Hocus Pocus 2, Netflix’s The Munsters and all the new movies to watch at home

This weekend Hocus pocus 2, the long-awaited sequel to the classic 1993 fantasy comedy starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy, finally premieres on Disney Plus. If that doesn’t sound like your special bag of trick-or-treating, don’t worry — there are plenty more scary (and non-scary) good movies to rent or stream this weekend.

We have The Munstersthe new Rob Zombie comedy (yes – I’m as surprised by that description as you are) based on the classic 1960s horror sitcom, Andrew Dominik’s Marilyn Monroe biographical drama starring Ana de Armas and the animated special for adult entergalactic with Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi and Jessica Williams (love life) all premiere on Netflix. There’s also the supernatural horror comedy My best friend’s exorcism on Prime Video and the social media horror thriller sissy on Shudder. Not to mention the black horror comedy slasher body body body on VOD. Look, there’s so much choice!

Here are all the news to watch at home this weekend.

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Hocus pocus 2

Where to see: Available to stream on Disney Plus

Photo: Matt Kennedy/Disney

mumbo jumbo, mumbo-jumbo is back! Almost 30 years after the original, Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy reprise their roles as the Sanderson sisters. This time they’ll be directed by Hannah Waddingham (Teddy Lasso) and Doug Jones (just about every movie monster you’ve seen in the last decade).

The Munsters

Where to see: Available to stream on Netflix

Credit: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment/Netflix

If your first reaction is “Rob Zombie did a Munsters movie???” – you’re not alone.

The heavy metal singer-songwriter/filmmaker may be best known for his gnarly horror films (which deserve a better reputation than they have), but he returned to his for this low-budget comedy adaptation of the popular TV series roots back. Zombie has been a massive one Muenster Fan since childhood, and there’s nothing quite like seeing a filmmaker able to inhabit a world they’ve always wanted.

Blond

Where to see: Available to stream on Netflix

Image: Netflix

Andrew Dominik’s controversial adaptation of Joyce Carol Oate’s controversial Marilyn Monroe book has certainly sparked some debate. It’s Netflix’s first NC-17 film (though it’s worth noting that Netflix doesn’t always get its films rated), and it stars Ana de Armas as Monroe.

From Oli Welsh’s analysis of the film’s relationship to its NC-17 rating:

The problem is that Dominik’s mythologizing tendencies and insatiable hunger for compelling imagery undermine his own subject matter to devastating effect. He doesn’t have enough interest in Norma Jeane to build a personality for her or get a sense of her accomplishments, beyond the incessant misery piled on her by others. Meanwhile, he indulges a superficial fascination with Marilyn’s iconography, using every tool at his disposal to recreate film scenes and photoshoots with astonishing accuracy. In addition to the liberal use of CGI to insert de Armas into the picture or add fantastical dimension to the re-enactment, there are constant changes in footage, aspect ratio, lens and color treatment. Dominik’s dazzling technique not only fails to detract from the film’s tiresome lack of tonal variation, but is completely absorbed in the dehumanizing factory of images that the film aims to critique.

entergalactic

Where to see: Available to stream on Netflix

Image: Netflix

Penned by Kid Cudi, Netflix’s latest animated project promises beautiful visuals along with a down-to-earth story about an aspiring artist who falls in love with New York City.

DC League of Super Pets

Where to see: Available for streaming HBO Max

Image: Warner Bros. Pictures

One of the few DC Comics films to actually release this year, this animated film features many of the Justice League members’ pets. The expansive cast includes Dwayne Johnson as Krypto, Kevin Hart as Ace the Bat-Hound, and Keanu Reeves as Batman, among others. We’re still pouring one out for the pets that weren’t in the movie.

From our review:

As in The Lego Batman Moviethe best part of DC League of Super Pets is the writers’ intimate knowledge and love of the source material, which they use to keep the film moving with clever gags and even more brilliant callbacks. A highlight is an inexplicable holographic recording of Krypto’s father, Dog-El, offering important advice like “don’t eat chocolate.” There are plenty more gags for those in-the-know comic book fans, like a Justice League hotline that tells callers to press buttons based on whether they’re trying to contact Earth-1 or Earth-2, and a Big Belly Burger inside of downtown Metropolis which is destroyed in battle.

My best friend’s exorcism

Where to see: Available for streaming Prime video

Photo: Eliza Morse/Prime Video

When you love Jennifer’s bodythen you will love My Best Friend’s Exorcism the supernatural horror comedy based on the 2016 novel of the same name. Elsie Fischer (Eighth class) stars as Abby, a high school girl who must contend with a demon possessing her best friend Gretchen (Amiah Miller).

The greatest beer run of all time

Where to see: Available for streaming AppleTVPlus

Image: Apple TV Plus

Based on a true story The greatest beer run of all time Zac Efron plays Chickie Donohue, a feisty New Yorker who leaves the United States in 1967 to embark on a journey to bring beer to his childhood friends fighting in Vietnam. Chickie’s well-meaning gag morphs into a profound, life-changing experience as he comes face to face with the dangers and realities of this controversial war, forcing him to reflect on his past, present and future.

sissy

Where to see: Available for streaming Shudder

Image: XYZ Films/Shudder

Aisha Dee (Look both ways) stars in the social media horror thriller of 2022 sissy as a successful social media influencer who gets invited to her childhood best friend’s bachelorette weekend. After being approached by her fellow traveling childhood bully, Sissy is confronted with disturbing memories of her past that stir a long-sleeping thirst for revenge.

autumn

Where to see: Available for $19.99 Amazon, Applegoogle play

Image: Lionsgate

Acclaimed action filmmaker Scott Mann turned his talent to this low-key thriller about two women who get stuck atop a 2,000-foot radio tower. I just wouldn’t climb to the top of a 2,000 foot radio tower, but I guess I’m different.

body body body

Where to see: Available for $19.99 Amazon, Applegoogle play

Photo: Gwen Capistran/A24

A young woman named Bee (Maria Bakalova) and her friend Sophie (Amandla Stenberg) are invited to a hurricane party at a remote mansion by Sophie’s friends: a spoiled group of rich 20-year-olds with a penchant for drama. While playing a find the killer murder mystery party game, the group quickly learns that a real killer is in their midst.

From our review:

body body body begins to play like a compressed Scream, sped up, as if the filmmakers believe they are playing for a generation that can’t keep both eyes on a full-length feature film. The filmmakers make the compelling decision to balance both the bloodshed and the absurd. Instead of letting the satire give way to the horror film suspense, they make the accusations and defensiveness louder and more ridiculous the more the characters feel endangered. At one point, the deadly peril is interrupted by the equally shocking betrayal that one friend might hate listening to another’s podcast.

express train

Where to see: Available for $19.99 Amazon, Applegoogle play

Photo Credit: Scott Garfield/Sony Pictures

David Leitch is one half of the superstar directing duo that has given us tremendous impact John Wick, and his latest action film features a superstar cast led by Brad Pitt, Brian Tyree Henry, Joey King and Bad Bunny. A good throw means a good blooper roll.

From our review:

Fight in express train are short and characterful, with punches in place of (or alongside) jokes and Jackie Chan-esque prop work. Inspired staging, like a seated scuffle between Ladybug and Lemon in the train’s silent carriage (a centerpiece of the film’s trailers), is among the best out there express train has to offer, with John Wick-esque choreographic precision placed at the service of comedy. The worst thing about the film is when it gives up that precision for bombast, as in its wildly destructive finale, which is kind of expected but still disappointing.

vespers

Where to see: Can be rented for $6.99 Amazon, Applegoogle play

Image: IFC Films

The post-apocalyptic indie sci-fi film has received rave reviews, including from us!

From our review:

vespers simultaneously plays like an imaginative indie on a budget in the range of dual and like Alex Garland’s $50 million passion project destruction. It’s a small story, so subdued and minimalist at times that even putting two characters in the same room can feel crowded. But in her first film release since 2012 is the well-received sci-fi import Disappearing Waves, [directors Kristina] buocyte and [Bruno] Samper do an impressive job of creating a plausible, tangible world around these tranquil spaces. The scenery tells the story as effectively as any laborious exhibition could.