This Week in Horror History | Freaks, House on Haunted Hill and Army of Darkness (Feb 16–22)
This Week in Horror History | Freaks, House on Haunted Hill and Army of Darkness (Feb 16–22)  
Podcast: Weekly Spooky: Horror Stories & Scary Tales
Published On: Tue Feb 17 2026
Description: This Week in Horror History (Feb 16–22) is your weekly horror movie release-date rundown—with where to watch (U.S.), a deep-cut spotlight, and a weekly recommendation built for long winter nights. This week we’ve got haunted-house showmanship, toy-factory dread, medieval deadites, and vampire rock-star chaos—plus a studio-era Deep-Cut that still feels like a dare.Inside this episode✅ Horror releases from Feb 16–22Feb 17, 1959 — House on Haunted HillWilliam Castle + Vincent Price turn a party invite into a deathtrap: five strangers, one spooky mansion, and $10,000 if you can survive the night—until greed makes everyone reckless.Where to watch: TubiTV (free w/ ads), The Roku Channel (free w/ ads), YouTube; or rent on Amazon Prime Video, Fandango at Home, Apple TVFeb 18, 2026 — Poppy Playtime: Chapter 5More toy-factory nightmare fuel—puzzles, chases, and that creeping feeling you’re being watched as the mystery tightens around the Prototype.Where to play: Steam (PC); consoles coming laterFeb 19, 1993 — Army of DarknessThe Evil Dead series goes full splatter-fantasy: Ash gets tossed into 1300 AD, turns the Necronomicon into a medieval weapon, and the deadites get gloriously chaotic.Where to watch: rent/buy on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Fandango at HomeFeb 22, 2002 — Queen of the DamnedPeak early-2000s vampire goth energy—Lestat goes rockstar, the vampire world panics, and Akasha wakes up ready to rewrite the rules.Where to watch: rent/buy on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Fandango at Home🎬 Deep-Cut SpotlightFeb 20, 1932 — FreaksTod Browning’s infamous studio-era shocker: MGM horror that feels like it shouldn’t exist—darkly human, cruel, and controversial enough to become legend.Where to watch: rent on YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Fandango at Home, Apple TV🎂 Horror birthdays in this windowFeb 16, 1930 — Ricou Browning (Creature from the Black Lagoon)Feb 16, 1964 — Christopher Eccleston (28 Days Later, The Others)Feb 22, 1969 — Thomas Jane (The Mist, Deep Blue Sea)Feb 22, 1975 — Drew Barrymore (Firestarter, Poison Ivy, Scream)⭐ Weekly RecommendationFeb 22, 1986 — The HitcherAn open-road nightmare that tightens its grip until the highway itself feels cursed—cold, tense, and the kind of thriller that sticks to your ribs.Where to watch: streaming with a Cinemax subscription via channels like Hulu and Amazon Prime; or rent/buy on Amazon Prime Video, Fandango at Home, Apple TV🎧 LISTEN NOW and subscribe for spine-tingling horror stories every week!🎉 Unlock exclusive bonus episodes and support the show on Patreon!👉 WeeklySpooky.com/Join📬 Contact Us / Submit Your Horror Story!Twitter: @WeeklySpookyFacebook: facebook.com/WeeklySpookyEmail: WeeklySpooky@gmail.com🎵 Music by Ray Mattis 👉 Check out Ray’s incredible work here !👨‍💼 Executive Producers: Rob Fields, Bobbletopia.com🎥 Produced by: Daniel Wilder🌐 Explore more terrifying tales at: WeeklySpooky.com