MONTH IN REVIEW: JULY 2025

It's not always easy to keep track of the world of horror day-to-day. So here's a round up of what's happened last month and a glimpse of what we can expect in the coming weeks...

July has been a damp squib of a month in terms of the weather here in the UK. Jesus, do I always start these things talking about the weather? I think I do. But then again, I am British and that’s sort of what we do. Plus, I just like trying to create some form of analogy between the weather and how decent the horror has been that month ok?!

So has the horror been as disappointing as the weather? Well, not quite but it’s been a bit middling. In fact, there were only three films we reviewed in July on the site, such was the paucity of releases. Let’s start with the biggest shall we – Jurassic World: Rebirth. Now, even though the Jurassic franchise is huge, it’s fair to say that a lot of us became a little weary of the Jurassic World trilogy after Dominion. Interest and sales dropped between the three movies – with World (2015) taking $1.7bn at the box office and Dominion taking $1bn. Still massive numbers but the trend is downward. And so whilst Rebirth has ‘only’ taken $750m so far (and is unlikely to hit the billion mark) – it probably says as much about viewing trends as it does interest in these movies. It’s still third in the league table of biggest grossing films this year. So, a sequel is likely, even if they haven’t committed to one yet. But is Rebirth any good? Surprisingly solid. It plays like a hybrid of Jurassic Park III and Kong: Skull Island, with lush visuals courtesy of Gareth Edwards and a cast as photogenic as the scenery.

Sticking with '90s franchise revivals, we also got a new I Know What You Did Last Summer instalment. Reactions here at YGROY were mixed. Personally, I had several issues with it, but Dave Stephens’ review was notably more positive though not without its caveats. It’s a fun, if somewhat dim-witted ride. Some of the original cast return, which is cool but also makes me feel quite old. These people still look 20 in my head. Actually, Sarah Michelle Gellar actually still looks about 20 here. It’s done OK in terms of numbers (about $50m) but it was never going to hit the heights of other slasher reboots, like Scream (2022) which has taken more than double that – and Halloween (2018) which took a whopping $250m.

Finally, Bring Her Back hit cinemas last week – a whole month after it received its US release (rolls eyes). Genre fans were excited to see what directors Danny and Michael Philippou made after their smash hit debut feature Talk to Me (2022). Although many wondered if it would be a follow up film (which is in the works apparently), instead we got another fucked up supernatural body horror that manages to make Paddington’s mum (Sally Hawkins) absolutely terrifying. It’s not quite as good as Talk to Me – mainly because the narrative is a little too predictable, but the central performances and some brutal visuals mean that it’s still a thoroughly compelling watch.

Beyond those major releases, pickings were slim. We caught two Shudder titles - Push and Monster Island - fairly late in the month. Push is a taut home invasion thriller about a pregnant estate agent (or realtor, if you're across the pond) stranded overnight at an open house. It’s a tight, well-executed little thriller. Monster Island, set in WWII, follows a Japanese soldier and a British POW forced to work together after their ship sinks and they’re hunted by a monstrous island resident. Think Predator, but on a budget and yes, it’s as schlocky as it sounds.

Looking ahead to August, it’s little surprise that there aren’t too many horror films to look forward to. Most kids are off school and release schedules reflect that. However, there are a couple of cinema releases that we’re pretty excited about. Weapons is out on the 7^th and many genre fans are hoping it’s going to be as good as director Zach Cregger’s previous genre feature Barbarian. It’s been trailered quite a bit and the cast is strong so there are high hopes it’ll do well. It looks pretty intense and creepy, so fingers crossed it’s as good as the previews suggest. Very early critic reviews indicate it'll do ok too. A week or so later, Together, starring Alison Brie and Dave Franco, arrives. Part relationship drama, part body horror, it’s already received glowing early reviews. If you can get past the Dave Franco factor, it could be something special.

Beyond that, the schedule thins out again. Paul W.S. Anderson’s grungy fantasy-horror In the Lost Lands drops on Netflix August 14th, and River of Blood - a survival horror set during a jungle kayak trip hits VOD on the 1st. We’ll also see the conclusion of the Hell House LLC series on the 20th with Lineage. Some entries in this franchise have been surprisingly effective, so here’s hoping Stephen Cognetti signs off in style (and maybe gives us a few more nightmares along the way).

There’s a scarcity of new releases on Paramount, Prime and Disney unfortunately and Shudder haven’t announced their August releases just yet. Come on guys, it’s the 31^st July!!

Ok news wise, a few things worth reporting:

• Gremlins 3 is probably happening. Star of the original Zach Galligan revealed that Warner Bros. are interested in doing it and that a script has been written, it’s just waiting on the approval of a certain Mr Spielberg. I’m not sure if we should be excited or dreading this…

• The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon is returning for a fourth and final season on AMC. Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride are confirmed to return for the final eight episodes, which begin production soon.

• We’re getting a new Purge movie! Yay! Director James DeMonaco has written a script and is waiting on the greenlight from Blumhouse. Frank Grillo is likely to reprise his role as Sgt Leo Barnes in what will apparently be the franchises final instalment.

• A new Amityville film is being made! Now before you roll your eyes (there are about 200 Amityville films at this point), there is reason to be optimistic about this one. Firstly, it’s going to have an actual budget. And secondly, Joseph and Vanessa Winter, the duo behind found footage horror comedy Deadstream (2022) are directing from their own script. Plot details are under wraps but apparently it’ll be ‘a radical new spin on the famed haunted house story for a new generation’.

• Frighfest announced its line-up for their 5 day horror extravaganza. 69 features and 19 world premieres will be showcased with James DeMonaco’s (yep that guy again) The Home opening the festival. Tickets can be purchased here.

Trailer wise, a couple of standouts worth mentioning from July were:

- Five Nights at Freddy’s 2: Just as visually garish as the first. Not really our thing, but it’ll find its audience.

- Hell House LLC: Lineage: Trailer’s a little underwhelming, but we remain cautiously optimistic.

- Keeper: The teaser trailer for Osgood Perkins’ new film (he never stops working does he) looks as fucked up as you’d expect.

- The Rows: Low budget home invasion flick that involves fields of corn and scarecrows, a winning combination if you ask us.

Right, that’s your lot. Last month of summer now, peeps. Which means I’ll have to start including autumnal based segues in my intros before too long. And October (and Halloween!) won’t feel a million miles away either(!)