Armchair Vacation: Five Films To Watch At Home This Weekend [October 3-5]

Every day, more and more films are added to the various streaming services out there, ranging from Netflix to YouTube, and are hitting the airwaves via movie-centric networks like TCM. Therefore, sifting through all of these pictures can be a tedious and often times confounding or difficult ordeal. But, that’s why we’re here. Every week, Joshua brings you five films to put at the top of your queue, add to your playlist, or grab off of VOD to make your weekend a little more eventful. Here is this week’s top five, in this week’s Armchair Vacation.

5. Zombie (Fandor)

Leading off the first of many Halloween Armchair Vacation’s this October is one of the most underrated and unforgettable piece of horror filmmaking from one of the genre’s great cult legends, Lucio Fulci. Clocking in at just a half an hour in length, this surreal masterpiece of gore and horror was originally billed as an “unofficial sequel” to the legendary Dawn Of The Dead, and features a cast including the likes of Tisa Farrow and Richard Johnson. An absolute joy to watch for any cinephile or horror hound, this is a horror film unlike any you’ll ever see. Despite being known for one eye poking sequence and the universally known shark sequence, Fulci’s film is a masterwork in horror craftsmanship, and while he may not have the visionary stylings of a contemporary like Dario Argento, there is a joy he brings to each moment of violence that is both startling and hypnotically breathtaking. This is an influential classic that most people need to get acquainted with.

4. Citadel (Netflix)

I had the pleasure of seeing this intense horror film at SXSW back in 2012, and thankfully it’s available to the general public via Netflix Instant. Easily looked over among the myriad of films at your local brick and mortar shop, Citadel comes to us from director Ciaran Foy, and follows the story of an agoraphobic father who tries to save his daughter from a roving gang of feral kids. Gritty and grimy, Foy’s film is a truly troubling picture, and one that’s perfect for anyone with an appreciation of genre pictures. Best described as a horror version of The Raid, Citadel will creep even the hardest of genre fans out, and leave those not accustomed to this type of thriller leaving their lights on after watching it. It’s a tough watch, as it’s troubling and high on the tension, but for those with the stomach, this is going to go down as an October staple.

3. The Curse Of The Cat People (Warner Archive Instant)

Horror cinema, and genre cinema in general, isn’t opposed to their fair share of sequels. However, few are as interesting as this sequel to the legendary erotic thriller Cat People. Produced yet again by horror maestro Val Lewton, Curse is a fantastic continuation of the cult classic. Introducing us to Amy, the child of our original couple, the film finds this youngster at her most imaginative. However, this imagination turns her life upside down, leading her into a very dangerous place, one that includes befriending an imaginary friend, the dead ex-wife of her father, Irena. A gorgeous film that is right up the alley of anyone who has an appreciation for the Gothic-tinged original, this is a perfect watch for the start of this, the scariest of all months.

2. Peeping Tom (TCM; 3pm EST)

Despite being known as the film that ostensibly ended the career of one Michael Powell, this Karl Boehm-starring masterpiece is one of the greatest thrillers ever committed to celluloid. A haunting and unforgettable meditation on voyeurism that would become arguably the most influential thriller of all time, this film originally debuted to uproarious response of the negative variety, but has since become a beloved and revered piece of cinema history. Unsettling and unwavering, Powell’s picture is a gorgeously crafted look into one man’s descent into madness, and has helped turn the world of thriller cinema into a world where artists can apply their craft to the seediest of narratives. And they don’t get much more expressive or dark as this one.

1. All The Boys Love Mandy Lane (Netflix)

A seemingly golden goose for horror junkies, Jonathan Levine’s much anticipated thriller finally arrives, after sitting on the proverbial shelf for a monstrous seven years (that’s right, it was first seen back in 2006). Starring Amber Heard, the film follows a girl name Mandy who, after joining a boy on a weekend getaway with some friends, begins to find that bodies are falling all around her. A film that shockingly sat unseen for years, Mandy Laneis a genuinely superb thriller that takes a cliché-ridden premise, and turns it on its head. Proving Levine to be one of the more interesting filmmakers of his age bracket, this film deserves to find the massive cult audience that it will likely garner throughout the coming years. I’ve written about the film numerous times since I saw it a couple years back, and it’s one that I revisit regularly. Hopefully this will become that Halloween staple for you, that it has for yours truly.