What could potentially become the future of streaming is niche services rather than big, broad platforms that cater to all viewers. The horror genre has led the way in that cause with multiple services, like horror and cult films. Other streaming platforms like Shudder, Midnight Pulp, The Midnight Picture Show, and other smaller ones have popped up all over the place. More recently, there has been a rise in the popularity of Screambox.
With the acquisition of films of the past in terms of horror and the production and distribution of their own original films, Screambox is on the rise in the world of genre streaming services. Partnered with companies like Cineverse, Cinedigm, and Bloody Disgusting, there is a ton of content to stream on the service, with new acquisitions dropping on the service monthly.
10 Count Dracula and the Vampire Brides (1973)
When curating a horror streaming service, one must include some films from the golden era of Hammer Films, the U.K.-based horror film studio that had global success throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Count Dracula and the Vampire Brides (or The Satanic Rites of Dracula, whatever you want to call it) is now streaming on Screambox.
The great Christopher Lee playing the iconic role is something every movie lover must see. Bela Lugosi’s performance in the original Universal film is the major reference point for the image of Dracula, but you’d be surprised how many people prefer Lee in the role.
9 Cruel Jaws (1995)
Bruno Mattei is the master at making rip-offs of big American films. One of the most famous is 1995’s Cruel Jaws. An Italian production that is clearly ripping off Spielberg’s blockbuster Jaws. The cult following around this film has grown and grown as the study of Italian cinema has become an area of interest for cinephiles.
Aquatic horror and sharskploitation have always been sub-genres that horror fans love, and Cruel Jaws completely delivers. In some countries, Cruel Jaws was actually marketed as Jaws 5, even though the film has zero connections to the previous four installments. Cruel Jaws also has a convoluted scenario in it. In parts of the film, the killer shark is a great white; in other parts, it’s a tiger shark.
8 Cube (1997)
Although this film was released nearly a decade before the Saw franchise hit the scene, there are a few similarities. 1997’s Cube is about a group of strangers who awaken and find themselves trapped in a giant cube, but each one of them possesses a trait or some sort of skill that can help the group achieve a way out of all of this.
A polarizing film that is very worth a view, even if you end up being on the side of the argument that ends up hating it. Be advised, it’s the ending that gives viewers mixed feelings about it. Or, you can be on the side of thinking it’s a masterpiece.
7 Who Done It: The Clue Documentary (2022)
More recently, a lot of Screambox original and exclusive films have made their way onto the streaming service. One of the most recent projects dropped late last year with a behind-the-scenes look at the 1985 murder mystery cult classic and board game, Who Done It: The Clue Documentary. With interviews from cast and crew, you may think this is just a generic documentary about a beloved film, but a real draw to the movie is the animated re-creation of an alternate ending to the film. The actual footage of it is believed to be buried somewhere in Paramount Pictures’ vault.
6 Hatchet (2006)
Adam Green’s Hatchet led the way in the mid-2000s indie horror scene. It was a revival of the old-school slasher film of two decades prior, with an entertaining villain leading the way. Kane Hodder had donned the hockey mask and machete four times in the Friday the 13th franchise. In Hatchet, he is under heavy makeup to make him look like disfigured, backwoods hatchet-wielding maniac, Victor Crowley.
Hatchet is a great blend of comedy and horror; there are fun scares in it and even funnier moments in the film’s first act. And the practical gore effects of heads being ripped off and jaws being bent backward and ripped apart are some of the wildest moments in the film. There are also a ton of appearances from horror icons other than Kane Hodder. Robert Englund shows up in the film’s opening moments, and Tony Todd shows up as well.
5 Crabs! (2023)
One of the newest creature features added to the service has been the film Crabs!. It’s pretty much what you think it is: man eating crabs. Turn your brain off on this one, and that isn’t a knock against it because the film wants you to enjoy some insane, gory fun that never lets up. Crabs! is a Screambox exclusive that just hit the service in September and is about a group of teens and police officers who try to stop the influx of man-eating crabs in a coastal town. It’s a love letter to Roger Corman movies.
4 Bad Moon (1996)
It kind of feels like the number of good werewolf films that are out there you can count on only one hand. Don’t forget about 1996’s Bad Moon. The film is irected by Eric Red and is about a man named Ted who is bitten by a mysterious creature in Nepal. He returns home to be close to his sister (Mariel Hemingway) and her son. We soon learn that Ted now transforms into a werewolf, and the family dog, Thor, one of the smartest dogs to ever be in a movie, is highly aware of Ted’s dilemma as he’s a danger to himself and his family.
You read that right; the dog in this film literally becomes the star of it, and you didn’t expect it going in. And for you animal lovers out there, let’s just spoil it now. Thor does not die; as a matter of fact, he becomes the hero of the whole film.
3 RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop (2023)
Recently, Screambox released the limited docuseries RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop on its platform. The series had a massive marketing push for its users, and creative ways that were utilized to try and get more subscribers on their service based on promoting this documentary.
The film breaks down all elements of the making of the film with interviews from Robocop himself, Peter Weller. It’s a real treat to learn the story behind the classic. Screambox utilized great marketing behind the film with the t-shirt that said, “Remember when Robocop Shot That Dude in the D**k?”
2 The Collector (2007)
Picture this: it’s 2009, and you probably didn’t see The Collector in theaters. Then, three years later, you finally saw it and thought it was one of the best horror films of the last twenty years. Most horror fans love this film, and it has achieved cult like status over the years. A film about a criminal who breaks into a rich man’s house disguised as a home renovation contractor during the day and comes back at night to steal a gem to repay a debt.
Once in the house, he realized a vicious, masked murderer had set up traps all over the house. And the family that resides there is all held captive and is being tortured. The Collector was overlooked upon its release. It’s loaded with gore and unsettling dread. So, yeah, go watch it.
1 Terrifier 2 (2022)
It may not necessarily be the streaming home of Terrifier 2 (also available on Tubi), but regardless, go stream the film at the home of where it was produced. Screambox and all its affiliated organizations were behind the making of the film. Terrifier 2 became a cultural phenomenon in October 2022 and hasn’t let up since then. Director Damien Leone really tapped into creating a new horror titan in Art the Clown.
While watching the film, you completely understand why this was hitting for audiences. It’s an experience, even if it’s not for you. And after you stream it, support the film even more by going to see it again in theaters this fall.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
