For those looking for a thrill during this spooky season, Amazon Prime has released a horror film anthology, “Welcome to the Blumhouse,” less than two weeks away from Halloween. “Welcome to the Blumhouse” is presented by Blumhouse Productions, which is famous for horror films like “The Invisible Man,” “Split” and “Us.” This anthology consists of four films that all invoke different feelings in viewers. Here is an overview of each film.

The Lie
In “The Lie,” written and directed by Veena Sud, the friend of teenager Kayla goes missing and her parents suspect that their daughter is involved in that disappearance. They go to their wits’ end trying to protect her and paint her as the victim. Sud said this connection was really important for her to explore, since she found it reflective of contemporary parenting.

“I was really interested in morality, the morality play of how far any of us would go for people we love, especially our child,” Sud said. “We think we are these moral creatures who would do the right thing in any situation and the question is, ‘Would we really?’”

Through this film, Sud said she wanted to create a story that was simultaneously horrifying and relatable.

Black Box
After a single father loses his wife and memory in a car accident, he begins an experimental neurological treatment that causes him to question his reality. “Black Box,” co-written and directed by Emmanuel Osei-Koffour Jr., is a psychological thriller that follows a man who is flawed and tries his best to rebuild his relationship with his daughter. Osei-Koffour said he can only write stories that are personal to him, so he was drawn to the main character.

“I love the genre because it allows me to start conversations about issues that are important to me and the people I love,” Osei-Koffour said. “Being able to use those tropes as metaphors to make statements on those issues has been really freeing.”

While Osei-Koffour wanted to make a message, he also said he worked to make use of these tropes to make sure that audience members stayed on the edge of their seat from the beginning to the end of the film.

Nocturne
“Nocturne” follows twin sisters who are dancers and music students at an elite arts school. When one sister finds the notebook of a recently deceased classmate, she begins to outshine her sister and the competition between the sisters grows violent.

“There’s a sense of double injustice when you can see your fantasies, your dreams being played out by someone who has seemingly the exact same upbringing and chances and even blood as yourself,” director and writer Zu Quirke said.

Throughout the film, the sisters, who once mirrored each other, drift more and more apart eventually leading to a bloody standoff.

Evil Eye
In “Evil Eye,” a mother is very cautious of her daughter’s new boyfriend after she suspects he has a dark connection to her past. She becomes consumed with trying to save her daughter, but her daughter only falls deeper in love with this mysterious man.

The film relies heavily on symbolism of “the evil eye” that is used in Indian culture, which the film centers around. Directors Rajeev and Elan Dassani are Indian, and find the eye has been used as a warning sign. Rajeev explained that he has often been told by his parents to “watch out for the evil eye” when he is given a great opportunity.

“Psychologically it represents these things that you have to fight against… jealousy, anger,” Rajeev said. “It’s telling you to be a better person to ward against it.”

The evil eye and themes of reincarnation are meshed with supernatural tropes to create a psychological thriller.

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Twitter: @janeaAwilson

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