If you’re looking for a new movie or series to binge-watch this weekend, you’re in luck! Prime Video has all the hidden gems to keep you watching all weekend long.
This semi-historical horror anthology series is a must-watch, especially with its first season leaving Prime Video in 11 days. The show (first season) is based on a 2007 novel of the same name by Dan Simmons and is set in the mid to late 1840s. The story is centered around the British Royal Navy’s Arctic expedition to find the Northwest Passage.
While the sea route is already known to be dangerous, the crew soon discovers exactly how perilous the Arctic can be. In addition to battling the elements, while facing dwindling supplies, they must also contend with an eerie, supernatural force that seems to be stalking the ships.
The only silver lining is perhaps a mute Inuit woman, whose knowledge becomes key to the crews’ survival. If you’re looking to get your fill of the best horror movies and shows this summer, The Terror (at least the first season, in my opinion) isn’t one you should skip.
If you’re in the mood for a cozy crime drama that won’t give you nightmares, Sneaky Pete is a fairly interesting pick that delivers plenty of twists. It follows Marius, a con man who has just been released from jail but is still on the run from a gangster to whom he owes a significant amount of money.
He decides to take cover by assuming the identity of Pete, his fellow inmate, and reunites with Pete’s family. While this arrangement seems straightforward at first, Marius quickly discovers it’s anything but simple as he gets entangled in the family’s dangerous bail bond business. All the resulting complications make for an interesting plotline, and the three seasons of this crime drama will keep you engaged through and through.
For something a little lighter but equally entertaining, Upload, a sci-fi comedy drama by Greg Daniels of The Office and Parks and Recreation fame, is a solid choice. The story is set in 2033, at a time when humans can upload their consciousness into an afterlife of their choice.
When Nathan, a party boy programmer, passes away, he gets uploaded into a virtual afterlife called Lakeview. He navigates this new virtual life with the help of Nora, his “customer service angel,” who helps him find purpose and love. Nora, meanwhile, has her own struggles, given that she’s an actual living human dealing with several real-world issues and pressures. Both heartfelt and funny, Upload is one of those rare shows that gets a lot of things right.
I recently watched The Vast of Night without really looking up anything about it and was incredibly impressed. Only later did I discover it was made on a modest budget of $700,000 and shot in a span of only a few weeks, which makes this movie’s craftsmanship all the more remarkable.
The plot follows Fay, a switchboard operator, and Everett, a local radio DJ, in 1950s New Mexico. One day, the teens hear a mysterious audio frequency over the airwaves. As they dig deeper, they begin to suspect that this frequency might be linked to something extraterrestrial.
They continue their investigations, which eventually lead them to a remote field where they come face-to-face with a UFO. The final moments are a little ambiguous, but in a good way, given that it leaves people wondering about Fay and Everett’s fates, long after the credits roll. Ultimately, The Vast of Night made such an impression on me that I can safely say it is a movie I will watch over and over again.
Tucker & Dale vs. Evil is a 2010 horror-comedy with a plot unlike anything I’ve seen. The story follows two kindhearted but socially awkward hillbillies, Tucker and Dale. They’ve just purchased a cabin in the woods and are headed there to enjoy a weekend of beer drinking and fishing. But things take a quick turn when they run into a group of college kids, who assume Tucker and Dale are a couple of psycho killers.
This leads to a series of ridiculous misunderstandings, and the chaos of it all allows the actual killer to go undetected until it is far too late. The movie ends with a shocking revelation, but justice is ultimately served. It’s really enjoyable to watch, unless you find gore hard to stomach. And despite all the bloody moments, it has a fairly sweet ending.
While these are some of my top picks for the weekend, Prime Video has a plethora of binge-worthy shows and movies. A quick scan of the homepage is all you need to do to spot everything from cult classics to lesser-known gems that deserve a watch.
