‘Orphan: First Kill’ Scared Up $1.7 Million in Just 498 Theaters Over the Weekend

Movie theaters bring entertainment and escapism. The smell of popcorn wafting through the air, the previews of coming attractions, and the communal reactions to seeing a movie on the big screen often bring a viewing experience that can’t be replicated elsewhere. It’s also a safe way to experience horror, as the terror is harmlessly confined to celluloid.

But what if it isn’t…?

This week’s streaming picks center around horror movies that feature or are set at the cinema. For the characters in these six titles, their haven becomes anything but when movie theaters turn into slaying grounds for killers and creatures alike.

Here’s where you can stream them this week.

For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.

Messiah of Evil – Fandor, Paramount+, Pluto TV, Prime Video, Screambox, Shudder

Arletty has arrived in a Coastal Californian town to visit her father after receiving a series of worrying letters. She finds that he’s vanished, leaving behind a diary that hints toward insanity or something much more sinister. Teaming up with an aristocrat and his two friends to find her father, the group learns that perhaps the town has been overrun by an undead cult. Co-directed by Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck, Messiah of Evil offers a nightmarish atmosphere and memorably spooky set-pieces, the most haunting of which takes place at a movie theater. This is a must-watch if you’re a fan of films like Night of the Living Dead and Carnival of Souls.

The Final Girls – Roku

Max Cartwright finds another chance for closure after her mother’s untimely death when she and her friends get sucked into retro slasher movie Camp Bloodbath after a freak accident at a repertory screening of the film. She and her friends realize they’ll have to play along with the film’s events as they’re trapped in its 92-minute runtime, running on a continuous loop. It gives Max a chance for closure as the group tries to outlast Camp Bloodbath‘s masked killer. This slasher-comedy time loop movie lovingly pokes fun at the subgenre’s tropes and stock characters while giving you the feels with its exploration of grief.

The Tingler – Pluto TV, Roku. Tubi

William Castle’s film might have earned a reputation for featuring one of his best gimmicks, in which he installed electric buzzers in some of the theater seats, but it’s strong enough to stand on its own. Vincent Price stars as a pathologist who discovers a parasitic creature that attaches to its host’s spine and feeds off their fear. The wife of movie theater owner Oliver Higgins falls victim to this parasite, the Tingler, which fuels most of the plot. The climax, of course, sees the Tingler let loose in Higgins’s theater.

Popcorn – AMC+, Shudder

Horror stalwart Jill Schoelen stars as Maggie Butler, a film student with ambitions to transform her recurring nightmares into her first feature. Classmate Toby D’Amato (Tom Villard) comes up with hosting an all-night horror marathon in an old theater, complete with William Castle-style gimmicks, as a fundraiser. What should’ve been a successful fundraiser instead turns into a night of terror when a deranged killer with a penchant for disguises begins to pick the film class off one by one. This ‘90s slasher brings the fun, along with inventive kills set in a crowded theater full of horror fans.

Demons – AMC+, Mubi, Shudder

The definitive theater-set horror movie. A large group of people invited to attend a screening of a mysterious horror movie quickly find themselves living in one when locked inside with ravenous demons. A rocking soundtrack, ’80s energy, and a lot of gruesome demon fun under Lamberto Bava’s direction make for one hell of a good time at the movies. They will make cemeteries their cathedrals, and the cities will be your tombs.

The Blob – Tubi

Chuck Russell’s remake of the 1958 sci-fi horror film dials up the practical effects to eleven and delivers no shortage of memorable, goopy horror moments. It also offers one of the best fakeouts. When the eponymous creature crash lands on Earth, The Blob instills the notion that no one is safe by gruesomely devouring the Steve McQueen-like hero character. Enter Meg Penny, one pissed-off cheerleader ready to save the day. In keeping with tradition, the remake also recreates the iconic theater scene but makes it far more lethal and gory.