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Pumpkin spice is in the air, candy corn is in the stores and new horror movies are streaming. Even though it's still August, we're feeling the fall season. Or "szn" as the kids say.
With Labor Day upon us, Netflix is getting into the Halloween spirit with Lee Daniels' possession flick "The Deliverance," one of many streaming recommendations I've got for you over a long three-day weekend. (The power of Watch Party compels you!) For those more interested in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, Amazon's "Lord of the Rings" fantasy show is back with a new focus on its villain: "Hot Sauron," which is apparently a thing. It's also a good time to catch up on stuff you haven't seen yet because the fall movie season is coming in fast – and we've got the rundown on that, too.
Now on to the good stuff:
Watching Daniels' movies ("Precious" and "The Butler" among them), I never got a "horror guy" vibe from him. However, the director's favorite film is "The Exorcist" – "The Omen" and "Rosemary's Baby" also rank pretty high on his list – and he conjures some nicely creepy imagery in "The Deliverance," which stars Andra Day as an alcoholic mom who has to battle a supernatural threat when an evil spirit possesses her three children. It's inspired by a true story – this rundown of what reportedly happened is a must-read – and I talked with Daniels about what's fact and fiction in his movie. He also explains he had a deliverance minister on set to make sure demons stayed away. "Not today, Satan!" quips Daniels, who decided to play it safe after reading about the weirdness that filmmakers witnessed and felt while making "Exorcist" and "Poltergeist."
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"The Deliverance" is one of several movies new to streaming services, and I've got a roundup of what you should peep tonight, including "The Fall Guy," "Kinds of Kindness," "The Watchers" and – if you could use a good cry – "Daughters."
Here's a confession. I'm a little weird. I don't really loooooove the "Lord of the Rings" movies. They're fine! Just never been Mr. Fantasy. I do like TV's "Rings of Power," though, with its assortment of engaging characters, nifty world building and, yes, some important jewelry. The first episode of the new season is streaming now, and in her ★½ review, TV critic Kelly Lawler calls the latest round "confusing, directionless and emotionally bankrupt." Yeesh.
Portrayed by Charlie Vickers, resident big bad Sauron plays a major role after spending Season 1 hiding in plain sight the whole time, and, yeah, he's more conventionally attractive than the guy in the freaky armor in the "Rings" movies. Really, it's all about the Ents, Orcs and other cool creatures anyway.
If you're like me, with school back in session and the holidays just over the horizon, you're totally in planning mode. That goes for movie-watching, too: This week we published our big fall movie preview with exclusive peeks at 15 flicks you'll want to see in theaters.
The season starts with a major release right out of the gate, next week's sequel "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice," and the next two months will bring stuff like "Transformers One," "Venom: The Last Dance," "Smile 2," "Joker: Folie à Deux" and the yuletide-themed "Terrifier 3." Because nothing screams Christmas like Art the Clown in a Santa suit.
Got thoughts, questions, ideas, concerns, compliments or maybe even some recs for me? Email [email protected] and follow me on the socials: I'm @briantruitt on Twitter (not calling it X!), Instagram and Threads.
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