Rose D. Cotton 
This weekend, two new releases heading to theaters and streaming services come in flavors of horror drama and romance drama.
In “Jakob’s Wife”, a submissive woman suddenly feels empowered and liberated after meeting the undead. The film stars Barbara Crampton in the lead role, alongside Larry Fessenden as her husband, Jakob, a small-town minister.
In the romantic drama “Monday,” Sebastian Stan and Denise Gough play an unlikely couple of lovebirds who meet unwittingly in Athens one summer.
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Here’s what to watch/stream and what to skip this weekend:
“Jakob’s Wife” – Barbara Crampton, Larry Fessenden; directed by Travis Stevens
’80s “Scream Queen” ingenue Barbara Crampton stars as the titular wife of small-town pastor Jakob (Larry Fessenden) in Travis Stevens’ observational horror comedy-drama about marriage , empowerment and sense of identity.
The film presents Anne (Crampton) as a devoted wife always by her man’s side. But deep down, she feels trapped, wanting to escape her long, toxic marriage to the unbearably controlling minister. No wonder she exudes charm and charisma when she casually meets her old flame Tom (Robert Rusler) for lunch. Their tete-a-tete has an air of nonchalance, until the old lovebirds reminisce about their past. As the mood turns flirtatious, Anne and Tom encounter the undead, leaving them both shocked beyond belief.
However, it won’t be long before Anne, surprisingly, begins to feel liberated, taking control of her life and the reins of her fractured marriage. Suddenly, Jakob is out of breath, as he can’t quite decipher the puzzling transformation of his submissive wife into an adventurous, daring, and beautiful person.
Poor Jacob! Unbeknownst to him, his wife is now a vampire hungry for life and fresh human blood. In addition, the codependent relationship of the couple is more than ever in the center of concern.
Will Jakob finally find out the truth? But wait! What really happened to Tom?
To look to see. A disgusting gore fest, “Jakob’s Wife” cleverly offers vampirism as a metaphor for unraveling a twisted marriage. Moreover, the amazing performances of the protagonists support a somewhat silly storyline.
Watch the trailer:
“Monday” – Sebastian Stan, Denise Gough; directed by Argyris Papadimitropoulos
What if two lost souls met on a Friday and decided to spend the weekend together, filled with hot kisses, hot loves and dirty dancing until the wee hours – then came Monday, a day to reckon with. ‘inevitable? That’s the premise of Argyris Papadimitropoulos’ latest romantic drama.
Enter Mickey (Sebastian Stan) and Chloe (Denise Gough), two American expats in their thirties who, on a fateful Friday, meet in Athens one summer at a dance party. Their attraction is instant and palpable, making them wildly in love in each other’s arms. It turns out that Mickey has been in Greece DJing for seven years, while Chloe is an immigration lawyer about to return to the United States after an 18-month stint.
The narrative is intertwined in a series of Fridays, marking the passage of time and describing the vicissitude of emotions. Their unlikely relationship somehow thrives; however, Monday — the day they have to face the harsh realities of their relationship — simply looms ahead.
Will their relationship survive in the end?
To jump. As the love story unfolds, it simply loses momentum along the way, despite the protagonists’ compelling performances.
