10 Horror Movies to Get You in an Eclipse-Watching Mood

In a horror movie, an eclipse—a surreal occurrence that can shroud a sunny day in total darkness, or blot the moon from the night sky—is an excellent way to telegraph that something ominous will soon happen, as well as emphasize the idea that cosmic forces are controlling the fate of its characters.

With a historic total solar eclipse coming April 8, you’ve got just enough time to prepare yourself by getting your safety glasses in order... and considering all the worst-case scenarios explored in these films.

Bloody Birthday (1981)

One June day in an idyllic California town, three women give birth precisely as the sun is being blotted out by an eclipse. Ten years later, the brats have all become extreme versions of The Bad Seed, attacking their peers, parents, teachers, and basically anyone who gets in the way of their murderous good times. Like many slasher films of its era, Bloody Birthday is mean-spirited, but somehow also fun at the same time. (Streaming free with ads on Tubi.)

The Seventh Sign (1988)

Demi Moore and Michael Biehn star as expectant parents who become entangled in a series of events heralding the impending apocalypse, the reincarnation-infused return of Jesus, or some overwrought combination of the two. At any rate, the sixth sign signaling the end times is a solar eclipse, so beware—especially if it’s accompanied by a giant earthquake. Available to rent or buy on Prime Video.

Dark Glasses (2022)

Dario Argento’s most recent release wasn’t exactly the comeback we’ve been hoping for from the Italian horror master, but it’s an entertaining enough giallo about a call girl (Ilenia Pastorelli) being stalked by a killer. The eyewear referenced in the title is required after she’s blinded in a car accident, but that comes only after she very nearly injures herself by staring too hard at the sky during the opening scene’s ominous solar eclipse. (Streaming on Shudder.)

Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

Joe Dante and Roger Corman are, as we speak, working on a new version of Little Shop of Horrors, building on the legacy laid down by Corman’s 1960 original and the 1986 adaptation of the 1982 off-Broadway musical. Though the OG B-movie is fun (and features a very young Jack Nicholson as the pain-loving dental patient), Frank Oz’s musical film more overtly taps into our theme to form the backstory for bloodthirsty plant Audrey II. As the song goes: “When suddenly, and without warning/There was this total eclipse of the sun ... And when the light came back, this weird plant was just sitting there.” (Free with ads on Sling TV.)

The House of the Devil (2009)

Yes, yes, it’s a lunar eclipse in Ti West’s tale—released in 2009, but styled with impeccably retro 1980s vibes—of a college student who, in need of a quick infusion of cash, picks quite the wrong night to schedule a babysitting gig with a mysterious new client. But it’s an exceptionally powerful lunar eclipse. You know, the kind that inspires cults to perform bizarre rituals in horror movies. (Streaming on Peacock.)

Darkness (2002)

Anna Paquin (pre-True Blood) stars in this supernatural thriller from director Jaume Balagueró (pre-REC), about an American family who relocate to a large house in rural Spain where a group of children vanished 40 years prior. (A pre-Game of Thrones Iain Glen plays Paquin’s father.) It’s not a spoiler to reveal a sinister ritual fueled by an eclipse had something to do with it. (Streaming free with ads on Pluto TV.)

Gerald’s Game (2017)

Mike Flanagan’s 2017 Stephen King adaptation follows the psychologically intense, hallucinogenic mind spiral traveled by a woman (Carla Gugino) left handcuffed to the bed in an isolated vacation house when her husband suddenly dies of a heart attack. Her most distressing—but also, as it turns out, most useful—flashback takes us to a childhood memory of being abused by her father during a solar eclipse. (Streaming on Netflix.)

Dolores Claiborne (1995)

Here’s another Stephen King adaptation involving both an eclipse and domestic abuse, though otherwise Dolores Claiborne is a rather different beast. In this psychological thriller, Kathy Bates and Jennifer Jason Lee put on an acting clinic as an estranged mother and daughter who reunite when the older woman is accused of murder—after a similar accusation involving her husband many years prior. (Available to rent or buy on Prime Video.)

The Watcher in the Woods (1980 and 2017)

Florence Engel Randall’s eerie 1976 kids book got a pair of adaptations: a 1980 theatrical film from Disney starring Bette Davis, and a 2017 made-for-Lifetime remake directed by Melissa Joan Hart and starring Anjelica Huston. The 1980 version is freakier and scarier—and also more primed for eclipse viewing, since it involves both a lunar and a solar occurrence as part of its inter-dimensional drama. However, we’re including both here since the 1980 version is unfortunately not streaming (what’s up with that, Disney+?). The 2017 version is available to buy on Prime Video.

Bonus non-horror pick: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1949)

Mark Twain’s novel gets a musical adaptation starring Bing Crosby as a mechanic who time-travels from 1912 America to Camelot, circa the Knights of the Round Table, where he finds love with a beautiful noblewoman, dazzles everyone with his knowledge of modern inventions (including matches), and inevitably runs afoul of power-mad wizard Merlin. A solar eclipse comes into play when our historically savvy hero—who’s eventually returned back to 1912—“predicts” its arrival, terrifying his foes into releasing him. (Streaming free with ads on Tubi.)

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