Politics can be scary, and today is Election Day. Whether you’re in need of a distraction from the news or simply looking for themed viewing inspiration, here’s a handy guide to Election Day horror movies to keep your mind preoccupied. These eight horror movies feature politicians, presidents, political divides, and capitalism, all filtered through the lens of horror.
Consider this your reminder to go vote, then come home and escape into the faux universes where aliens have invaded, governments sanction full-blown murder holidays, and more.
Here are eight Election Day horror movies to watch today…
The Dead Zone
Directed by David Cronenberg, this adaptation stars Christopher Walken as John Smith, a young school teacher who slips into a coma for five years due to a car accident. When he comes to, he finds his lady love has moved on and has a new psychic ability that gives him insight into anyone he touches. A genre-bender that streamlines Stephen King’s novel, The Dead Zone might make for the definitive Election Day horror movie to watch thanks to antagonist and Senate candidate Greg Stillson (Martin Sheen). The novel also inspired a TV series that ran for six seasons beginning in 2002.
Omen III: The Final Conflict
The Antichrist Damien Thorn was strategically placed in the care of an affluent American diplomat in Richard Donner’s The Omen, ensuring that politics and horror would be intertwined for the entire franchise. Damien’s upbringing pays off in The Final Conflict, where the Antichrist (Sam Neill) ascends as the US Ambassador to the United Kingdom and plots to thwart the second coming of Christ. While this entry does feature some memorable deaths, it opts for scares via Damien’s political machinations. Damien doesn’t plan to destroy the world with fire and brimstone but through evil policies like controlling the Third World’s food supply.
The Purge: Election Year
As with the Omen franchise, the Purge’s core concept makes any installment an excellent choice to watch on Election Day. This entry continues the action thrills of Anarchy but with an even heavier political slant as it centers around the lethal bid to thwart the Presidential election of US Senator Charlie Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell). Roan wants to stop the annual Purge, which spells bad news for the Founding Fathers, who use the annual event to maintain control of the population. They didn’t anticipate that Anarchy‘s hero, Leo Barnes (Frank Grillo), runs her security team. It’s action horror that delivers the propulsive thrills on Election Day.
Land of the Dead
Any of George A. Romero’s zombie movies could apply here, but Land of the Dead particularly captures a post-9/11 America. This sequel centers around the feudal system within the guarded human sanctuary of Pittsburgh. Here, the rich and powerful live in a luxury high-rise called Fiddler’s Green, while the poor live in squalor in the surrounding streets. The fortress town is presided over by corrupt plutocratic leader Paul Kaufman (Dennis Hopper), making for a much more lethal and cunning threat than the zombies, who are simply shambling to find their own place in this post-apocalyptic wasteland.
Bubba Ho-Tep
Don Coscarelli takes a creative approach to addressing the sluggish nature of standard ancient mummies; he unleashes the undead monster upon a pool of potential victims too feeble to outrun it. Bruce Campbell stars as an aged man claiming to be the still-living Elvis Presley. When a reanimated mummy in cowboy gear starts feeding off the residents in Presley’s nursing home, he teams up with former president John F. “Jack” Kennedy (Ossie Davis) to stop it. Coscarelli blends humor and heart for a disarming horror-comedy on aging, mortality, and friendship. This pick is for those who need some good old fashioned escapism today.
Jaws
Set over Fourth of July weekend, one massive man-eating shark threatens to ruin tourist season for Amity Island in Jaws. It’s up to a local sheriff, a marine biologist, and a shark hunter to intervene in this suspenseful feature from Steven Spielberg that makes everyone afraid to go into the water. This quintessential summer horror classic doesn’t immediately scream “Election Day” until you factor in Amity Island’s mayor. The sleazy politician prioritizes money over constituents, and his refusal to listen to reason or our protagonists winds up getting people killed.
They Live
“I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass. And I’m all out of bubble gum.” Roddy Piper stars as drifter John Nada in John Carpenter’s sci-fi action movie, who discovers a pair of sunglasses that allow him to see that aliens have colonized the Earth. More accurately, the shades let Nada notice that “they” have control of the world’s rich and powerful, creating a wide divide between the haves and the have-nots. Carpenter’s lambast of unrestrained capitalism is as scathing as it is fun, with no shortage of memorable moments like the extended fight between Nada and Keith David’s Frank.
Threads
This docudrama broadcast on BBC Two in September 1984 depicted the effects of nuclear war. Tensions between the US and the Soviet Union escalated, eventually leading to the dropping of a nuclear warhead and sending the town of Sheffield into panic, then full-blown destruction. The fallout becomes terrifying as looters get murderous, radiation sickness spreads, and food grows scarce. Cannibalism, famine and disease run wild, and civilization regresses into a more barbaric period. Threads isn’t horror by standard measures, but it’s deeply unsettling nonetheless, so approach accordingly. Harrowing, bleak, and unflinching, this one is an absolute downer.
Bonus: “Chucky” Season 3
CHUCKY — “Dressed to Kill” Episode 304 — Pictured in this screengrab: Chucky — (Photo by: SYFY)
It’s not a horror movie, so consider this a bonus. Season 3 of Don Mancini’s “Chucky“ let our favorite killer doll loose in the White House, leaving a trail of guts, glory, and chaos as Chucky terrorized the first family. If you need a full distraction from the news, “Chucky“ fits the bill. Raucous and loaded with inventive kills, some of the wildly entertaining highlights include fantastic guest stars, Brad Dourif in the flesh, and elevators filled with blood. #SaveChucky