July 2016: A Preview of the Month in Horror!

With the Holiday Weekend in full swing, let's take a look at the best Movies & TV Shows that are seeing Theatrical, Blu-ray & DVD, VOD, or TV releases this June; they're the biggest and (potentially) best of them, and at the very least, they are the ones that we're most excited to check out.

*Click the pics below for more info on the Movie or TV Show, or pre-order them when applicable.

LIGHTS OUT (7/22, THEATRICAL)

"When Rebecca left home, she thought that her childhood fears were behind her. As a young girl growing up, she was never really sure of what was real when the lights went out at night. Now, her little brother Martin is experiencing the same unexplained and terrifying events that jeopardized her safety and sanity. Holding a mysterious attachment to their mother, the supernatural entity has returned with a vengeance to torment the entire family."

A few years back, we saw a Horror short called Lights Out (watch it HERE), and it creeped the hell out of us; it was short, simple, and absolutely effective. If the full-length feature can manage to be half as effective as that short, then Lights Out may end up being the sleeper hit of the Summer.

We can't wait to find out.

THE PURGE: ELECTION YEAR (IN THEATERS NOW)

We hated the first Purge, loved the 2nd one, and the trailer for this 3rd installment makes us think that it's going to be every bit as good as the 2nd one. Frank Grillo is the man, and we have complete faith that he's going to rock it once again.

Everyone we know who has seen it so far has raved about it, so it's at the top of our list. 

THE BLACKCOAT'S DAUGHTER (7/15, DIRECTV)

Some of us were lucky enough to catch The Blackcoat's Daughter (formerly titled February) in Chicago at the end of May, and I'm here to tell you that it's an excellent flick, and one that you should definitely add to your Must See list.

Of course it's going to air exclusively on DirecTV before it hits other VOD outlets, but don't let that stop you. Everyone knows someone with DirecTV, right?

JULY 19th.

"On his first day on the job at an army surplus store, poor Freddy (Thom Mathews) unwittingly releases nerve gas from a secret U.S. military canister, unleashing an unbelievable terror. The gas re-animates an army of corpses, who arise from their graves with a ravenous hunger... for human brains! And luckily for those carnivorous cadavers, there is a group of partying teens nearby, just waiting to be eaten!"

Even in a year when we're still getting new Blu-ray releases for movies like Phenomena, Suspiria, Session 9, and The Thing, this Collector's Edition of Return of the Living Dead has us excited in ways that we can't even begin to describe. You probably wouldn't want us to, either.

This is a DAY ONE purchase for us, and it should be for you too. Pre-order that bad boy below.

STRANGER THINGS (7/15, NETFLIX)

"A strange town where everyone knows everyone Is subject to a peculiar incident. The town then undergoes a state of panic, before the government becomes involved. Also, there's a clueless but charming sheriff, who is simply trying to get the town back into control while a smarter character figures out the mystery."

We're not exactly sure what in the hell kind of show that Stranger Things is going to be, but it looks intriguing as hell. I've been crushing on Winona Ryder since I was a wee lad, and to see her headline a Genre show that looks so... strange... excites me to no end. Not like that, pervs.

THE NIGHT OF (7/10, HBO)

"After a night of partying with a female stranger, a man wakes up to find her stabbed to death and is charged with her murder."

We caught the Pilot Episode of this new HBO show a few days ago (HBO released it early, because they're nice), and let me say that it's the best Pilot Episode that I've seen from them in forever. Maybe even since Game of Thrones. I loved every second of the dark, noirish mystery that unfolded before my eyes, and It's killing me to have to wait for two more weeks to be able to see what happens next.

If you like good dramatic TV, tune in on June 10th. You won't be sorry.

TRAIN TO BUSAN (7/22)

"Sok-woo and his daughter Soo-ahn are boarding the KTX, a fast train that shall bring them from Seoul to Busan. But right at the moment of their departure, the train station is overrun by zombies which kill the train driver and several others. While the KTX is shooting driver-less to Busan, the passengers have to fight for their naked lives against the zombies."

The S.Koreans do Thrillers just as good (if not better) than anyone else in the world, so there's no reason for us to think that they couldn't deliver a zombie flick like Train to Busan at the same level. The trailer looks solid, and even though some zombie purists are sure to yell "But zombies don't run!" at the top of their lungs, we're here to say that sometimes zombies do run, and it's better that way. Sometimes.

I have a hard time believing that a S.Korean movie is going to be released in theaters in the U.S. without a coinciding VOD release, but there's been no mention of VOD at all so far. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

JULY 12th.

"In 1982, Author Stephen King, and Director George A. Romero collaborated on a feature-film tribute to the controversial EC comics of the 1950s. Told through five jolting tales of terror, CREEPSHOW has become a celebrated horror classic over the past three decades. With an all-star cast, and featuring groundbreaking special effects by genre legend Tom Savini, CREEPSHOW stands as a horrific and hilarious tribute to the stories that helped influence (and corrupt) a generation of writers and filmmakers. Now the tales behind the creation of this chilling masterpiece can finally be told!"

We love us a good Horror Documentary, and Just Desserts looks like it's going to be a really good one.

JULY 12th.

"After witnessing a shocking crime, a young rock band is unexpectedly thrust into a life-or-death battle to escape the clutches of a diabolical club owner (Patrick Stewart) and his ruthless henchmen in this white-knuckle thriller."

Green Room is an intense Thriller that engaged us from the get-go, and kept us on edge throughout. Its ultra-violent content is a big part of the movie, but its humanity is what really propels it forward, making the gory moments that much more impactful. Solid writing, directing, and acting make this one well-above average in that way.

GHOSTBUSTERS (7/15, THEATRICAL)

"Ghostbusters makes its long-awaited return, rebooted with a cast of new characters. Thirty years after the beloved original took the world by storm, director Paul Feig brings his take to the supernatural comedy, joined by Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, and Chris Hemsworth. This summer, they're here to save the world!"

We're not real excited to see this remake of Ghostbusters. It's not because we're sexist, or because we're big geeky babies who don't want to see anything from our childhood remade, but because it doesn't look funny. It just doesn't.

Still, this is going to be a big movie, and we'll be curious to see what critics and audiences make of it when it's released, so it's definitely on our radar.