The D’Youville Library would like to invite you to kick back and take a short break from the stress of your studies this week by watching some scary movies in the comfort of your own home, dorm or remote cabin in the woods.
The Kanopy Collection has a nice selection of horror titles from around the world and they are free to stream on any device.
There is a wide selection of horror/suspense movies in the collection. There is wide variety of types of horror genres including classics from the 1920s-1970s, foreign films, suspense films, supernatural to slasher and more.
Below are five selections that are great for those unsure where to start. These four horror movies (and one comedy/horror) are sure to take your mind off the impending feeling of doom that you may be experiencing for your next exam.
These five selections are in no particular order:
Title: What We Do in the Shadows
Synopsis:
A documentary crew (who are wearing crucifixes) follows four vampire roommates—Viago, Vladislav, Deacon, and Petyr—who share a flat in the Wellington New Zealand. Funnier than the average vampire movie, it also makes you think about some of the more banal parts of a vampires existence.
Title: Night of the Living Dead
Synopsis:
Zombies, zombies, zombies! Everywhere you look there are zombies. This is the movie that created the modern zombie genre that is still going strong today.
The story follows seven people who are trapped in a rural farmhouse in western Pennsylvania, which is besieged by a large and growing group of “living dead” monsters.
Title: Nosferatu
Synopsis:
Another classic that help invent a movie genre- but this time with vampires.
This film was released in 1922. It was an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s classic Dracula (1897).
Stoker’s estate sued over the adaptation, and a court ruling ordered that all copies of the film be destroyed. A few prints of Nosferatu survived, and the film is now regarded as an influential masterpiece of cinema.
Very inventive and eerie visuals throughout this silent movie make it a great background movie to have playing at a party.
Title: Donnie Darko
Synopsis:
The movie follows a parnoid teenager Donnie Darko who is having visions of the end of the world which include a visit from a giant rabbit named Frank.
Writing a clear synopsis of this movie is near impossible, but it has an atomspheric quality that is perfect for the Halloween season.
Although it was originally ignored at its release it has since become a cult and critical favorite.
Title: Cronos
Synopsis:
This 1993 Mexicon horror film was written and directed by the director Guillermo del Toro of Pan’s Labyrinth and The Shape of Water fame.
It is the story of an antique dealer who finds a mystical jewel shaped like a scarab beetle that gives him eternal youth. Unfortunately there are side effects including a thirst for blood.
The film had a very positive critical response for its acting, production quality and originality.
These movies are just a sampling of the wide range of movies of all types in the Kanopy Collection. Take a look today and have a Happy Halloween!
