Movies

The Best Horror Movies on Streaming in July 2021

Welcome to Horrorscope, a monthly column keeping horror nerds and initiates up to date on all the genre content coming to and leaving from your favorite streaming services. Here’s what to watch in July 2021:


If you are reading this from a certain hemisphere, congratulations, you are in the full-blown thrall of summer! This is great news for seasonal depression sufferers and those with a healthy interest in patio season. But as we inch closer and closer into a firey climate crisis, it is more important than ever to remember the core principles of sun safety. The best way you can prevent your body from overheating and blistering into a cancerous Cronenbergian mess is to take breaks indoors. Especially during peak UV hours (between 10 am and 4 pm). And this July, what better way to catch a little siesta than to stream some top-tier horror offerings?

While there is certainly a good crop of summer-themed horror films out there to choose from, the truth of the matter is that brand-spankin’ new genre gems (and waiting-to-be-discovered classics) are plentiful in the realm of streaming. Truly, when it comes to streamable horror in July 2021, it’s a viewers’ market. This month I’ve highlighted four flicks with a foot in both worlds: the new and the old. Our pick of the month is a genuinely bizarre studio offering bound for cult status. Also in camp “new,” we’ve got a trilogy of terror trips sure to please those in the market for a bloody blast. And to round things out, I’ve also spotlighted two older and criminally under-seen spooky flicks that will unsettle even the most hardened horror hound.

Be sure to peruse the complete list below, calendar in hand, for a full picture of what horror flicks are coming and going from your favorite streaming services in July 2021. Keep in mind that all dates listed below may not apply to viewers outside the United States.


Pick of the Month: The Empty Man (2020)

The Empty Man Th Century Fox

SynopsisA local girl is missing. James, a retired cop, is looking into it. But he doesn’t like what he finds: a group of slaughtered teens, a local legend, and whisperings of a cult attempting to summon a sinister entity.

The Empty Man (2020) didn’t have an easy start when it premiered. But then few cult films do. As our own Matthew Monagle puts it, The Empty Man is 2020’s most ambitious — and most abandoned — horror film. It was dropped in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, beset with production foibles, and forced to contend with being lost in the shuffle of Disney’s purchase of 20th Century Fox. But discerning horror fans have a talent for sniffing out true gems. And as we speak, The Empty Man is on the fast-track to cult status. If you missed the film’s original theatrical run (for understandable reasons), you owe it to yourself to catch up on this genre blend of ’70s paranoia, J-horror, and H.P. Lovecraft.

The Empty Man marks the feature film debut of David Prior, who’s been hard at work for years as a production documentarian for the likes of David Fincher and Peter Weir. Don’t let past experiences with junky creepypasta procedurals dissuade you. The Empty Man is cut from a different cloth. It’s very rare for a first-time director to receive a solid chunk of change to make a bizarre two-hour studio film. The Empty Man is brimming with ambition and is the kind of film you can tell its creator was dying to make.  So even if 23-minute cold opens (!) aren’t your thing, you really ought to see what all the fuss is about.

Available HBO Max July 17

A French/Canadian exploitation offering starring baby Jodie Foster

The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane

Synopsis: It’s Halloween and Rynn Jacobs is celebrating her 13th birthday alone. She recently moved to this small seaside town and is having a good crack at living independently. But the nosey neighbors have questions that threaten her bohemian lifestyle. Namely: where is her absent poet father?

The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976) is an odd duck. Originally premiering to mixed reviews (and a court order challenging its distribution), the film has achieved a level of cult status thanks in large part to the strength of Jodie Foster‘s performance and the film’s advocacy for children’s rights and independence.

While Martin Scorsese‘s Taxi Driver was released in the same year, the ingenue Iris (who earned Foster an Oscar nomination) couldn’t be further from the cold, resourceful Rynn. And Martin Sheen, at the time most recognizable for his work in Badlands, is so despicable here you may never look at him the same way again. Equal parts moody and disturbing, The Little Girl Who Lives Down is the kind of film you could only make in the 1970s. And we mean that as a compliment. Hamster lovers beware.

Arriving on Shudder July 6th

A trilogy of terror based on R. L. Stine’s more mature offerings

Fear Street

Synopsis: This three-part series adapts the Y.A. fiction series penned by ‘Goosebumps’ author R.L. Stine. Taking place in the fictionalized city of Shadyside, each entry sees a gaggle of fresh teens up against all manner of ghoulish adversaries. Oh, and unlike Stine’s more kid-friendly fare, this time, there will be blood. And lots of it.

Look, we’re not going to beat around the fetid corpse here, around these parts, we’re big fans of Fear Street. And it’s a true treat that R.L. Stine‘s intelligent and genuinely grisly novels have finally made their way to the small screen.

As its name suggests, Fear Street: Part 1 – 1994, is in conversation with meta 90s slashers like Scream (1996) and I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997). As our own Rob Hunter enthusiastically praised in his review: Fear Street: Part 1 is energetic, gore-filled, and arguably one of the best 90s slashers made in the 21st Century. This inaugural entry in the trilogy sees a plethora of deranged (sometimes masked) killers running wild in Shadyside. And the word on the (Fear) street is a long-dead witch may be behind the rampant rise in homicides.

By all accounts, this first entry in the trilogy is a horror-filled hoot. So color us excited for what parts two and three have to offer: 1978— an hommage to more giallo-indebted and summer camp-set slashers — and 1666 — which pays dues to period-piece offerings like The VVitch. There’s a little something for everybody. What a time to be a horror fan!

Arriving on Netflix on the following dates: July 2 (part 1), July 9 (part 2), and July 16 (part 3)

“What if Lars von Trier made an animated movie about animal testing?”

The Plague Dogs

Synopsis: Unthinkable horrors unfold at the animal research facility in the Lake District. Two dogs, Rolf and Snitter, have been drowned, prodded, and cut open all in the name of science. Unexpectedly, the pair manage to escape only to be hunted by their former captors, the media, and the military, driven by rumors that the dogs are carrying the bubonic plague.

In the Before Times, I was very lucky to catch a screening of director Martin Rosen‘s personal print of Watership Down. The sold-out theater was packed wall-to-wall with Millenials whose groovy parents had inadvertently (or sneakily) exposed us to one of the most traumatizing “kids’ movies” ever made. Sure, rabbits are cute. But there’s also cannibalism, gruesome strangulation, and the volatile cowardice of tyrants. You know…for kids!

The pre-show of this particular screening included snippets of The Plague Dogs (1982), which even to the uninitiated immediately registered as another collaboration between Rosen and Watership Down author Richard Adams. Suffice to say, I don’t think I’ve ever seen an audience fall so silent so quickly. We were all dumb-struck. There’s no other word for it. The Plague Dogs is often touted as an adventure film but holy hell what a misnomer. The Plague Dogs is both an unflinching critique of animal cruelty and a punishing depiction of the darkest depths of nihilism. If Lars von Trier made an animated film, he would have made The Plague Dogs. There’s a Dog-me 95 joke in there somewhere. Bring tissues and a strong stomach.

Arriving on The Criterion Channel July 1st as a part of the “Art-House Animation” collection


Streamable Horror Incoming This Month

Fresh blood: A list of all the horror content coming to streaming services in July 2021.

Streaming ServiceMovieDate
Amazon Prime Video30 Days of Night (2007)July 1
Amazon Prime VideoAlien (1979)July 1
Amazon Prime VideoAnacondas: The Hunt For The Blood Orchid (2004)July 1
Amazon Prime VideoHellboy (2004)July 1
Amazon Prime VideoOnly Lovers Left Alive (2014)July 1
Amazon Prime VideoThe Messengers (2007)July 1
Amazon Prime VideoThe Stepfather (2009)July 1
Amazon Prime VideoUnderworld: Evolution (2006)July 1
Amazon Prime VideoWhen A Stranger Calls (2006)July 1
ARROWHoneymoon (2014) – UKJuly 1
ARROWSatanic Panic (2019)July 1
ARROWSlumber Party Massacre II (1987)July 1
ARROWManhattan Baby (1982)July 1
ARROWManiac (unclear which version)July 1
ARROWBook of Monsters (2018) – UKJuly 9
ARROWShock Waves (1977)July 9
ARROWHoliday Fear (2017) – short filmJuly 10
ARROWAnd God Said To Cain (1970)July 12
ARROWThe Prowler (1981)July 16
ARROWSatanic Panic ‘87 (2019)July 23
The Criterion ChannelAlice (1988)July 1
The Criterion ChannelEyes of Laura Mars (1978)July 1
The Criterion ChannelFaust (1994)July 1
The Criterion ChannelThe Plague Dogs (1982)July 1
The Criterion ChannelThe Wolf House (2018)July 1
The Criterion ChannelAmerican Movie (1999)July 19
HBO MaxDark Water (2005)July 1
HBO MaxDarkness Falls (2003)July 1
HBO MaxEve’s Bayou (1997)July 1
HBO MaxFirestarter (1984)July 1
HBO MaxGhost in the Machine (1993)July 1
HBO MaxHouse on Haunted Hill (1999)July 1
HBO MaxThe Return of the Living Dead (1985)July 1
HBO MaxReturn of the Living Dead III (1993)July 1
HBO MaxScream (1996)July 1
HBO MaxScream 2 (1997)July 1
HBO MaxScream 3 (2000)July 1
HBO MaxThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)July 1
HBO MaxTrick ‘R Treat (2009)July 1
HBO MaxThe Watcher (2016)July 1
HBO MaxThe Hunt (2020)July 8
HBO MaxThe Empty Man (2020)July 17
HBO MaxFreaky (2020)July 24
Hulu28 Days Later (2003)July 1
Hulu28 Weeks Later (2007)July 1
Hulu78/52: Hitchcock’s Shower Scene (2017)July 1
HuluBeetlejuice (1988)July 1
HuluCandyman 3: Day of the Dead (1999)July 1
HuluCarnage Park (2016)July 1
HuluThe Cured (2017)July 1
HuluFrankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974)July 1
HuluThe Gift (2000)July 1
HuluHellions (2015)July 1
HuluHideaway (1995)July 1
HuluHouse of the Dead (2003)July 1
HuluHouse of the Dead 2 (2006)July 1
HuluThe House That Jack Built (2018)July 1
HuluLet’s be Evil (2016)July 1
HuluOpen Water (2004)July 1
HuluOpen Water 2: Adrift (2006)July 1
HuluPersonal Shopper (2016)July 1
HuluShelley (2016)July 1
HuluSleepwalkers (1992)July 1
HuluSorority Row (2009)July 1
HuluStephen King’s Graveyard Shift (1990)July 1
HuluThe Stepfather (2009)July 1
HuluUnderworld (2003)July 1
HuluUnderworld Awakening (2012)July 1
HuluUnderworld Evolution (2006)July 1
HuluUnderworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009)July 1
HuluDreamcatcher (2021)July 3
HuluThe Resort (2021)July 29
IMDb TVCasper’s Haunted Christmas (2000)July 1
IMDb TVThe Roommate (2011)July 1
IMDb TVWolves (2014)July 1
NetflixThe Strangers (2008)July 1
NetflixUnderworld (2003)July 1
NetflixUnderworld: Awakening (2012)July 1
NetflixUnderworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009)July 1
NetflixThe 8th Night (2021)July 2
NetflixFear Street Part 1: 1994 (2021)July 2
NetflixFear Street Part 2: 1978 (2021)July 9
NetflixA Classic Horror Story (2021)July 14
NetflixFear Street Part 3: 1666 (2021)July 16
NetflixTwilight (2008)July 16
NetflixThe Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009)July 16
NetflixThe Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010)July 16
NetflixThe Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 1 (2011)July 16
NetflixThe Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 2 (2012)July 16
NetflixBlood Red Sky (2021)July 23
ShudderNear Dark (1987)July 1
ShudderBurnt Offerings (1976)July 1
ShudderCreepshow (1982)July 1
ShudderThirteen Ghosts (2001)July 1
ShudderThe Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976)July 6
ShudderTerror Train (1980)July 6
ShudderDeath Ship (1980)July 6
ShudderPledge Night (1990)July 7
ShudderSorority House Massacre (1986)July 7
ShudderDay of the Dead (1985)July 7
ShudderHorsehead (2014)July 7
ShudderSon (2021)July 8
ShudderMessiah of Evil (1974)July 12
ShudderCarnival of Souls (1962)July 12
ShudderPiranha (1978)July 12
ShudderStraight Edge Keggar (2019)July 12
ShudderSeparation (2021)July 13
ShudderThe Call (2021)July 15
ShudderShe’s Allergic to Cats (2016)July 19
ShudderHere Comes Hell (2019)July 19
ShudderMass Hysteria (2019)July 20
ShudderROT (2019)July 20
ShudderKandisha (2020)July 22
ShudderThey Remain (2018)July 26
ShudderAdoration (2021)July 27
ShudderThe Boy Behind the Door (2020)July 29
TubiPride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016)July 1
TubiSlither (2006)July 1
TubiMonster High: Welcome to Monster High (2016)July 1
TubiMini Munsters (1973)July 1
TubiHannibal (2001)July 1
TubiHannibal Rising (2007)July 1
TubiThe Voices (2014)July 18


Horror Titles Expiring from Streaming Soon

Streaming ServiceMovieDate
HBO MaxAnnabelle (2014)July 4
HBO MaxAnnabelle Comes Home (2019)July 4
HBO MaxThe Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)July 4
HBO MaxThe Curse of La Llorona (2019)July 4
HBO MaxThe Nun (2018)July 4
HBO MaxIt: Chapter 2 (2019)July 10
HBO MaxA Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985)July 31
HBO MaxA Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)July 31
HBO MaxA Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989)July 31
HBO MaxA Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)July 31
HBO MaxA Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)July 31
HBO MaxAnaconda (1997)July 31
HBO MaxThe Apparition (2012)July 31
HBO MaxAVP: Alien vs. Predator, (2004) – Alternate VersionJuly 31
HBO MaxBram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)July 31
HBO MaxThe City of Lost Children (1995)July 31
HBO MaxThe Conjuring 2 (2016)July 31
HBO MaxI Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)July 31
HBO MaxJacob’s Ladder (1990)July 31
HBO MaxShocker (1989)July 31
HBO MaxTroll 2 (1990)July 31
HBO MaxTroll (1986)July 31
HuluIn Extremis (2017)July 24
Hulu28 Days Later (2003)July 31
Hulu28 Weeks Later (2007)July 31
HuluThe Crazies (2010)July 31
HuluGoodnight Mommy (2015)July 31
HuluHannibal Rising (2007)July 31
HuluThe Haunting in Connecticut (2009)July 31
HuluHaunting In Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia (2013)July 31
HuluI Saw the Devil (2010)July 31
HuluThe Relic (1997)July 31
HuluThe Skeleton Key (2005)July 31
HuluSweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)July 31
HuluTriangle (2009)July 31
NetflixThe Invitation (2015)July 7
NetflixBride of Chucky (1998)July 31
NetflixChild’s Play 2 (1990)July 31
NetflixChild’s Play 3 (1991)July 31
NetflixSeed of Chucky (2004)July 31
NetflixZombieland (2009)July 31

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