April was a fantastic month for Prime Video. April showers brought the sensational Rachel Weisz-led remake of Dead Ringers. Subscribers couldn’t get enough of From, the mysterious series that remained number one throughout most of the month. May looks to augment the already remarkable library with plenty of sensational new scares. While you could just continue to stream Nope (and honestly…), check out five of the best titles hitting Prime Video this month, with the full list available at the end.
Carrie (2002)
David Carson’s 2002 adaptation of Stephen King’s Carrie is no De Palma, though it’s a remarkable exercise in what could have been. Originally intended as a backdoor pilot for a potential Carrie television series following disparate telekinetics (think the much-maligned episode of Stranger Things), the television movie performed well, but not well enough for a series order. And while it mostly retreads the same ground, the cast—including Angela Bettis, Patricia Clarkson, and Katharine Isabelle—elevate the material considerably. It’s worth a look at the very least.
Fatal Attraction
Yes, Fatal Attraction is deeply regressive, featuring one of the most infamous reshot endings of all time (an ending that allegedly drove star Glenn Close to tears), but when every filmic element is this confident, this remarkable, it’s easy to look past it. By now, everyone knows what happens when Michael Douglas makes the ill-advised decision to cheat on his wife with Close’s literary editor, but even years after release, Fatal Attraction holds up. Close is truly sensational, and Douglas does what Douglas does best—embodying a rotten cad who somehow remains sympathetic throughout. It’s the domestic thriller to end all domestic thrillers, and for as troubling as the ending is, there’s no denying its nightmarish efficacy.
Violent Night
Violent Night was a gift last holiday season. While the marketing materials made it look like little more than a throwaway Die Hard riff, Tommy Wirkola’s action/horror hybrid was anything but a lump of coal. David Harbour seemed born to play a violent, wickedly militaristic Santa Claus. The laughs are plentiful, the blood flows with aplomb, and after a dearth of holiday genre content, Violent Night almost seemed too good to be true. Please check this one out if you haven’t already.
Shutter Island
By now, most genre fans know how Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island, adapted from Dennis Lehane’s novel of the same name, ends. Yet, even knowing where it goes does little to detract from the sheer, mind-bending effectiveness of what is arguably one of the century’s finest psychological thrillers. It’s a gorgeously composed mystery anchored by an exceptional Leonardo DiCaprio. Even if you’ve seen it once or a dozen times (uh, me), its premiere on Prime Video is a great opportunity to introduce it to someone new in your life.
Three Thousand Years of Longing
Sure, Three Thousand Years of Longing isn’t more Mad Max, but George Miller’s fantasy romance still does a lot right. Even if it doesn’t entirely coalesce into something great, it’s a bold piece of cinema, demonstrating once again that Miller is one of filmmaking’s most acute visual eyes. Adapted from A.S. Byatt’s short story collection “The Djinn in the Nightinggale’s Eye,” Three Thousand Years of Longing sees Tilda Swinton’s Dr. Alithea Binnie is offered three wishes from Idris Elba’s Djinn. It’s a gorgeous visual feast and rapturous romance that demands to be seen.
While those are just the highlights, be certain to check out the full list of new genre titles being added to Prime Video this month below. Have you caught Violent Night yet? Let me know over on Twitter @Chadiscollins.
Every Genre Title coming to Prime Video in May
May 1
Carrie (2002)
Darkest Hour (2017)
Europa Report (2013)
Fatal Attraction (1987)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
Reminiscence (2021)
Rise: Blood Hunter (2007)
Shutter Island (2010)
Virtuosity (1995)
May 23
Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022)
May 26
Violent Night (2022)
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