We are truly spoiled this year, the Ti West directed and written trilogy came to a heart racing end with MaXXXine that hit theaters July 5th. We finally get to see more of Mia Goth as Maxine Minx from X the 2022 film that kicked off the trilogy before the sequel, Pearl, that time jumped back to 1918 Texas and also came out in 2022. Maxine isn’t the only interesting character however, Leon played Moses Sumney, and Elizabeth Debicki playing a British director who casts Maxine in The Puritan II, a sequel horror film that Maxine hopes will put her on the map and take her out of porn.

No idea what to expect when I went into the Motel Mojave and Access Entertainment produced film not knowing what to expect other than an 80’s LA set slasher film—which is what they delivered and then some. Michelle Monaghan, Bobby Cannavale, Halsey, Lily Collins, Giancarlo Esposito, and Kevin Bacon also star in the film. I liked this more than I anticipated I would and found myself sad when it ended, wanting to keep following the characters as they navigate the fallout from the movie’s rising action and climax. A24 strikes lightning again with MaXXXine and creates an interesting and surprising film that embodies the excess, glamour, and grittiness of LA eighties horror tropes.

The next big theatrical release of the summer, Longlegs, employed unique tactics I haven’t seen in a long time to encourage ticket sales for the July 12th released movie. Aside from the first trailer the villain, monster man is mostly hidden which is an effective way to create fear, at least it was for me. In addition to this they employed a heart rate monitor in the trailer and Nicolas Cage character reveal to heighten the anticipatory fear. Directed and written by Osgood Perkins this weird film has garnered a cult following online—my partner being one of those followers. Staring a 20’s Scream Queen Maika Monroe and household name Nicolas Cage

The 1974 set movie stars Maika Monroe, Nicolas Cage, and Blair Underwood from a number of huge movie and TV shows like Quantico, City of Angels, and Rules of Engagement. As mentioned during The Strangers: Chapter 1 review earlier in the video this is another film that takes advantage of the spooky PNW setting, taking place in Oregon. Starting with a small girl in a wide, clear, snow-filled side yard of a suburban home, the film doesn’t put viewers at ease from the opening scene.

From the opening scene the tenseness builds, causing shoulders to raise and confused fear to spread. Produced by C2 Motion Picture Group, Traffic., Range, Oddfellows, and Saturn Films the Neon distributed film cost under $10 million to create and made over 10x that in the box office generating revenue of $108.9 million. Receiving mostly favorable reviews around 70%-ish in general there are definitely some who did not appreciate the risks that the film takes.

Originally slated to drop on Netflix pre-2023 The Inheritance ended up releasing July 12 of this year and is distributed by Vertical who acquired the rights. The movie was directed by Alejandro Brugués and written by Chris LaMont and Joe Russo. Produced by Paul Schiff Productions the movie’s plot sounds kinda wild. A billionaire, played by Bob Gunton, invites his family (including actors Peyton List, Briana Middleton, Rachel Nichols, Austin Stowell, and David Walton) to his estate and inform them he’s sent the staff and security home in light of an expected attempt on his life at midnight.

After assuring the group that he is hated enough to have evil entities coming after him. The trailer reveals that one of the sisters dies in a swimming accident and seemingly becomes possessed according to the trailer. If the group can keep the patriarch alive he’ll give them his $2 billion fortune. It’s a concept that could have legs and variety considering the diverse group of upper class snobs that make up the group. According to reviews however it doesn’t seem like it became more than a low or mid tier horror movie available to rent, receiving ratings generally less than 40%.

I still intend to watch this one however because I do like the premise and trailer as well as Knives Out like circumstances and settings. I like the mystery portion and that it has the family turned against it rather than one another. I do worry though that that would make it more sad than it needs to be if they make the family too endearing and likable only for the mysterious entity to kill them off one by one.

The Beast Within came out on July 26th and is called a quote-unquote “box office dud” raking in $51.8k at its opening week. Directed by Alexander J. Written by him and Greer Ellison, the mystery horror movie has finally been released on VOD to rent but I have yet to watch it. The movie stars the man who played the man who knows nothing, Kit Harrington, Ashleigh Cummings, James Cosmo, and Martina McClements. They play family members who live in an isolated compound located in England. Despite having a seemingly happy childhood the daughter witnesses Harrington transform which opens her up to her family’s lifestyle. With a rating of 4.1 out of 10 on IMDb I’ll most likely wait until this is on a platform for free in order to watch it.

M. Night Shyamalan followed his daughter’s earlier horror release with a release of his own horror movie, Trap on August 2nd as a theatrical release. Both written and directed by him the movie plays with the concept of contained horror that is full of limitations to the plot and filming. The fact that it works so well is a testament to M. Night Shyamalan’s talent and how well it is coupled with Josh Hartnett’s talents. Hartnett’s portrayal of a serial killer trapped at a concert with his young daughter while a manhunt ensues to capture him is different from what I’d normally expect from him.

The movie was produced by Blinding Edge Pictures and is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and it cleverly keeps interesting and high paced throughout despite the limitations of concept and environment. Hartnett is able to convey a wide range of emotions with exquisite authenticity and a very Dexter aptitude about himself. I loved watching him figure out his next moves just as much as having oddly toned conversations with other concert goers as he navigated trying to escape without his daughter becoming aware of his serial killing.

The fact that we know from the trailer that he is the serial killer they are after, and even that he has a victim in captivity during this whole escapade intrigued me. I wanted to know how a concert’s worth of shenanigans could occur without everyone realizing something is amiss but it still be high stakes enough to be engaging. The movie has tricks up its sleeve left and right to keep the high intensity and put you on the edge of your seat determining if they are close to nabbing him or rather that he’s close to his escape. The film made a little under 3x at the box office what it cost to make the film, $82.7 million compared to $30 million respectively.

Less big screen and more meme-screen, The Mouse Trap released on August 6th straight to VOD by Gravitas Ventures after a previously scheduled theatrical release of the film got cancelled for reasons unknown. Directed by Jamie Bailey and written by Simon Phillips the movie was originally titled Mickey’s Mouse Trap after the subject matter, Mickey Mouse. Following the copyright for the 1928 Steamboat Willie animation went to public domain at the start of the year this horror adaptation got revealed to the public. Produced by Into Frame Productions and Bailey Phillips Productions it’s better than it should be.

The basis for The Mouse Trap being a man, Tim Collins played by Simon Phillips, becoming entranced when watching Steamboat Willie and then donning a mask he has in a glass case that he hears talking to him. A group of young adults throw a surprise birthday party that same night that provides a plethora of potential victims to the trance controlled Mickey Mouse mask wearing murderer. The film is a slasher and it’s not too bad in comparison to the 2 horror adaptations of Winnie-the-Pooh and the sometimes silly lore associated with it.

This could’ve been so much worse but it’s rather a decent B-horror film that just makes sense when watching. I don’t hate it and it’s definitely worth a watch on a streaming platform if you don’t mind a little less polish to your horror films. There is a sequel scheduled to come out in 2025, similarly to the other modern horror versions of Disney characters if there is an audience they will make them now.

Around the August 9th release of Cuckoo I had started going to the theaters more and had been seeing trailers like that for this movie. The second the trailer finished the first time I saw it I knew I’d be back in theaters to see it when it dropped—and I did. The movie is directed and written by Tilman Singer and stars Hunter Schafer from The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Jan Bluthardt, Martin Csokas, Jessica Henwick, and Dan Stevens. It’s received mixed reviews that are mostly positive. It’s an acquired taste and I have that taste because this movie was great. Produced by Neon, Fiction Park, and Waypoint Entertainment while being distributed by Neon the film is a joy to watch.

The plot transports watchers to the German alps where the resort that the blended family is moving to. The environment is eerie from their arrival but Schafer’s character, the family’s teen daughter, begins having bizarre and scary encounters with resort guests after accepting a job at the reception desk there. Schafer’s performance is absolutely magnetic and I both cried and got frustrated alongside her. Every time I thought I knew what would happen next they pulled a “yes…and” with things taking a turn. I highly recommend this weird one, it’s captivating and scary at the same time.

Milk and Serial is next up and quite an interesting horror movie that released August 9th onto YouTube. Directed and written by Curry Barker he also produced the film himself for $800 and released it for free onto YouTube—where this video also is so think about giving this movie a watch after you watch this. Starring Curry Barker, Cooper Tomlinson, and Adith Alvarado it is a found footage style film around a birthday prank that becomes more horror movie than comedy movie between social media influencers. This really does feel like found footage put together by internet sleuths posthumously of YouTubers involved with a crime.

Since YouTube’s inception in 2005 it’s grown to be the largest video hosting platform on the internet connected to Google, the popular search engine. This movie is a perfect example of the vast use of the platform including as a movie publishing and distributing method. The fact that such a great movie could be made with less than $1,000 makes me raise an eyebrow to every multi-million dollar production that flopped horribly. In a weird way it felt like the close future, lower budget but higher quality films published in nonconventional ways.

The plot reminded me of the real life Sam Pepper and Sam Colby “KILLING BEST FRIEND PRANK” video posted to Pepper’s YouTube channel as a supposed prank gone wrong that ended up being a hoax on all fronts. The plot of Milk and Serial feels like the dramatization of the adjacent version but way more intelligent and layered than a bad and dark internet prank. While watching I didn’t realize the budget or that it had only been released to YouTube, I just assumed that it was a smaller production that didn’t have restrictive copyright and got uploaded.

On the furthest away, opposite end of the 2024 horror movie spectrum Alien: Romulus officially released on August 16th in theaters around the US. With a whopping budget of $80 million I came into this with an eye roll, having seen the action-sequence-packed trailers when going to see other movies this summer. In my defense the IMDb page has its own custom red color scheme, which is just…a lot if you’re being a hater. My occasional cynicism tugged at me to believe this was a cash grab without much care about the quality aside from the space action—I knew a little bit about Prometheus and most of what I’d heard wasn’t exactly good. You might be wondering why I’m saying all of this and that would be so I can eat my own words and then glaze over this movie without feeling like as much of a hypocrite. Directed and written by Fede Alvarez it is also written by Rodo Sayagues, and based on the characters created by Dan O’Bannon. 

The production companies Scott Free Productions, Brandywine Productions, TSG Entertainment did their big one in my humble opinion. Distributed by 20th Century Studios the marketing for this film was intense and flashy. Starring Cailee Spaeny from Priscilla and The Craft: Legacy, David Jonsson from Industry, Archie Renaux from Shadow and Bone, Isabela Merced from Transformers: The Last Knight, Spike Fearn from Tell Me Everything, and newer actress Aileen Wu all delivered stellar performances. This coupled with the interesting backdrop of the people suffering on the colonies in the future dystopian Alien universe are in hindsight obvious reasons this would pop off.

Regardless of the writing on the wall I reluctantly went to see Alien: Romulus in theaters–I shit you not I had planned once the trailers ended to gauge when it would be acceptable to go to the bathroom. Once in the bathroom I planned to put a show on YouTube or Netflix to listen to via one AirPod while I sat through a space alien movie—2 things I am genuinely afraid of and don’t enjoy watching. Less than 5 minutes into the opening however I suddenly realized that it had the same vibe as the original Alien movies but filmed on high-tech equipment which is my absolute favorite combo.

Romulus gives Stranger Things and Fear Street while serving a heartfelt tale of resilience that truly displays the desperation of these colonists and adds context to the original movies. On the one hand it’s retro while being futuristic but it’s following stories we wish we had from the time period following Alien. The installment takes place between the events of the first and second movie in the universe, so colonists aren’t aware of the Xenomorph yet but it’s destined on a collision course of fate that the viewer knows about and can dread despite on screen celebrations.

Immediately I wanted to know more about Rain and Andy, the Android and human sibling pair played by Spaeny and Jonsson respectively. The plot comes together seamlessly, making each of their often teenage brained decisions make sense despite the viewer knowing the outcomes and potential risk-reward analysis that would stop someone from doing what they’re doing.

Watchers go into watching Romulus with no secrets about the Xenomorph or face huggers, we know about the implantation of eggs as well as the birth of the creature from within the chest cavity of its victim. Even that however gets a clever rejuvenation that elevates the story while making the universe even richer. Wu’s character, Navarro, gives a stunning performance coupled with creative special effects that make even that iconic sequence more horrifying than ever.

More than a few times I had my jaw hung open and my hand covering my agape mouth in absolute shock of what I was seeing in the best and worst ways. I started Team Andy and won’t say where I ended up–but even Fearn’s character, Bjorn, became endearing at points, his misguided rage understandable and relatable once we learn about his past. I’m not a huge Alien franchise fan and have barely watched the movies so take this with a grain of salt but I loved the references and almost homage to things that happened in the original movies. I enjoyed this watch and became truly terrified of whatever the hell that is–and if you’ve seen this you know what I mean. Actually jumped and gasped in the theater. This is now one of my new favorite movies and I can’t recommend it enough, even if you’re not a huge Alien fan.

Afraid released into theaters on August 30 and is directed and written by Chris Weitz. Starring John Cho as the father character, Katherine Waterson as the mother, Lukita Maxwell as their teenage daughter, and Wyatt Linder and Isaac Bae playing the family’s 2 sons.  This is an example of AI making an impact on the media, the plot is about an AI assistant that opens the door to seemingly supernatural forces and coercive control of susceptible family members.

The movie was produced by Columbia Pictures, Blumhouse Productions, and Depth of Field and is distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. The combination of supernatural and science fiction is one I really enjoy and I would’ve gone to see it in theaters if life had been a little less busy at the time. I’m looking forward to watching it when it comes to streaming, which could be soon due to the film costing $12 million and only making $12.6 million—which is admittedly a lot if you haven’t already spent $12 million.

The Deliverance released onto Netflix on August 30 and I honestly don’t want to spend much time talking about it. Directed by Lee Daniels and written by David Coggeshall and Elijah Bynum it’s just pretty odd. It simultaneously attempts to recognize the harm of tropes while playing so heavily into them that the original intention is obscured. Starring Andra Day and Glenn Close the biggest takeaway is the viral clip that I can’t believe they kept in the movie.

The Deliverance wasn’t too bad up until about half way, granted the mother was abhorrent but it is horror after all. It got weird however when the solution was blind belief in religion without any action to back it up in order to stop possession. I probably won’t watch this again due to the last half of the film and the permanent what-the-fuck expression that overcame my face during it.

The response to The Front Room that released into theaters on September 6th, has me nervous for Brandy. I’ve seen many trailers for this movie as it’s also an end of summer release that got a decently large promotional campaign. The Max Eggers and Sam Eggers written and directed movie is considered a psychological horror and is based on a short story of the same title by Susan Hill. Produced by Two & Two Pictures and 2AM and then distributed by A24 the film stars Brandy, Andrew Burnap, Neal Huff, and Kathryn Hunter. Making only $3.6 million at the box office I cannot imagine that it covered a national social media ad campaign coupled with salaries for people like Brandy.

It’s unclear if the source material even focuses on race but the movie certainly hones in on it and the challenges of an interracial marriage. Which by the way if you didn’t know there are legislators who sit in Congress right now that have openly stated this year that they believe the Supreme Court decision Loving v. Virginia that legalized interracial marriage in the USA should not have been decided the way it was. They have claimed they want to send the decision back to the states similarly with how abortion rights. As we’ve seen with the issue of reproductive healthcare access, states can complicate the lives of and punish their own constituents in the pursuit of winning a culture war only they are fighting. All of that to say please go vote, even if you don’t want to watch this movie that I also haven’t seen, at least register to vote.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is another theatrical horror release but this one is for most of the family. The sequel hit theaters as one of the biggest horror blockbusters on September 6th. Of course it will never be able to beat the original. I will say that for a sequel that is 36 years after the original it was stellar. The real seller, draw, and high point are the actors that came back from the original, Michael Keaton, Wynona Ryder, and Catherine O’Hara to reprise their roles as Beetlejuice, Lydia Deetz, and Delia Deetz. 2020’s Scream Queen Jenna Ortega joins them as Astrid, Lydia’s teen daughter.

The family, extremely successful and wealthy, come back to the iconic house in Winter River on the hill. This way we get out of the house more and experience more of the world around it as well as the underworld that it sometimes serves as a portal to. I loved the traversing through dimensions and space that the plot follows, as well as all of the lore we got to learn that was missing from the first one. Back in the 80’s the lore of something wasn’t as big a deal but now it can be a seller or detriment to a piece of media.

For the most part I liked the lore that this movie added to the universe, expanding it with more characters, settings, and abilities of the recently deceased. A couple of scenes made me go, “seriously…?,” because they felt out of place and a touch too far in particular around the baby Beetlejuice thing. I also didn’t love the Soul Train of stuck 1970’s black folk dancing for all eternity to usher you to the train to the beyond but never going themselves. It exceeds expectations aside from those things and the extra long song sequence in the chapel.

Speak No Evil came out September 13 via theatrical release and is still in some theaters upon recording this. I haven’t gone to see this and am waiting for the streaming release and/or for it to be available to rent rather than just buy. Based on the 2022 film of the same title this version is directed and written by James Watkins. Starring James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, Aisling Franciosi, Alix West Leflet, Dan Hough, and Scoot McNairy the story is a psychological horror movie. A family from the US stays with a British couple who is also vacationing in Italy but the patriarch of that family, played by McAvoy, starts to push boundaries and behave in odd ways that cause discomfort and discontent to the family staying with them.

The trailer reveals that the young boy that is McAvoy’s son has had his tongue cut out. That tracks with what appears like abuse towards him from McAvoy right in front of the family in the same trailer. It seems obvious and clear that it will be a “how far will he actually go?,” plot that escalates with intermittent releases of energy and lulling back into a false sense of safety or brushing aside concerns.

The body horror movie, The Substance, released into theaters September 20 and was met with a disgusting walkout. That of course just made me more interested in seeing this, albeit from the comfort of my home to audibly express disgust and to pause-slash-fast forward if needed. Written and directed by Coralie Fargeat the movie stars horror icon Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley from Maid, Poor Things, and Kinds of Kindness, and the uber famous Dennis Quaid who’s career spans back to 1975.

I want to go in as spoiler free as possible so the most I know is: the movie is about a mysterious substance that provides youth and vibrance of some sort to people grappling with aging called The Substance. I’ve seen some review headlines and starts of TikTok’s about the film that mention the commentary on the standards that women face and the lengths that some will go to to keep their grasp on the limelight despite grave consequences.

Bagman released in theaters September 27 and stars Sam Claflin from Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Directed by Colm McCarthy and written by Josh Hulme the movie is about a childhood threat returning. Something that previously tormented Claflin’s character in his childhood is now coming for his family, forcing him to not only confront it but defeat it and/or protect his family from it. Currently there is no release date for when this movie will be available by VOD or streaming platform but I am really hoping it’s before Halloween.

Never Let Go also hit theaters on September 27th but is now available to buy which leads me to believe it will be available to rent soon. The film is directed by Alexandre Aja and it’s written by Kevin Coughlin and Ryan Grassby. Starring Halley Berry as a woman who must keep herself and her 2 children alive in a remote forest cabin. They are running from something called The Evil that has forced the world to end and them being the only survivors.

The one thing I’ll remember about this movie is Halle Berry doing a promo with Rob from this summer’s Love Island, which doesn’t make much sense to me. I don’t care much for this style of survival horror especially with  kids involved so I probably will skip this one unless my partner puts it on or something.

Azrael originally released in theaters on September 27, distributed by IFC Films and it’s set to be available to stream on Shudder later this year. Directed by E.L. Katz and written by Simon Barrett, the action horror movie takes place after the Rapture. Survivors left have to now deal with humanoid demons that prefer to eat humans. Samara Weaving from Ready or Not?, is the lead character who is part of a cult focused on not speaking to the extent of having their vocal cords surgically removed.

When things fall apart they are ousted from the cult which kicks off the events of film, of which I have little idea. Produced by Traffic. and C2 Motion Picture Group the film made around $554k at the box office. I will watch any survival anything with Weaving and the likelihood of it being available on Shudder within the next few months is something I’m looking forward to.

Going into watching the Paramount Pictures created film Apartment 7A after its September 27 release onto the Paramount+ platform I knew very little. I only knew that it took place in NY sometime in the past and followed an aspiring creative played by Julia Garner, who is exceptionally good in a variety of roles like those in The Assistant, Ozark, and Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. If I saw her ankle roll and/or snap one more time however I don’t know if I could’ve finished the meal I was eating, because ouch.

Garner does an amazing job delivering the quiet desperation and naivety that lead the main character to take up the too-good-to-be-true hospitality from a wealthy elderly couple played by Dianne Weist and Kevin McNally. A broadway producer played by Jim Sturgess lives in the same building as the couple.His character, who Garner follows to the building serves as a fluid segue way into all 3 being involved in the main characters life despite her being extremely down on her luck and about to give up her dreams.

I had no idea this was a Rosemary’s Baby prequel and I know very little about that film but this made me want to watch that one. I love period pieces especially in cities like New York City and especially around entertainers like the dancer at the center of this movie. I liked how the danger that this new life poses is obvious if you read between the lines but can feel like a jump scare shock if you aren’t paying close enough attention. I think it was well paced towards the end of the movie but it definitely felt like it was missing something, maybe a little more meat to the story arc of the main character. I recommend giving this a watch, especially if you have a Paramount+ subscription already.e

Oddity released initially in theaters on July 19 in the US but became available on Shudder September 27th. Directed and written by Damian McCarthy this film is a slow burner mystery with a medium at the center of it. Following her twin sister’s murder Carolyn Bracken’s character, Darcy Odello, goes to see Johnny French’s character, Ted, her sister's husband, in order to glean more about the unsettling death of her sister. A former patient of Ted’s is blamed for the murder after he came to the country house when Darcy’s sister was there seemingly alone. He warns her that someone with nefarious intentions is near and Darcy’s abilities have led her to believe there is more to the story than Ted or the authorities have let on.

Using a wooden mannequin from her oddity collection Darcy visits Ted’s country home, the setting of her sister’s murder, to better utilize her abilities to solve the case. Ted’s new girlfriend is horrified by the whole situation and serves as the first person to notice supernatural and odd things occurring particularly around the weird mannequin. I think I need to watch this like 2 more times to truly appreciate the attention to detail with the story telling and building fear.