Movies
The Resident (V)
“The Resident, directed by music video virtuoso Antti Jokinen, harkens back to the string of psychological thrillers the studio released in the sixties and early seventies with moderate success, feeling like a cross between Crawlspace and a wimpy, less aggressive Fatal Attraction.”
Mixing European sexuality and Universal Monster gothic charm, Hammer Films recreated the styling of the golden age of horror in somewhat bolder times. Not all of their films were monster-romp throwbacks, though; The Quatermass Experiement and Scream Of Fear are among those without castles with richly-woven tapestries adorning their walls. Hammer persevered through its ups and downs for the better part of fifty years with its heavy emphasis on atmosphere and occasional camp appeal, but sadly shut its doors in the mid-eighties after two television shows and a remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Lady Vanishes finally put the nail in its coffin. When the studio reopened its doors a few years back, nostalgia took hold of fans’ expectations and, thus far, the ol’ Hammer charm has been absent from its two vampire releases, Rave To The Grave, a episodic web series, and Let Me In, a skillfully made but ultimately pointless remake. The Resident, directed by music video virtuoso Antti Jokinen, harkens back to the string of psychological thrillers the studio released in the sixties and early seventies with moderate success, feeling like a cross between Crawlspace and a wimpy, less aggressive Fatal Attraction.
After a hard breakup, E.R. doctor Juliet (Hilary Swank) is trying to move on and into a new place. Scouring every nook and cranny of the city for the perfect new residence, her dream apartment suddenly appears out of thin air. With a perfect view of New York City and a rent most people would kill for, landlord Max (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), barely has to say a word before she agrees to take it. Moving in a few days later down the hall from his petulant grandfather (Christopher Lee), it’s not long before Juliet begins waking up to creaks and cracks in the middle of the night along with a feeling of a malevolent presence lurking about.
The Resident is never anything more than run-of-the-mill. The screenplay by Jokinen and Robert Orr tackles subjects we’ve seen done to death, like voyeurism, and does nothing to liven them up; it even sinks to turning the entire third act into a chase scene that moves along at a pace akin to an electric wheelchair, complete with dead bodies hidden in the wall. Although there is a tense scene or two, the film simply isn’t menacing enough until it’s too late. That’s not to say Morgan isn’t creepy and politely abrasive as the film’s antagonist; quite the contrary, actually. He strikes an unsettling balance between friendly eagerness and being invasive, and manages to channel Norman Bates – only for seconds at a time, mind you – with his unhappy childhood.
But even he can’t escape the script’s uneven progression of his unhinged behavior, as his obsession with Juliet quickly jumps following her home to sucking her fingers as she sleeps, a move that skirts the very thin line between creepiness and hilarity. It’s obvious that The Resident is attempting to recreate the sexuality of early Hammer with its silhouetted shots of Juliet changing and bathing, and even running around the apartment in her skeevies, but casting Swank gives the film Dark Knight Syndrome. You can’t make someone unsexy sexy, and as it stands, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a less provocative bathtub masturbation scene.
The Resident succeeds at being the least aggressive stalker film in existence and manages to make its Lifetime counterparts look like sexually charged thrillers. Although it’s fun to watch Morgan be a total creeper, it’s painful to see the Hammer name in front a film so boring and a genre mainstay like Lee completely squandered. Ambiance, menace, excitement; these are the things a Hammer fan craves and, consequently, these are also the things The Resident does not have.
Nicolas Winding Refn. Michael Mann. Pinocchio. Today’s lineup of new horror movie releases is eclectic, to say the least, and we’ve got the full rundown for you as we head into the weekend.
Here are the new horror movies that released on Friday, July 24, 2026!
Nicolas Winding Refn’s Her Private Hell is now playing in theaters from NEON.
In the film, when a mysterious mist engulfs a futuristic metropolis, unleashing a deadly and elusive entity, a troubled young woman searches for her father. Her quest collides with an American GI on a harrowing odyssey to rescue his daughter from Hell.
Sophie Thatcher (“Yellowjackets”), Charles Melton (“Riverdale”), Kristine Froseth (How to Blow Up a Pipeline), Havana Rose Liu (No Exit), and Diego Calva (Babylon) star.
The ensemble also includes Dougray Scott (Hitman), Aoi Yamada (Perfect Days), Shioli Kutsuna (Deadpool & Wolverine), and Hidetoshi Nishijima (Shin Ultraman).
Nicolas Winding Refn directs Her Private Hell from a script he co-wrote with Esti Giordani (“Vida”). Pino Donaggio (Carrie, Don’t Look Now) composed the score.
Refn produces under his byNWR Originals banner. Executive producers include Takuma Takasaki, Kimberly Willming, Christina Erritzøe, and Lene Børglum.
Her Private Hell is rated ‘R’ for “some strong/bloody violence, sexual content, and language.”
Michael Mann‘s adaptation of Thomas Harris’ Red Dragon has received a new 4K restoration in celebration of the film’s 40th anniversary this year, and it’s been dubbed Michael Mann’s Manhunter: The Final Cut. The film is now playing in select U.S. theaters.
In Manhunter, “FBI criminal profiler Will Graham (William L. Petersen) is called out of early retirement to assist on a serial murder case involving a killer known as the “Tooth Fairy” (Tom Noonan). Graham enlists the help of imprisoned serial killer — and cannibal — Dr. Hannibal Lecktor (Brian Cox), who is the reason Graham took an early retirement.
“Soon, Graham and the FBI are entangled in a deadly cat-and-mouse game between the Tooth Fairy, Lecter, and an interfering journalist (Stephen Lang).“
Michael Mann guided this 4K scan of the original 35mm negative, with a few shots from an interpositive, that was conformed and digitally restored at L’Immagine Ritrovata in Bologna.
This new 4K Final Cut, overseen by Michael Mann, “enhances the film’s depth, visual clarity and sound, offering audiences the ultimate immersive version,” per the press release.
Part of the cinematic universe known as the “Poohniverse,” Pinocchio Unstrung puts a horror movie spin on the classic tale, and the film is now playing only in theaters.
The chilling reimagining of the familiar fable unfolds inside an elite London prep school. Created by Geppetto and influenced by a sinister Cricket, Pinocchio launches a violent crusade to carve himself into a real boy like his brother, one piece at a time…
Richard Brake (Barbarian) stars in Pinocchio Unstrung as the obsessive Geppetto, with horror icon Robert Englund (Nightmare on Elm Street) as the voice of Cricket.
Pinocchio is voiced by Jude Evan Lloyd and brought to life via a practical animatronic created by Todd Masters (“Tales from the Crypt,” Slither). Cameron Bell, Jessica Balmer, Jack Art Gray, and Peter De Souza-Feighoney round out the horror movie’s cast.
Rhys Frake-Waterfield (Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey) writes and directs the British slasher, in addition to producing alongside Scott Jeffrey via their Jagged Edge Productions.
This is fifth entry in the Twisted Childhood Universe, following Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey and its sequel, Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare, and Bambi: The Reckoning.
The Poohniverse continues with Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 3, currently in production, and the crossover film Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble, slated to shoot this summer.
Danny Trejo stars in indie horror movie Accursed, released on Digital today.
Here’s the official synopsis: “When a nun’s cursed secret resurfaces on Emma’s 21st birthday, a lake-house reunion turns deadly. A masked cult and dark prophecy force Emma and her friends to face possession, betrayal, and a midnight ritual that could raise ancient evil.”
Humberto Rosa and Brian Frank Visciglia directed. Gabriel Sousa, Paris Dylan, Philippe A. Haddad, Kira Cahill, Lulu Bailey, Rafael Amadeu, and Vivien Soraya also star.
And finally, Dark Sky Films released Cruel Hands on Digital today.
“A mother and her young son escape from an abusive husband to an isolated farmhouse, only to find themselves trapped between him and a raging bushfire that surrounds them.”
Cruel Hands is directed by Al Kalyk.
Mavournee Hazel, Iolanthe, Max Cattana, Charlotte Friels, Harry Greenwood, Diesel La Torraca, Josh McConville, Jack Sacks, and Jesse Turner star in the film.
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