Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of the biggest action stars ever, but he has proved his versatility beyond those high-octane movies, including in the horror genre. After dipping his toes into the genre with horror-adjacent sci-fi movies in the ‘80s like Predator and Terminator, Schwarzenegger made a major jump into the genre with a forgotten ‘90s horror movie that just landed on Prime Video.
You probably haven’t seen, or have simply completely forgotten about, End of Days. Peter Hyams’s 1999 movie starring Schwarzenegger as a depressed, atheist ex-cop who must find his faith and protect a young woman from Satan in New York City during the final days of 1999 is one of the most forgotten movies in Schwarzenegger’s filmography. The supernatural action-horror film, which also stars Robin Tunney and Gabriel Byrne, is now available to rediscover on Prime Video after it joined the Amazon streamer on April 1st.
End of Days Blends Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Signature Action With Supernatural Horror
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Schwarzenegger didn’t completely abandon his action star status for End of Days. While the film saw the actor firmly step into the horror genre for the first time, it maintained the explosive energy and set pieces of his typical work. Although Schwarzenegger’s role as ex-cop Jericho Cane was a more vulnerable, dark, and gritty character than his usual invincible action hero roles, the presence of a charismatic, human-hunting form of Satan created a good vs. evil thriller that blended typical late-90s Schwarzenegger firepower with supernatural horror. End of Days’ entire plot is driven by action, following a race against time to protect a woman from Satan, resulting in plenty of high-stakes action scenes, including subway shootouts, explosions, and intense chase scenes.
Unfortunately, that mix of classic Schwarzenegger action with supernatural horror didn’t necessarily payoff. Although the movie was a moderate box office success with a $212 million worldwide gross, End of Days failed to earn much love from critics. The film scored just an 11% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes to become Schwarzenegger’s second-lowest-rated movie ever. And while the film performed a bit better with general audiences, its 33% Popcornmeter score still puts it in the bottom 15 of the actor’s lowest-rated films in terms of audience consensus. Despite that poor consensus, End of Days is a surprisingly dark and atmospheric entry in Schwarzenegger’s filmography that is a pretty enjoyable watch, at least as a guilty pleasure movie.
Other Horror Movies Now on Prime Video
End of Days is one of dozens of movies freshly streaming on Prime Video following April’s rush of new arrivals, which included several horror titles. The Amazon streamer is now viewing everything from both the 1988 and 2019 versions of Child’s Play to the 2023 Teen Wolf follow-up movie Teen Wolf: The Movie. Other horror movies now streaming include the ‘80s classic Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Tobe Hooper’s Lifeforce, and both the original 1975 The Amityville Horror and its 2005 remake.
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