Last Updated: May 2, 2024
Max (formerly HBO Max) has compiled another interesting list for genre fans this month. They’re giving the true crime folks Murder in the Heartland and People Magazine Killer Investigates, Season 1. Jason Statham stans are getting Crank and Crank: High Voltage. Meanwhile, I’m wondering if this is my time to finally check out the Poltergeist remake. While there’s not much for us on the streamer this May, the titles in this month’s programming make up an eclectic picture that I can’t be too mad about. I even found five things worth highlighting for various reasons, so that’s a win for me and some of you.
Check out the titles I think might be the best bets this May below.
Hellboy and the crew must stop a mythical prince hellbent on ruling Earth. You can never make me hate a project where the starting lineup includes Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, and thee Doug Jones. You also cannot come between nerds like me and their Hellboy movies. While I have yet to hate any actor who has portrayed our precious little half-demon, there is a reason we all paused when the reboot’s casting was announced. Perlman is a hard act to follow and such a cool dude in general that we knew those were some huge boots to fill.
A surgeon must make the ultimate sacrifice after his relationship with a teenage boy takes a sinister turn. There is no way an absurdist psychological horror movie starring Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, and Barry Keoghan isn’t going to be the moment when it lands on a streamer. Congrats on winning this month, Max! This is also my favorite Yorgos Lanthimos movie so far, and I’m not sure if I’m strong enough to rewatch it again so soon. However, I’m telling everyone else where to find it immediately. This movie plucks every film nerd chord in my body. I’m still salty that I was one of the last people at this weird little party.
Supernatural forces find Carol Anne again while she’s staying with her aunt in a high-rise building. The cast includes Tom Skerritt, Nancy Allen, and is heartbreakingly Heather O’Rourke’s final role. O’Rourke and Zelda Rubinstein were the only cast members to do all three installments of the original trilogy. I remember parts of this film from childhood and am excited to see it as an adult. Also, looking forward to experiencing it without basic cable commercials. I wouldn’t be surprised if this movie was secretly one of the reasons Chicago seemed super cool to me until I actually experienced three winters there for myself. Max is also adding Poltergeist II: The Other Side if you’re feeling like a supernatural double feature.
The surviving members of the gang are back and in summer school this time as they come up against a new villain. I’m more of a PSL girl than a PLL stan, but I know so many friends who will be sat for this Max Original series. So, if you’re also here for the drama, you might be happy to know that this season premieres Thursday, May 9. PLL will drop two episodes before rolling out an episode a week through June 20. I’d recommend doing your homework and rewatching Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin on the streamer first though. Otherwise, you’ll be doomed to repeat the same lessons yet again.
Police investigate a brutal crime scene, and the adult film star in the middle of it, in this movie inspired by real events. This movie sees Val Kilmer portray the infamous John Holmes. Kate Bosworth, Dylan McDermott, Tim Blake Nelson, Christina Applegate, and the late Carrie Fisher round out this cast. I stumbled across this movie, and this case, because I’m in my thriller era and thought it might fit the bill. I could’ve never predicted the rabbit hole it would lead me down, and I’m ready to finally check this out for myself. If nothing else, this is a strong ass cast in a movie trying to capture a very chaotic figure. So, I’m sure it’ll be worth the journey even if I’m still shaken by my Google findings.
Black Christmas (2019)
Crank (2006)
Crank: High Voltage (2009)
The Dead Don’t Die (2019)
The Edge (1997)
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
The Lighthouse (2019)
Mad Max (1979)
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
Murder in the Heartland (ID)
People Magazine Killer Investigates, Season 1 (ID)
Poltergeist (2015)
Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986)
Poltergeist III (1988)
Pretty Little Liars: Summer School (Max Original)
Sleepless (2017)
Wonderland (2003)
I’m also thinking about catching The Lighthouse because Robert Eggers and Willem Dafoe are beacons of weird horror. My friends have also been shaming me recently because The Devil All The Time is the only Robert Pattinson performance I have ever seen. She doesn’t seem like my kind of party, but maybe I’m wrong this time.
Let me know if some of these titles hitting Max also caught your eye. Or if you’re just here to attend Pretty Little Liars: Summer School. Either way, you can find me at @misssharai.