The very concept of a parasite, an organism that feeds off of its host, provides fertile ground for horror. Parasite-based horror movies amplify the inherent revulsion of parasites, frequently exploiting our worst fears through skin-crawling body horror. Whether it’s a reality-based organism like ticks or imagined nightmare fuel, parasites in horror movies find unnerving ways […]
The very concept of a parasite, an organism that feeds off of its host, provides fertile ground for horror. Parasite-based horror movies amplify the inherent revulsion of parasites, frequently exploiting our worst fears through skin-crawling body horror.
Whether it’s a reality-based organism like ticks or imagined nightmare fuel, parasites in horror movies find unnerving ways to distort and destroy the human body.
This week’s streaming picks are dedicated to some of horror’s most memorable movie parasites and the carnage they induce. Here’s where you can stream them this week.
This nightmarish found footage movie sees a seaside town under siege from an unknown virulent threat. First comes a gnarly rash, then vomiting, then a violent, disturbing death. Eventually, researchers discover it’s a parasitic ocean isopod that’s mutated to an abnormally large size thanks to a nearby chicken farm’s chemicals getting dumped into the ocean. This isopod is most commonly known as the tongue-eating louse as it enters a fish through its gills, attaches itself to the tongue while cutting off circulation until the tongue falls off, and then acts as the new tongue. It then steals all the nutrients until the fish dies. In
The Bay
, the isopod gets even more horrific now that it’s invaded the land and the town’s residents.
Brain Damage – Fandor, Kanopy, Midnight Pulp, Night Flight+, Screambox
Frank Henenlotter’s follow-up to Basket Case brought a much more effective anti-drug campaign than that of First Lady Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No,“ in the form of the pint-sized parasitic Elmer. Or Aylmer, for the initiated. When an older couple loses their ancient parasite in their apartment complex, it finds a home in Brian (Rick Hearst). More specifically, it attaches itself to Brian’s brain stem and injects its addictive blue liquid, sending Brian into a euphoria that he can’t get enough of. The only problem is that Elmer demands to be fed human brains in return. A phallic, quick-witted parasite voiced by John Zacherle combined with Henenlotter’s distinct style of horror comedy makes this oddball creature feature a winner.
A West of Ireland trawler captain defies the Coast Guard’s orders to steer clear of an exclusion zone, unbeknownst to his crew and passengers. As a result, the boat runs into a strange object, home to an even stranger creature, that leaves them stranded and their water supply contaminated by an unidentified parasite. It causes some of the crew to get infected, leading to some gag-worthy symptoms and severe eye trauma. For the most part, Sea Fever’s body horror is more understated as it focuses on the paranoia that spreads among the crew; still, what it does have packs a punch.
Splinter – Hoopla, Pluto TV, Prime Video, Roku Channel
In this fun creature feature, a road trip gets stalled out by the unexpected. A young couple embarking on a romantic getaway instead finds themselves dealing with an escaped convict and a parasitic outbreak at a gas station that spreads and turns its hosts into deadly monsters. Brutal, suspenseful, and with a highly cool creature concept, director Toby Wilkins’ 2008 movie Splinter brings nail-biting suspense and body horror in equal measure.
Ticks – Fandango at Home, Fawesome, Pluto TV, Prime Video, Roku Channel
Creepy crawlers get a spine-tingling upgrade thanks to steroids, ensuring an even bigger, squirmier threat than before. In this B-movie, common blood-sucking ticks become abnormally large and aggressive thanks to getting mixed up in a drug dealer’s quest to make his marijuana plants larger. The teens enrolled in an inner-city wilderness project find themselves in the path of these massive ticks when they set up camp in their territory. The highlight of this ’90s monster movie gem is the violent climax that goes full-blown creature feature. It’s goopy, gory, and totally cringe-inducing, with a cast led by Seth Green.
