Offering more options than last month, Paramount+ is sending us into the rites of Spring with some pretty decent horror offerings this March and the new original series, School Spirits, that delves into the supernatural lives of recently deceased teenagers. February closed the month with some pretty high profile theatrical releases with Knock at the Cabin, Cocaine Bear, and … Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey.
Those three titles may not have quite lived up to the hype, however. March is already looking to take things up a notch with Scream 6 (a.k.a. Ghostface With a Shotgun) and the world premiere of Evil Dead Rise at SXSW.
Until then, Paramount+ is adding some tried and true classics and some fresh exciting original content to their growing collection. Find five of the most delectable horror offerings and a list of all the other scary movies we could find below!
School Spirits
“Nothing changes here. It all just resets.”
That ominous line in the trailer for the new original series School Spirits sent shivers down my spine. It’s instantly been added to my March must-watch list. The show looks to be a mix of Pretty Little Liars and Ghosts by way of Christopher Landon. Maddie (Peyton List) is an unfortunate teen ghost stuck in the afterlife that must investigate her mysterious disappearance or risk being trapped in high school limbo forever. With the help of other fellow ghost students, Maddie starts to uncover a complex web of lies and murder. With nods to Happy Death Day, the show’s premise also sounds like something that could be a back-cover blurb on a Grady Hendrix novel.
School Spirits premieres with three episodes on March 9, exclusively on Paramount+, with new episodes every Thursday. The new series stars Peyton List, Kristian Flores, Milo Manheim, Spencer MacPherson, Kiara Pichardo, Sarah Yarkin, Nick Pugliese, and Rainbow Wedell.
10 Cloverfield Lane
Break open the J.J. Abrams Mystery Box! The claustrophobic, paranoid, end-of-world pressure cooker 10 Cloverfield Lane is coming to Paramount+. Directed by Dan Trachtenberg (Prey), the whole plot line of 10 Cloverfield Lane hinges on whether or not to believe a total stranger when they tell you the world has ended.
After waking up after an accident, Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) wakes up in an underground bunker owned and maintained by a doomsday prepper named Howard (John Goodman). A massive chemical attack has occurred making the outside world unlivable. In a test of wits, Michelle must choose to believe Howard or risk contamination and death in order to find out the truth. Aside from The Big Lebowski, this is arguably John Goodman’s best performance and the ending will leave you breathless. Nestled in between the original Cloverfield and Cloverfield Paradox, 10 Cloverfield Lane feels like uncovering a lost episode The Twilight Zone.
Existenz
In what might be considered a glitch in the fabric of reality, David Cronenberg’s Existenz came out in 1999, the same year as The Matrix. The new millennium was on the horizon, and both films played with the notion of reality and fantasy blending together. Existenz just used the idea of virtual reality and gaming to further Cronenberg’s ongoing fascination with the line between flesh and machine. Jennifer Jason Leigh plays Allegra, a game designer that essentially becomes trapped in her own “MetaFlesh” game. With the help of Jude Law’s Ted, the two try to navigate the blurred lines between reality and manufactured fantasy.
The organic flesh gun is the Cronenberg prop most people remember from Existenz, and not much else. Crimes of the Future has placed Existenz in a new light, however. Now, it’s the middle film of a loosely connected trilogy that began with Videodrome. Considered a bit of a misfire when it was released on the heels of The Matrix, Existenz may be the film most due for a reevaluation out of Cronenberg’s entire career.
Friday The 13th – Part II
Moving from Starz to Paramount+ this month, Friday the 13th Part 2 should be available to watch on the streamer for a little while, hopefully. The entire series has never been available together on a streaming service, mostly due to its evergreen rental potential. The 1982 sequel really set the tone for the rest of the series, featuring Jason (Warrington Gillette) doing the killing for the first time. It’s also a showcase for Amy Steel, one of the best final girls of the 1980’s. Director Steve Miner (Friday the 13th Part III, House) ensured that the franchise would be around for a long time to come. The burlap sack Jason wears is also a nice nod to the Phantom Killer in Charles B. Pierce’s The Town That Dreaded Sundown. Watch Friday the 13th Part 2 for free while you can.
Obsessed
Starring Idris Elba (Beast, 28 Weeks Later), Ali Larter (Final Destination) and Beyoncé, the workplace horror thriller Obsessed is a perfect late aughts date movie. Flirtation turns to uncomfortable stalking when Larter’s character Lisa becomes obsessed with her boss Derek (Elba). Obsessed shares some similar DNA with Fatal Attraction and The Hand That Rocks The Cradle. But hopefully, it offers a little bit of a fresh take on an old formula. Sure, it may turn out to be a little outdated by today’s standards, though it’s hard to resist seeing Idris and Beyoncé as a power couple.
Horror fans will probably flock to the new original series School Spirits first before checking out some of the other genre titles available this month. But be sure and check out the other horror movies Paramount+ has coming up in March below!
March 1
10 Cloverfield Lane
Existenz
Friday The 13th – Part II
Scream 4
Obsessed (2009)
The Babysitter
The Dead Zone
The Lovely Bones
The Sixth Sense
March 9th
School Spirits (original series)
