Bring on the blood. This week’s watchlist is dedicated to the most violent films available on our favourite streaming service because I needed a theme and there’s just something so enjoyable about the spurting of copious fake blood from wounds on screen. Required stomach strength increases as we tick through the days here so good luck keeping down your Sunday roast champs.

Friday – Let the Right One In – Genre: Drama, Horror, Romance

A very different sort of vampire flick. A Swedish horror (but it’s not really scary) that focuses on a blossoming romance between the awkward Oskar and his mysterious neighbour Eli. On the whole more dramatically focused than anything else, you real gore hounds will have to savour the properly brutal moments scattered throughout the film. Don’t worry though, when they come, they come. As you’d expect from the Scandinavians, this is predictably moody, dark and great in equal parts and vastly superior to its American cover – so get over the subtitles and enjoy.

Saturday – Headshot – Genre: Action/Martial Arts

Mayhem. Complete mayhem. Ishmael (Iko Uwais of The Raid and The Raid 2 – yeah, same bloke, hype) wakes up on a beach with amnesia. ‘Oh dear!’ I hear you cry, ‘He’s forgotten his absolutely filthy butt-kicking skillz too I bet’ – guess again reader. With everything else gone (so prepare yourself for plenty of flashback scenes), luckily  Ishmael has remembered how to serve up a hot dish of whoop-ass to any baddies dumb enough to try it on. Let’s be clear, this is not the film The Raids are, not by a long shot. You’ll recognize Uwais’ choreography but the fights outside an urban environment are weaker, and the frenetic spinning camerawork gets annoying in spots. Some of the narrative drags a little too – but who frickin cares – you’ll see a truly audacious use of a bullet in a bonkers bus fight that’s worth tuning in for alone. Bones will be snapped, torsos will be speared, and faces will be punched into a bloody pure. Righteous.

Sunday – Green Room – Genre: Thriller, Horror

This is genuinely shocking stuff and certainly not for the faint of heart. Feel the tension thicken from the moment they enter the club and then ramp up with each increasingly brutal act of violence. It is a blessing this film is only 94 minutes because any longer would probably be unsafe for anyone’s blood pressure. A band trapped in a green room square off against a band of neo-Nazis led by the terrifying Darcy (Patrick Stewart –  impressive outside of his usual type-casting) after witnessing an act of violence post-gig. The picture is written and directed by Jeremy Saulnier, and watchers of Blue Ruin will recognise the frankness with which his camera addresses violence and the lingering depictions of it. Machetes, box cutters, attack dogs, all this and more are in store for those brave enough to take this ripsnorter on. It’s a bloody good flick if you do.

Alec Sims

(Image courtesy of GeekNation)