Editorials
Best & Worst ’10: THEO’S TOP 10 OF 2010
While many would say that this year was ‘slow’ for the horror genre, I would have to firmly disagree. Last year when I was compiling my list of films for my ‘Best Of 2009’, I was having trouble even remembering half the movies I had seen that year. Of course, the top 5 were cemented, but by the time I got past the sixth film on that list things began to get a bit hazy. That was the direct opposite this year as I had to leave out several films that could have easily made the list last year. But alas, there are only 10 spots, and so for all of you gorehounds, big and small, young and old…I give you my look back at the years best films in the horror genre. Read on for the skinny!
BC (Best/Worst) | Micah (Best/Worst) | Keenan (Best/Worst) | Theo (Best/Worst)
Best One Sheets | Worst One Sheets
Most Memorable Moments | Top Trailers | Memorable Quotes
THEO’S TOP 10 OF 2010
Slashing its way onto my list of the years best horror films is Robert Rodriguez’s fan friendly, cashed check of a 70s nod Grindhouse film, ‘MACHETE’. The director, who had been promising for years since the flop of his 2007 directed ‘PLANET TERROR’, that he would be adapting the trailer into a major motion picture was thwarted at almost every turn on his quest to bring fans what they wanted. A fun, no holds barred, over the top bloodbath. What they got was an adequately brutal Trejo, an ensemble cast featuring Jessica Alba and Michelle Rodriguez, and Lindsay Lohan dressed as a nun. The results were nothing short of greatness, and while the film may not have broken any new ground, ‘MACHETE’ will forever be one of the most fucking fun cinematic rides I have ever been on.
One of the most surprising films to hit theaters this past year would have to be the Shyamalan produced ‘DEVIL’. Billed as the first film in the ‘NIGHT CHRONICLES’, ‘DEVIL’ was able to take a very simple idea, couple it with some key performances by Chris Messina and Bojana Novakovic, some Hitchcockian direction from Erick Dowdle, and deliver a film that proves once and for all that M. Night is better off staying behind the scenes and letting the new breed take the helm. Claustrophobic, entertaining, funny, and downright creepy, ‘DEVIL’ is a film that goes far and beyond what we have come to expect from a film that carries the ‘Shyamalan’ banner.
What is quite possibly the absolute BEST film in the subgenre since ‘THE EXORCISM’ itself, ‘THE LAST EXORCISM’ reminds us of why films of its ilk are so terrifying. Daniel Stamm’s first person account of one man’s venture into his own inner demons only to be encountered by some very literal ones, was able to hand viewers enough red herrings that it was able to keep you guessing until the very end. M. Night take note: this is how you deliver a ‘twist’.
With the largest horror franchise of the new millennium on the ropes after several sub-par installments in recent years, it wasn’t a shock to anyone that the 7th film in the ‘SAW’ mythos would be the franchises’ last. But instead of crawling away with its tail between its legs, ‘SAW’ managed to go out on the highest note of its run since ‘SAW 2’, and also deliver to fans an ending that they deserved. And while we all expected slow torture as we slipped on our 3D glasses, ‘SAW 3D’ left us a cheering mangled mess as we finally reached the end of Jigsaw’s games.
The LAST film I would have predicted would make this list if you had asked me last year at this time – ‘PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2′ was a sequel that had the odds firmly stacked against it. With a rushed shooting schedule, a tight budget, and behind the scenes turmoil threatening the films’ success, not even the most well learned horror critic could have predicted that Tod Williams’ sequel to the 2009 blockbuster hit would have even been able to count as passable much less be just as good. Thank God for small miracles, aye?
The follow-up to my top film of 2009, ‘REC 2’ manages to be both an improvement upon an established formula, as well as break some new ground on a subgenre that is on the verge of becoming overused. The directing duo of Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza manage to weave together a fantastic make-shift follow-up for fans of the first that answers enough questions to sew up the story, as well as create enough new ones to truly begin the next great horror franchise.
One part ‘ROSEMARY’S BABY’ and two parts 80s homage, Ti West’s ‘THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL’ managed to blow film fest viewers worldwide away with its unapologetically simple approach to the horror genre. Fans of classic slow burners won’t help but be impressed by the films kitschy opening, slow roll middle, and mind blowing ending.
Adam Green’s out of nowhere hit about 3 skiers stuck suspended in the air and exposed to the natural elements for a week after being forgotten one terrible Sunday night at a ski resort will do for the winter sport what ‘JAWS’ did for swimming. Rarely is a film so simple able to be so damned compelling, but what Green was able to do on a shoestring budget (and cast) is downright admirable. A film that you should search out at all costs, ‘FROZEN’ is yet another brilliant film to add to an already impressive resume for the writer/director.
This might be the most obscure choice on my list for most, but After Dark Horror Fest’s surprisingly traumatizing (and grisly) expose’ into the darkest depths of humanity, ‘DREAD’, is one of the most overlooked films of 2010. It is possible that it was simply pushed under the rug due to its disappointing predecessors (Here’s looking at you ‘THE GRAVES’.) , but the make-shift cast lead by Jackson Rathbone managed to string together some of the most disturbingly real horror scenes in recent memory.
While I will be the first to admit that I was like everyone else when I thought that Matt Reeve’s Americanized remake of the Swedish masterpiece ‘LET THE RIGHT ONE IN’ would be the biggest dud this side of ‘A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET’. the dark pseudo-romance had more heart and depth per frame than an entire episode of ‘THE PACIFIC’. While it might not have been better than its predecessor, the film managed to improve upon a few key plotlines while still being faithful to the source material. (A feat few movies can achieve.) Couple this with some of the best performances we have seen in a horror film in years from Moretz and Smit-McPhee, and you have a modern day genre classic. The only shame in this film is that it went so unnoticed by general audiences who will clamor for the next ‘Twatlight’ installment, but won’t shell out $10s for a true vampire film.
A new month means a new guide as titles are added (and dropped) from streaming services. Let’s unpack the most exciting titles that are available to watch on Tubi in July 2026.
New to Tubi July Horror Films
Deep Blue Sea (1999)
- Premise: Searching for a cure to Alzheimer’s disease, a group of scientists on an isolated research facility become the prey as a trio of intelligent sharks fight back.
- Why Watch It? Let’s be frank: Director Renny Harlin has made some absolute dogs in the last few years (the less said about The Strangers trilogy the better, though this year’s Deep Water was actually ok). Deep Blue Sea remains one of the Finnish director’s best contemporary efforts, though. Between the great cast (Samuel L. Jackson, Saffron Burrows, Stellan Skarsgård, Michael Rapaport, LL Cool J, Thomas Jane, and Jane’s sleeveless wetsuit), the ridiculous premise, and that damn/dumb song (“My hat is like a shark’s fin”), you basically can’t go wrong with Deep Blue Sea. It’s one of two great shark films gliding onto Tubi this month, so why not stay out of the water and watch this instead?
- Streaming: July 1
Exorcist II: Heretic (1977)
- Premise: Reagan (Linda Blair), a girl once possessed by a demon, finds that it still lurks within her. Meanwhile, Father Lamont (Richard Burton) investigates the death of the priest who performed her exorcism.
- Why Watch It? August sees the release of documentary Boorman and the Devil, which is about the troubled production of this sequel. The notoriety surrounding Heretic has undoubtedly kept plenty of horror fans away from the sequel, but this truly is a “seeing is believing” kind of film. Real talk: it’s undeniably a disaster, but the John Boorman film has also become a minor cult film. Don’t you want to see it to make up your own mind?
- Streaming: July 1
Hostel: Part III (2011)
- Premise: Four men attending a bachelor party in Las Vegas fall prey to the Elite Hunting Club, who are hosting a gruesome game show of torture.
- Why Watch It? What does Hostel look like without Eli Roth? Part III kinda answers the question. Technically Roth is still a writer, but he hands over the directorial reins to Scott Spiegel (best known for acting in Evil Dead films). The result is a film with a terrible pedigree; it’s also the first (and last) entry to skip theatres before the franchise was permanently shelved (until that TV show with Paul Giamatti shows up?). For some horror fans, however, there’s something exciting about a bad low-budget sequel. Just bear in mind that the Hostel: Part III‘s biggest star is Kip Pardue…so adjust your expectations accordingly before hitting play.
- Streaming: July 1
Insidious 1-3 (2010/2013/2015)
- Premise: A family looks to prevent evil spirits from trapping their comatose child in a realm called The Further.
- Why Watch It? It’s hard to believe that the sixth (!) Insidious movie is coming out in a month and a half, but James Wan and Leigh Whannell‘s other horror franchise has been steadily chugging along for sixteen years. It’s a shame that Tubi doesn’t have all five films available to watch, but in terms of quality, you can do far worse than the original trio. The first film is iconic, and the second is basically an extended coda (with some admittedly problematic stuff going on). I’ll go to bat for Whannell’s 2015 directorial debut, though: there’s a few banger sequences in that film that people slept on.
- Streaming: July 1
Man Finds Tape (2025)
- Premise: After finding mysterious video clips, siblings investigate the strange recordings and uncover a disturbing secret spreading through their Texas town.
- Why Watch It? Writer/directors Paul Gandersman and Peter S. Hall‘s well-received found footage film did an extensive tour of the festival circuit, so now is a great time to check out one of the most contemporary titles debuting on Tubi this month. Surely a title that hails from producers Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (Spring and The Endless) is worth a free look?
- Streaming: July 2
Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)
- Premise: A depressed musician Adam (Tom Hiddleston) reunites with his lover Eve (Tilda Swinton). However, their romance, which has already endured several centuries, is disrupted by the arrival of her uncontrollable younger sister Ava (Mia Wasikowska).
- Why Watch It? This beautiful, melancholy vampire film is courtesy of writer/director Jim Jarmusch, who doesn’t often dabble in genre fare. As always, some will quibble if this artsy drama qualifies as horror, but the existential ennui of an eternal life certainly qualifies (bonus: there’s also something inherently sexy about watching Hiddleston and Swinton just lay about). Plus: if Leviticus has you hankering for more Wasikowska, this is an under the radar pick.
- Streaming: July 1
The Shallows (2016)
- Premise:A mere 200 yards from shore, surfer Nancy (Blake Lively) is attacked by a great white shark, with her short journey to safety becoming the ultimate contest of wills.
- Why Watch It? What better time to watch a shark movie than July? The temperatures are soaring and the idea of escaping into the water is so tantalizing. This tight, contained thriller features a great performance by Lively (and that damn seagull!), but it’s the direction from genre fave Jaume Collet-Serra (Orphan; the House of Wax remake) that keeps the movie clicking along like clockwork. At 86 minutes, this is a perfect summer flick.
- Streaming: July 1
Vacancy (2007)
- Premise: Stranded in an isolated motel, a couple (Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale) become the unsuspecting subjects of a snuff film.
- Why Watch It? I’m not going to pretend that this Nimród Antal-directed home invasion film is high art, but it is a good time. You’ll likely wish there were deeper characterizations for Wilson and Beckinsale’s David and Amy in Mark L. Smith‘s screenplay, but this mid-aughts thriller is tense, exciting, and just the right amount of grimy. Plus: another short runtime, clocking in at an expeditious 85 minutes!
- Streaming: July 1
July Tubi Originals
The One Next Door (2026)
- Premise: When a mysterious stranger moves in next door to Robert and Tabitha, boundaries are tested, loyalty is questioned, and danger comes for all.
- Streaming: July 10
I Know Where You Live (2026)
- Premise: Sarah thinks she’s found “the one” until his flaws emerge. When she pulls away, chilling threats suggest he’s watching her from inside her own home.
- Streaming: July 24
What’s your favorite from the list above? Will you check out the new Original? Sound off in the comments below
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