MONTH IN REVIEW: JUNE 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...

Here in the UK (well, the south anyway) the weather has been bloody hot. Typically, most of us welcomed it to begin with but after about three days, we were moaning about lack of air con and more recently saying stuff like ‘I just wish it’d cool down a little bit’. Personally, the weather often influences my viewing choices. So, when I’m stretched out on the sofa with a fan blasting and a cold drink in hand, I tend to gravitate towards films set in sunnier climates. Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve found myself indulging in classic summer slashers like Sleepaway Camp, The Burning, and a few of the Friday the 13th entries (specifically 1, 2, and 6!). If you’re after recent releases that suit the current sizzling temperatures, June had a few worth mentioning.

But the first June release was a film that left us (and many others) feeling a little cold, despite its American mid-west setting. On paper, a film about demonic possession starring Al Pacino and Dan Stevens sounds like an intriguing proposition. But we’ve seen better versions of The Ritual for decades. Pacino is fine but Dan Stevens is uncharacteristically subdued. He’s much more fun being zany and playing a flute or whatever the hell he was doing in Cuckoo (2024). Now Dangerous Animals, set on Australia’s Gold Coast feels like the perfect film to watch on a baking summer’s day. Shark movies just have an inescapable allure, don’t they? We don’t actually get too much shark action in Dangerous Animals, truth be told. It’s more of a serial killer film that happens to include some sharks occasionally. But don’t let that put you off if you didn’t catch it on the big screen. Because Jai Courtney’s deranged performance alone makes it worth a watch. We also finally got to see Clown in a Cornfield, after its delayed release. Was it worth the wait? Sort of. It starts off a little flat, but there’s a clever twist halfway through and it generally delivers some solid entertainment. The ending feels a bit rushed, though - and when compared to other clown horrors, it doesn’t quite reach the heights of Pennywise or those lunatics from Killer Klowns from Outer Space. That said, it’s still a solid Friday night pick.

The biggest (and best) release of the month was undoubtedly 28 Years Later. Danny Boyle and Alex Garland reunited to deliver a powerful third entry in what remains one of the most compelling zombie-adjacent franchises. Yes, yes - we know they’re infected, not undead, but they still count as zombies in our book. Jodie Comer and Aaron Taylor-Johnson are both solid, but it’s young Alfie Williams who truly steals the show. It offers everything fans could want from a ‘28’ film: intense pacing, sharp social commentary, and a raw, emotional core. It’s a coming-of-rage story that’s more than earned the acclaim it’s been receiving. As for that ending though... well, the less said the better. A sequel, Bone Temple, is already slated for next year, and it’ll be fascinating to see where the story goes from here.

Then, to round out the month, came M3GAN 2.0. Good grief. We all expected something wild based on the trailers - and, well, that’s exactly what we got. The genre shift from the first film is quite striking. The horror homage and eerie undertones of the original are largely gone. While the sequel leans heavily into camp, it’s not always as funny as it intends to be. The humour is hit-and-miss, and the whole production plays more like a parody than a true follow-up. M3GAN herself remains dryly entertaining, but overall, the film lacks cohesion. It’s early days, and the box office performance has been decent so far, but it’s unlikely to reach the heights Blumhouse was hoping for and almost certainly won’t surpass the $180 million haul of the original.

Looking elsewhere, box office figures were generally steady. The Ritual only had a limited theatrical run and made just a few million quid. Dangerous Animals performed slightly better, earning double that - but still, somewhat underwhelming. Clown in a Cornfield, on the other hand, brought in $10 million on a modest $1 million budget, making a sequel look very likely. But it’s 28 Years Later that truly dominated, pulling in over $100 million worldwide - almost double its production costs and a clear sign of continued appetite for this infectiously good franchise.

Looking ahead, July isn’t traditionally a particularly hot month when it comes to horror releases – and this one looks to be no different. Things are relatively quiet overall, though we do start with something of a bang: Jurassic World: Rebirth stomps into cinemas on the 2nd. Sure, the Jurassic films aren’t strictly horror, but there’s enough peril and giant toothy monsters to earn a pass. Despite the last trilogy ending on a bit of a whimper (even with the original cast returning), there’s still plenty of buzz around Rebirth. Those trailers have definitely whetted our appetite. It'll make lots of money either way and a follow up film is more than likely. The next noteworthy release after that is home invasion flick Push, which comes to Shudder on the 11th. It’s about a heavily pregnant estate agent who becomes stranded after hosting an open house and is subsequently stalked by a psychopath. It looks like it could be a pretty tense affair – home invasion movies always give me the willies.

The on the 18th we get a long awaited addition to the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise called…I Know What You Did Last Summer. Seriously, can they not just come up with a new name? Anyway, this is one I’m quite looking forward too personally. Those glossy 90s slashers were a big part of my teenage horror life. Hopefully it’s not going to be quite as ‘referential’ as the new Scream films. A few nods are fine, but too much fan service is wearing thin. Just give us someone with a slicker and a hook hand and we’re golden.

A week later and we get a trio of lesser-known releases; Monster Island is released on Shudder and the premise is interesting. A Japanese soldier and a British POW become stranded on a desert island and have to team up when they realise they are being hunted by a ferocious creature. Home is also released on the same day (on VOD). Directed by James DeMonaco, best know for being the creator of The Purge films, it stars Pete Davidson (hilarious in Bodies, Bodies, Bodies) as a guy who starts to suspect something is up with the residents of a retirement home he’s just started working at. House on Eden, also released on VOD on the 25th, is a found footage flick starring social media personalities Kris Collins and Celina Myers, about a paranormal investigation in an abandoned house deep in the woods that goes horribly wrong. Your standard found footage premise but hey, we’re a sucker for those.

Finally, Together hits cinemas on the 30th. This supernatural body horror stars Dave Franco and Alison Brie and has been earning rave reviews, holding a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes (as of 48 reviews). Look, I know that a bleak romantic comedy starring Dave Franco might not be your thing but give it a chance!

For physical media fans, both Final Destination: Bloodlines and Until Dawn will be getting blu-ray releases on the 28th.

Right, that’s quite a bit already - but there’s more to catch up on from June. Here’s a quick-fire summary of the month’s biggest horror news:

• Robert Eggers is directing a new version of A Christmas Carol for Warner Bros. You just know he’s going to have everyone speaking perfect Victorian English.

• We got a release date for A Violent Night 2 – 3rd December 2026.

• Even though shooting wrapped ages ago, we also now finally have a release date for Return to Silent Hill, the eagerly anticipated return to…the Silent Hill franchise, obvs. January 23rd, 2026.

• Blumhouse have stepped in and purchased the rights to the Saw franchise from Twisted Pictures. Well, half of them anyway. Lionsgate own the other 50%. Big news considering that the franchise was at a standstill due to differences between Twisted Pictures and Lionsgate. But Blumhouse and Lionsgate are now working together on a new Saw film, with original creative duo James Wan and Leigh Whannell back to guide the franchise going forwards.

• The Descent is getting an official novelisation. If you fancy reliving that nightmare in book form then it’ll be available October 7th this year.

• Argentinian director Demian Rugna confirmed that a sequel to his critically acclaimed 2023 possession horror When Evil Lurks is in development. Rugna, who also directed Terrified (2017) said that part two has been written, they are just waiting on funding to be secured. Not a sure thing, but probably more likely than not to happen.

• Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow) will direct a new adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand. The original TV mini-series (1994) is the last decent version we had of this King classic (the 2020 series wasn’t great). Apparently this is going to be a feature length film, which should be interesting. The book is a tome, so there’s going to be a lot to edit out!

• Lego are doing an X-Files set – and it looks awesome.  It’s a dual-vignette that features a forest UFO scene on top, with Mulder's basement office underneath. Take a look for yourselves!

• Production officially began on season 4 of From. Which is good news. However, it’s not expected that we’ll see it early next year, as was originally hoped. So progress, but a lengthy wait until we actually get to see it on our TVs (or tablets or phones or whatever kids are watching stuff on now)

Trailer wise, there are a few that dropped in June worth mentioning:

• Weapons – Creepy new trailer, lots of hype, solid cast. Could be the next Barbarian or Longlegs.

• The Strangers: Chapter 2 – Looks...fine? Hard to get excited after the disappointing first instalment of the reboot.

• The Institute – Stephen King adaptation starring Ben Barnes. A bit Stranger Things-esque.

• Alien: Earth – A TV prequel to the original Alien. Eight episodes, starring Timothy Olyphant. Visually impressive, with major buzz.

• Black Phone 2 – Derrickson and Cargill return; the trailer has Sinister vibes and looks genuinely scary.

  
  

• Witchboard – 1980s cult horror gets a remake from Chuck Russell (The Blob), starring Jamie Campbell Bower (aka Vecna). Looks like fun.

So yes, July is shaping up to be a fairly lean month - but there are still a few standout cinema releases and some intriguing smaller titles worth checking out on streaming. And if you’re in the mood for a trip down memory lane, don’t miss our latest Five Films From blog post. This time, we dive into the horror offerings of 2007: think ravenous zombies, massive crocodiles, demonic forces, and creepy ghost kids. Enjoy!