleak conclusion.
“Moonstruck” (1987)
Not technically a Christmas movie, but set against the twinkling, frosted backdrop of New York City during the holidays, “Moonstruck” is one of the best rom-coms of all time, featuring two of our great entertainers at the heights of their magneticism. Cher stars as Loretta, a widow who just accepted a new proposal from a man she doesn’t love. When she meets his tortured, resentful brother, Ronny (Nicolas Cage), the two spark an unexpected, immediate connection. It’s kooky and singular, filled with hilarious moments of overdramatics and unexpected character quirks, among the most quotable movies of them all, and brought together by an ending that makes the whole thing sing.
“Anna and the Apocalypse” (2017)
Another Christmas horror movie? Indeed, though “Anna and the Apocalypse” couldn’t be further from “Black Christmas” as a cinematic experience — actually, there’s not all that much that is like “Anna and the Apocalypse”: a zombie-comedy Christmas high school musical. It’s a pretty good zombie movie; extremely informed by “Shaun of the Dead” in its approach to blending zom-com hijinks with a few emotionally whoppers that keep it all grounded. But it’s the musical elements that shine brightest, with absurdly catchy songs, from ensemble lunch room arrangements to an ultra-raunchy spin on “Santa Baby”-style suggestive Christmas tunes.
