Movies
Fear Itself Review: Episode 1.4 ‘In Sickness & in Health’
This morning Tex sent in his review of the latest episode of Fear Itself (all reviews), “In Sickness & In Health,” which was directed by John Landis (“An American Werewolf in London”) from a screenplay by Victor Salva (“Jeepers Creepers”). Airing this Thursday, the film takes place on the protagonists wedding day, where a beautiful bride receives a mysterious note that reads: “The person you are marrying is a serial killer.” Read on for Tex’s negative review and drop back tomorrow to let everyone know what you thought.
I’m going to come right out and say it. This week’s episode of FEAR ITSELF wastes what was inarguably the series most promising logline. What if, on your wedding day, you received an anonymous note that simply read, “The person you are marrying is a serial killer”? The realm of psychological possibilities are endless and the conclusions that can be drawn, both accurate and inaccurate, both benign and brutal could make for a compelling piece of entertainment. Sadly, Director John Landis and Writer Victor Salva are not up for the task of delivering such profound plot conclusions. Instead what they convey is an ending that only shocks because it has no justification in the whole of the film that preceded it.
Sam (Maggie Lawson) is about to marry Carlos (James Roday)–a man that we are told, by a pair of overprotective bridesmaids–she has known only for an indeterminate, but short, amount of time. The question they needle on about, is whether or not, she really knows the man she’s about to commit the rest of her life to. When the ominous note arrives, Sam is torn between her obvious feelings for Carlos and her terror of the unknown. Before and after the ceremony, Sam tries desperately to quell her fears and uncover the truth. But, every action raises more suspicion than the last and every twist reveals that Carlos is clearly hiding something from his new bride. But who is Carlos? What is he hiding? Is he a killer, and who delivered the note?
As I said before, the possibilities are endless and under that vast umbrella it’s certainly conceivable that Salva and Landis accurately reached their climax–but without giving the ending of the film away–it’s difficult to describe why the film ultimately fails without once again reiterating that you would actively need to be already considering the conclusion to recognize any signs in the film that lead to it’s reveal. It feels like a cheat, a way to end a production when the filmmakers didn’t know how to end it.
Truthfully, the ending is not the only problem with the episode either. It doesn’t seem to know where it’s going. It’s missing a traditional act structure and the mystery that Sam is trying to solve is not really proving any monumental clues that would cause the suspense to ratchet up. Lawson’s performance, as well as that of her bridesmaids, is a bit to sing-song and stilted in the beginning, lending a kind of hyperrealism to the story, in much the same manner that Landis employed in his twin entries for MASTERS OF HORROR. However, both those films (FAMILY and DEER WOMAN) bent to more of a fairy tale setting and thusly the characterizations flowed much better in the whimsical environments Landis created. Here everyone feels cardboard and plastic. Even minor appearances by some noted genre vets like William B. Davis (The Cigarette Smoking man of X-FILES fame) and Marshall Bell (TOTAL RECALL) are cast-offs with Bell suffering through some odd exposition that is supposed to increase the cloud of doubt on Carlos, but ultimately makes little waves in the grand scheme of things.
I’ve always been a fan of Landis, even when he’s been saddled with more minor fluff pieces. Since he doesn’t write as much as he used to, he’s had to conform his comic-horror stylings to suit other people’s material and he’s nearly perfected making a gun-for-hire film feel like it’s from the mind of “John Landis”. This time around Salva’s screenplay is killing him and what we wind up with is a film that has none of the absurd Landis flourishes and frankly could have been directed by any unknown television series regular. It’s a waste of talent in front of and behind the lens. Let’s hope it’s the last time we see such a fiasco on this season of FEAR ITSELF.
3/10 or 1
The holiday weekend means a light week for new horror releases, but it does bring the return of Dark Castle Entertainment to select theaters. It’s being joined by 6 new horror movies.
Here’s all the new horror releasing June 29, 2026 – July 3, 2026!
For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.
You wished for it. The highest-grossing horror movie of the year (so far), Curry Barker’s Obsession, arrived on Digital on June 30.
In Curry Barker’s theatrical debut Obsession, after breaking the mysterious One Wish Willow to win his crush’s heart, a hopeless romantic finds himself getting exactly what he asked for but soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price.
Michael Johnston (“Teen Wolf”), Inde Navarette (“Superman & Lois”), Cooper Tomlinson (“That’s a Bad Idea,” Milk & Serial), Megan Lawless (The Death That Awaits), and Emmy Award-nominee Andy Richter (“Conan,” Elf) star.
Based on a story by director James Kondelik (Behind The Walls) and a screenplay by Canadian writer Victor Rose, survival thriller Pitfall headed home to Digital on June 30. Family is murder in this Cineverse release.
In Pitfall, a young man becomes separated from his friends in the woods and plunges into a ten-foot pit lined with spikes, impaling his leg and leaving him helpless. As reality sinks in and his situation grows dire, he realizes the fall wasn’t an accident.
The film stars Richard Harmon (Final Destination: Bloodlines), Alexandra Essoe (The Pope’s Exorcist), and UFC champion Randy Couture (The Expendables) as the ruthless killer who stalks his prey in the woods. Marshall Williams (The Ice Road), Jordan Claire Robbins (The Umbrella Academy), and Matt Hamilton (Murder for Sale) also star.
The Amityville IP leans into Jaws with Amityville Shark House, just in time for the Fourth of July holiday too, as it released on Digital June 30.
Will Collazo Jr. (Amityville Thanksgiving) and Shawn C. Phillips (Amityville Karen) co-direct from a script they wrote with Julie Anne Prescott.
In the movie, after discovering an ominous shark idol hidden beneath the decaying floorboards, Richard unknowingly awakens an ancient and savage force. As the entity begins to merge with him, a quiet coastal town descends into blood-soaked chaos.
With each victim claimed, the monstrous predator grows stronger, fueling a cult’s belief that their dark god has been reborn. Now, the race is on to stop the carnage before evil consumes everything in its path.
Phillips and Prescott also star alongside Tasha Tacosa, Maritza Brikisak, Gigi Gustin (The Retaliators), Adam Marino, and Carl Solomon.
Available on Digital, Blu-ray, and DVD as of June 30 is Jacked, directed by John Fucile from a script he co-wrote with Simon Fraser.
The synopsis: “Set in the summer of 1987, JACKED follows two small-town teenagers whose day at the lake turns into a fight for survival after their car breaks down and they encounter a violent stalker.”
Marla Jean Robison, Tom Koch, Anthony Cipriani, Wynn Reichert, Kam Perez and Bella Marie star.
Get ready to work up a killer sweat and maybe spill some blood with Slashercise, a workout meets slasher hybrid that arrived exclusively on Bloodstream on July 1.
Written and directed by Ama Lea (Deathcember), the retro-styled feature follows “a masked killer known only as Meathead as he stalks the fitness clubs of Los Angeles, turning workout sessions into blood-soaked nightmares. As the city’s top trainers are picked off one by one, a group of determined fitness fanatics must fight back before they become the next bodies on the mat.”
Vanessa Decker (Stiletto), John Bloom (The Last Drive-In With Joe Bob Briggs), Spencer Charnas (Ice Nine Kills), Sarah French (Blind), Kelli Maroney (Night of the Comet), Sarah Nicklin (V/H/S/Halloween), Diana Prince (The Last Drive-In With Joe Bob Briggs), Jared Rivet (The Once and Future Smash), Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp), Tiffany Shepis (Victor Crowley), and Lisa Wilcox (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master) star.
After a record-breaking box office run, A24 and director Kane Parsons’ feature debut is heading back to theaters with bonus footage. AMC Theatres is unleashing Backrooms: Everything Must Go Editiontoday, July 3.
In the film written by Will Soodik, the owner of Cap’n Clark’s Ottoman Empire discovers a strange doorway in the basement of the furniture showroom. He sets out to explore the mysterious, liminal space, walking headfirst into a creepypasta nightmare.
Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsvestar.
AMC describes this release as a “theatrically exclusive post-credit” with additional footage from Kane Parsons. Expect 16 minutes of bonus footage, with the new version clocking in at 2 hours and 6 minutes.
The Last Exorcism director Daniel Stamm and Dark Castle Entertainment are back with Lockbox, in select theaters July 3. It adapts Soren Narnia‘s Knifepoint Horror Podcast story “Winthrop” by Emmy-winning playwright Justin Yoffe.
In Lockbox, “Seeking peace after her mother’s death, Ellen retreats to a rural town and takes in her severely traumatized cousin Winthrop. Their fragile domestic balance shatters when an erratic neighbor warns that Winthrop is dangerous. As strange phenomena escalate, Ellen must put everything on the line to defend Winthrop from a dangerous otherworldly entity determined to track him down.”
Lou Taylor Pucci (Touch Me, Evil Dead), Carla Gugino (The Haunting of Hill House, Gerald’s Game, The Fall of the House of Usher) and Katharine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps, Backrooms) star.
This week’s new release roundups are presented by Lockbox.
Be careful who you let in. Carla Gugino and Lou Taylor Pucci star in Lockbox, only in select theaters this Friday. Get tickets.
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