As summer comes to a close and with the month of September swiftly upon us, Amazon Prime Video has revealed their exciting line-up of films arriving. From classic horror flicks and lauded ‘90s thrillers to feel-good comedies and riveting documentaries, the popular streaming platform is adding an impressive new selection of movies to its already spectacular catalog. There are a few Amazon original movies set to make their debuts in the coming month, with the edgy horror film My Best Friend’s Exorcism sure to deliver thrills and chills to viewers.
Speaking of the spooky genre, Naomi Watts is once again headlining a highly-anticipated remake with her version of the Austrian psychological hit Goodnight Mommy, which will follow two young twin boys as they begin to suspect the masked figure claiming to be their mother might not be her at all. In addition to such exciting new content, Amazon Prime Video will also be adding fan-favorites like the feminist comedy Legally Blonde and the iconic crime drama The Usual Suspects to their extensive library. These are the best movies coming to the streaming giant in September 2022.
My Best Friend’s Exorcism
Based on the Grady Hendrix novel of the same name, the 2022 horror film My Best Friend’s Exorcism is set in 1988 and centers on longtime best friends Gretchen Lang and Abby Rivers, sophomores in high school who find their close bond tested when the former begins to act bizarrely and frighteningly, leading to Abby believing she is possessed by the devil. Written by Good Girls writer Jenna Lamia and featuring Amiah Miller and Elsie Fisher in the lead roles, the gripping flick has been described as The Exorcist meets Heathers and is sure to deliver plenty of thrills and chills for fans of the spooky genre.
Legally Blonde
Reese Witherspoon famously starred as the bubbly sorority girl-turned-law student Elle Woods in the 2001 comedy Legally Blonde, which follows the aspiring character as she attends Harvard Law School to initially win back her ex-boyfriend before eventually discovering her own self-worth as she tackles harmful stereotypes.
Adapted from the Amanda Brown novel, the feel-good flick helped establish Witherspoon as a sensational leading lady and led to a 2003 sequel Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde and a popular stage musical; a third film is currently in the works with Mindy Kaling and Dan Goor set to write its screenplay.
An American Werewolf in London
John Landis directed the iconic 1981 horror comedy An American Werewolf in London, telling the exciting story of American college students David (David Naughton) and Jack (Griffin Dunne) as they backpack through Britain only to be viciously attacked by a mysterious, deadly creature. When David wakes up from the violent assault, he learns Jack did not survive and is plagued by visions of his undead friend as he shockingly realizes he himself is becoming a werewolf.
An American Werewolf in London was a smash hit with both audiences and critics alike, earning immense praise for its brilliant blending of comedy and horror; The Daily Telegraph declared that it was “the first mainstream hit which managed to make its gross-out effects simultaneously shocking and hilarious."
Flight/Risk
Karim Amer and Omar Mullick teamed up to direct the emotionally-driven 2022 documentary Flight/Risk, chronicling the tragic global incident when two separate Boeing 737 Max planes crashed in 2018 and 2019 just five months apart. The heavy picture features interviews with the family members of the crash victims, depicting how their lives were forever changed by the catastrophe in addition to commentary from their respective legal teams and those who exposed the truth behind the crashes. Pulitzer Prize-winning Seattle Times journalist Dominic Gates also appears, who alongside fellow journalists investigated the accidents and provided pivotal coverage of the incidents.
The Usual Suspects
Bryan Singer directed the critically-lauded 1995 neo-noir mystery thriller The Usual Suspects, which touts a dazzling ensemble cast including Benicio del Toro, Gabriel Byrne, and Kevin Spacey and follows five criminals as they become embroiled in a multi-million dollar heist on a docked ship; only two survive the massacre as one of the con men relay the twisty tale of what truly happened.
The electrifying drama earned widespread praise upon its release for its powerful performances, sharp screenplay and intricate plot and won two Academy Awards. It has since been regarded as one of cinema’s finest heist and mystery films of all time, landing on Entertainment Weekly’s list of the “13 Must-See Heist Movies.”
Role Models
The sidesplitting 2008 comedy Role Models focuses on energy drink salesmen Danny (Paul Rudd) and Wheeler (Sean William Scott) as they are forced to complete 150 hours of community service in a Big Brother program after a school presentation goes awry and they destroy a company truck. Despite the disgruntled men being apprehensive to take on being role models to two hilariously different kids, they soon realize the experience might not be so bad and that they can actually make a difference.
The uproarious farce with some endlessly quotable lines features memorable performances by Christopher Mintz-Plasse as the geeky, LARP-loving teenager Augie and by Bobb’e J. Thompson as the foul-mouthed boy Ronnie in desperate need of an attitude adjustment.
Goodnight Mommy
A remake of the 2014 Austrian psychological horror film of the same name, the upcoming Goodnight Mommy stars Naomi Watts, Peter Hermann, and Cameron Crovetti and centers on twin brothers Elias and Lucas, who upon returning home to stay with their mother begin to suspect that something is amiss, and she might not be who she claims she is after undergoing cosmetic facial surgery.
The original picture was an elevated horror classic that earned acclaim for its pulse-pounding premise and dark horror, with the new adaptation enlisting Watts to portray the terrifying titular mother; the talented Naomi Watts is no stranger to appearing in horror remakes, having skyrocketed to fame with her performance in the 2002 supernatural hit The Ring.
The Silence of the Lambs
Widely regarded as one of the most influential and greatest films of all time, the 1991 psychological horror movie The Silence of the Lambs introduced audiences once again to the chilling cannibalistic serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) as he offers his expertise on a case to the determined FBI trainee Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster).
Directed by Jonathan Demme, the beloved horror picture became the third and most recent film to win all five major categories at the Academy Awards and was a box office success, becoming a sleeper hit that eventually took the world by storm with its spine-tingling story. In their glowing review, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch called it “the stuff that nightmares are made of. It is, in a sense, a horror movie, but one that deserves comparison with such great works of psychological terror as The Shining, Psycho and Rosemary's Baby.”