The summer season is usually slow when it comes to horror. However, many streaming services are still releasing new horror movies, as well as adding older ones to their catalog to keep spooky season going all year long. If you are looking for something terrifying and exciting to watch, we have got your back. Below we’ve put together a list of some of the best new horror movies streaming in July that you should make sure to add to your queue and prioritize on your watchlist.
The films are categorized by streaming service below, as we’ve got a selection of horror movies streaming on Shudder, Netflix, HBO Max, and Hulu to choose from. So turn down the lights, grab a cozy blanket, and get ready to be scared.
Shudder
Near Dark
Available on: July 1st
If there is one film that is absolutely necessary to watch this month, it is Oscar-winner Kathryn Bigelow’s solo directorial debut Near Dark. The film, which centers around a farmhand forced to travel the South with a nomadic gang of vampires, is notoriously difficult to find either in print or on streaming. If the high-quality Shudder release is any indication, however, distributor StudioCanal might be gearing up to change this. Nevertheless, if you’re into vampires, sprawling landscapes, or Bill Paxton going for broke, check out Near Dark while you have the chance.
Day of the Dead
Available on: July 7th
Following the recent additions of Night of the Living Dead and The Amusement Park, Shudder’s library of George A. Romero films continues to expand with Day of the Dead’s return to the platform. The zombie plague has destroyed nearly all life on Earth, with scientists and soldiers camping inside of an abandoned military silo as they find a cure. However, tensions begin mounting against the backdrop of one of the laboratory zombies gaining consciousness. It also has kills so graphic that they won’t leave your mind for years. Trust me, I still think about that vocal cord scene.
Pirahna
Available on: July 12th
Sometimes, all you need is good old-fashioned schlock, and it doesn’t get much schlockier than producer Roger Corman’s iconic Jaws knockoff Piranha. Joe Dante’s 1978 film focuses on a group of strangers forced to come together when genetically altered piranha begin killing the visitors of a popular lake. Steven Spielberg himself even called it the “best of the Jaws ripoffs” according to a 1999 biography. I mean, what else is there to say?
Netflix
Fear Street
Fear Street Part One: 1994 is available on July 2nd
Fear Street Part Two: 1978 is available on July 9th
Fear Street Part Three: 1666 is available on July 16th
This isn’t your typical Goosebumps story. The Fear Street trilogy of films, premiering over the course of three weeks, centers around brutal killings committed around the small town of Shadyside, Ohio. Netflix’s gory series kicked off with Part One: 1994, which our own Vinnie Mancuso described as “one gnarly horror flick, heavy on the gore, guts, and teenage hormones” that make 90s slashers so memorable. We can expect to see more of this as Part Two: 1978 and Part Three: 1666 continue the story throughout July.
A Classic Horror Story
Available on: July 14th
Don’t judge a horror movie by its title, because the plot for A Classic Horror Story sounds anything but. A group of campers suddenly crash into a tree along the road they’re traveling on. However, as they come to their senses, their surroundings mysteriously change, trapping them in a dense forest that is home to a dangerous cult. Throw in modern scream queen Matilda Lutz for good measure and Netflix has got itself an intriguing Italian horror that should be on everyone’s watchlist.
Blood Red Sky
Available on: July 23rd
Netflix’s slate of original action-horror, which currently includes Army of the Dead and #Alive, will continue to grow thanks to this gonzo German film. Blood Red Sky takes place on a plane that gets hijacked by terrorists, who strike fear in the passengers by killing a mother on her way to the United States. However, the mother turns out to be a vampire; the last one in the world, exactly. Finding herself forced to reveal her dark secret, it is up to Nadja to take down the terrorists before further chaos ensues.
HBO Max
The Empty Man
Available on: July 17th
The term “cult classic” seems to get thrown around a lot, but perhaps no other modern movie is more fitting for the title than 2020’s The Empty Man. The film centers around a hardened detective who finds himself over his head when he encounters a cult trying to summon the titular entity. While mainly forgotten during its limited theatrical run, it has been given a new lease on life online after hitting video-on-demand. Is The Empty Man the incomprehensible mess some critics thought, or a misunderstood piece of surrealist horror? Give it a shot when it hits HBO Max this month and figure it out yourself.
Freaky
Available on: July 24th
Unless you have been living under a rock, you probably know about Christopher Landon’s genre-bending slasher Freaky and how it is “a fun, frantic, horror/comedy mash-up that works shockingly well”. When a serial killer’s failed attempt at a new victim goes awry, the two find that they have swapped bodies thanks to a mysterious dagger. If you somehow haven’t been able to watch it yet, you need to fix that once it hits HBO Max later this month. The rapid-fire jokes, gnarly practical gore, and the standout performances from both Kathryn Newton and Vince Vaughn will make you wish you’ve seen it sooner.
Hulu
Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell
Available on: July 1st
What horror movie binge is complete without a film from the Hammer Films library? While they’re mainly synonymous with Dracula and other vampire films, Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell is the final film in their popular franchise surrounding the mad scientist and his famous creature. Don’t worry about watching the series out of order, either, as Hell mostly maintains its own continuity outside of the series.
The House That Jack Built
Available on: July 1st
Out of all of the movies on this list, this 2018 feature will probably be the one that gets under your skin the most. The House That Jack Built is meanspirited from beginning to end, which is no surprise that it polarized many upon release. However, it is still worth a watch for just how haunting the entire film is. It certainly won’t make you feel better by the end of it, but you will find yourself thinking about it long after you’ve watched it.
Cheap Thrills
Available on: July 15th
While not explicitly a horror film, Cheap Thrills is still a gruesome look at just how far people can go in order to live a comfortable life. Having just lost his job, a salaryman runs into his old friend, along with a mysteriously rich neighbor at a bar. Throughout the night, the neighbor and his wife offer to change the two poor men’s lives in exchange for the two to undergo increasingly violent dares. If you are looking for the perfect capitalist allegory to remember how terrible the world is, Cheap Thrills is for you.