In this Spooooky edition of “Crossing the Streams”we got Gill-men, wooden men, fangs on a plane, and quite possibly the worst foster parent of all time.
Amazon Prime
Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
My second favorite Universal Monster, the Gill-man is on full display in this rare 3-D film that looks as great as when it was made. I saw a 3-D print at the Alamo Drafthouse a few years ago and it was incredible. But even without it, this classic directed by Jack Arnold still holds up. Even though he’s directed some of the best early sci-fi like “This Island Earth”, “Tarantula”, and “The Incredible Shrinking Man”, “Black Lagoon” is still his best work. With a solid story, great makeup effects and a tight 1 hr. 19 min. runtime, this won’t make you as scared to go into the water as “Jaws” did, but it comes close. And the scene with Julia Adams swimming on the water as the Gill-man mirrors her just below is beautiful and creepy at the same time.
Hulu
Oddity (2024)
Not everything needs to be in your face to be scary — in fact, I often prefer the opposite. Damian McCarthy’s Oddity is exactly that kind of horror film, and for me, it’s one of the must-watches this October. The story follows a blind woman still reeling from her sister’s death a year earlier. Determined to uncover the truth about what happened, she’s guided by a mysterious wooden man as she searches for answers — and revenge. The quiet moments are where Oddity truly shines, building tension that will deeply unsettle anyone who hates being alone… and it will probably add a few new members to that club.
HBO Max
Bring Her Back (2025)
Danny and Michael Philippou already proved themselves in the horror world with their 2022 breakout Talk to Me. Now, they’ve cemented their place with Bring Her Back. The story follows a brother and sister who soon discover their new foster mother is anything but normal. On the surface, she seems loving — still grieving the loss of her daughter — but beneath that lies a woman willing to do anything to get her child back. What follows is some wild, disturbing horror that lingers long after the credits roll.
Drag Me to Hell (2009)
When “white hat” loan officer Christine Brown (Allison Lohman) is pressured into to puting on the “black hat” and deny a loan extension, boy does she pick the wrong lady. Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver) takes out her frustration on poor Christine by putting a curse on her in which after a few day she will get…well, the title. Thus begins the ultimate Sam Raimi’s funhouse of horror. There is goo, gore, in-your-face camera closeups, and one of the creepiest possession scenes for a PG-13 movie. It’s a super fun thrill ride of scares with a show-stopping ending.
Netflix
His House (2020)
I love this time of year because it gives me another chance to spotlight Remi Weekes’s chilling His House. The film follows a couple who escape war-torn South Sudan and relocate to a small English town in search of a fresh start. While navigating the immigration system, they’re placed in a government apartment that hides sinister secrets of its own. What unfolds is a haunting descent into madness — a story that blends social commentary with classic haunted house terror. His House is a reminder that some things can’t be explained… and some homes never want to let you go.
Blood Red Sky (2021)
What if John McClane was a woman and had to stop a group of terrorists that highjacked a plane mid-flight? Oh yeah, and what if that female John McClane was also a vampire? Once you get past some of the rough acting and flat out terrible dubbing of this German film (Seriously, the kid in the film sounds like the kid in that Jackie Chan movie “Rumble in the Bronx”) it is an intense horror/thriller. There is enough of a mix of English speaking actors like Dominic Purcell that keep you focused on the action and gore. Peri Baumeister gives some Noomi Rapace vibes as a mother who has to protect her son from terrorists. As she goes beyond mama bear mode, she even creates more problems when the rare smart villain discovers her secret. This is a refreshing change, since most of the vampire flicks of the past five years have leaned more on the humor side of things.
