One of the favorite sagas of horror fans is back with a sixth installment that refers to the franchises that move to New York to bring panic there (ahem, ‘Friday the 13th’). We are talking of course about ‘Scream VI’, which brings together its self-conscious comedy about the genre (somewhat less in this film) with the strength of the slasher and the acute component of the mystery surrounding the identity of the murderer.
We could have searched for other horrors or fantastic movies with a meta component, but here more than ever it is worth highlighting the part of the intrigue around the unknown psychopath. today we rescue three films of the genre that have their slight whodunnit touch and they can be seen in streaming, two slashers and a supernatural with also a good dose of comedy.
‘Black Christmas’ (‘Black Christmas’, 1974)
Address: Bob Clark. Distribution: Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder, John Saxon, Marian Waldman.
We could say that we wouldn’t have ‘Scream’ without this powerful Bob Clark classic, as many attribute the rise of the american slasher directly to ‘Black Christmas’, direct precedent of ‘Halloween night’. There is no doubt that his way of twisting one of the happiest festivities has left an incredible mark on the genre.
Also advanced in terms of sexual freedom and other rights that women see violated, ‘Black Christmas’ cleverly spins the subtext to make a very intriguing pure horror film. The killer’s identity is appropriately concealed, creating a great intrigue component that explodes beautifully with the reveal. That tension, together with its impeccable atmosphere, keep it as an essential classic.
See in Filmin | Criticism in Espinof
‘I know what you did last summer’ (‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’, 1997)
Address: Jim Gillespie. Distribution: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Freddie Prinze Jr., Bridgette Wilson, Anne Heche.
First cousin of ‘Scream’, and just for the fact of sharing the screenwriter Kevin Williamson, and suitable partner when it comes to revitalize the horror genre at a popular level in the nineties. The young adult component, with high school kids having to hide a corpse so as not to ruin their future (which we later found out was going to go wrong anyway), was one of the elements that hooked teenagers back to the genre.
Although what really excited and continues to be one of the most successful values of the film is the mysterious murderer who torments these young people who wanted to bury the secret under the rug. Slasher, intrigue and adolescent drama well mixed to give a very entertaining and noventero film to a fault (its poster itself epitomizes that decade wonderfully).
See in Filmin | The best horror movies ever
‘A werewolf among us’ (‘Werewolves Within’, 2021)
Address: Josh Ruben. Distribution: Sam Richardson, Milana Vayntrub, George Basil, Sarah Burns, Michael Chernus
Here we already left the slasher to pull directly from the supernatural, although also sustained from the tension by the murderer without identity who is tormenting a group of characters. And also for the sympathetic and uninhibited comedy, giving a element of fun to this quest for a werewolf in the middle of a snowstorm.
The intrigue part works because it cleverly inherits it from the original Ubisoft video game it’s based on, a fantastic reimagining of popular games like “The Town Sleeps.” That communal spirit breathes well into this remarkable film, already making it a one of the strongest video game adaptations ever made on film.
Watch on Amazon Prime Video | Criticism in Espinof
