This Friday brings James Wan’s return to horror, Malignant, to theaters and HBO Max. The plot sees a woman paralyzed by horrific visions of murders and realizes they’re not just waking nightmares but reality. Wan teased that his latest offers his unique take on a Giallo and cited specific filmmakers and films as inspiration. So, this week’s streaming picks explore some of those inspirations, offering a tease of what madness Wan may have in store.
Here’s where you can stream them this week.
The Eyes of Laura Mars – Prime Video
Before famously helming The Empire Strikes Back, director Irvin Kershner tackled a neo-noir Giallo feature based on a treatment/source story by horror master John Carpenter. Faye Dunaway stars as the titular Laura Mars, a fashion photographer that develops a bizarre ability to see through the eyes of a killer targeting those around her. While played straight, the ending goes off the rails in the most wonderfully melodramatic way. It’s stylish and studded with an all-star cast, including Tommy Lee Jones, Raul Julia, and Brad Dourif.
Phenomena – AMC+, Kanopy, Plex, Roku, Shudder, Tubi
Dario Argento combined both Giallo and supernatural horror with this ‘80s gem. He also dabbled with new techniques, especially Steadicam used for the killer’s prowling and hunting shots. The film stars Jennifer Connelly as a young girl studying abroad at a Swiss academy for girls. She happens to have a gift that allows her to communicate with insects telepathically. That talent proves handy in solving a string of gruesome murders that are plaguing the area. Donald Pleasence also stars as a forensic entomologist with a chimp that befriends Connelly’s character. A girl that can communicate with bugs, and a killer that might be more monstrous than initially expected; this Argento thriller gets a bit bonkers in the best way.
The Brood – HBO Max, Criterion Channel
Only David Cronenberg could conceive of something like The Brood when exorcising the acute pain and fury of divorce. Frank Carveth (Art Hindle) is in the midst of an embittered separation process from his estranged wife Nola (Samantha Eggar), a disturbed woman currently undergoing experimental therapy. Her psychotherapist, Hal Raglan (Oliver Reed), has developed an experimental process that allows his patients to let go of their suppressed emotions via physical manifestations on their body, weird growths, and skin anomalies. That means Nola channels all of her rage into a brood of psychically manifested children, who then act on her fury through murder. It’s visceral body horror meets genuine family tragedy and drama.
Trauma (1993) – IMDb TV, Kanopy
Argento further tests the boundaries of weird with this early ‘90s thriller, which sees his daughter Asia Argento playing Aura, a woman who escapes from a mental institution. When she’s returned, it sparks a series of murders. Aura will have to solve the killer’s identity before she becomes the next victim. It’s Argento taking on an American Giallo, which means the cast includes the likes of Piper Laurie and Brad Dourif.
Fear (1990) – Tubi, Vudu
Psychic Cayce Bridges (Ally Sheedy) helps police solve murders with her gift; she can telepathically link her mind with the killer. Things get complicated when she encounters a killer that not only shares the same skill but is far more powerful. And he wants to share his victims’ fear with her. Pruitt Taylor Vince (Identity, The Devil’s Candy) plays the Shadow Man, the killer targeting Cayce. The Shadow Man brings the creep factor in this often suspenseful cat and mouse game between psychics.
