New month, new horror recommendations from Deep Cuts Rising. This installment’s five selections reflect the month of July 2024.

Regardless of how they came to be here, or what they’re about, these past movies can generally be considered overlooked, forgotten or unknown.

This month’s offerings include a snake thriller, a giallo, and more.

Death Walks on High Heels (1971)

Death Walks on High Heels (1971)

Directed by Luciano Ercoli.

For fans, July is dedicated to gialli. And one giallo that doesn’t come up too often in discussions is Death Walks on High Heels (La morte cammina con i tacchi alti in Italian). After Nieves Navarro‘s character’s father — a jewel thief — is murdered, the masked assailant comes after the daughter. The protagonist flees to England, however, her pursuer won’t stop until he gets what he seeks.

Death Walks on High Heels never quite reaches the heights of its contemporaries, yet the twisty story, small bursts of style, and a potent third act make Ercoli’s movie enjoyable.

Death Walks on High Heels is now streaming on SCREAMBOX.

Of Unknown Origin (1983)

Directed by George P. Cosmatos.

This entry works for Ratcatcher’s Day (July 22) and Paperback Book Day (July 30). Of Unknown Origin is based on the novel The Visitor by Chauncey G. Parker III, and the movie stars Peter Weller of RoboCop fame. Shannon Tweed also had her acting debut here. The story follows a father and husband (Weller) who stays behind in his family’s brownstone as his wife and son go on vacation. What should have been a productive time soon becomes an all-out battle once the main character learns he has a rat infestation and goes to great lengths to wipe out the vermin.

While Of Unknown Origin is more of a laser-focused psychological horror story than a typical creature-feature, it does contain intense man-versus-beast action. Weller’s performance can be praised as well.

Catch Of Unknown Origin on VOD sites like Prime Video and Apple, and it’s also available on Blu-ray from Shout! Factory.

Fair Game (1988)

Fair Game (1988)

Directed by Mario Orfini.

The Italian-made thriller Fair Game (also known as Mamba) is suitable for World Snake Day (July 16). This cat-and-mouse movie pits a woman (Trudie Styler) against her ex (Gregg Henry) as well as a highly venomous mamba. The main character is trapped in her apartment with the creature, who has been been made more aggressive for this special occasion.

Although this movie has pacing issues, and the high concept would better serve a shorter feature or even a segment of an anthology, it does manage to brew some suspenseful moments.

Fair Game is now streaming on Tubi.

The Paperboy (1994)

The Paperboy (1994)

Directed by Douglas Jackson.

While The Paperboy brings up Boston, this is, in fact, a Canadian production. Marc Marut plays the titular 12-year-old whose paper route includes murder. He soon target his latest victim’s daughter, who is played by Christine co-star Alexandra Paul.

The Paperboy won’t likely replace The Good Son or Orphan as everyone’s favorite “killer kid” movie, but the sinister atmosphere and (unintentional) humor help it stand out. House star William Katt also supports Paul and Marut here, with the latter’s performance being truly wild.

Looking for Canadian horror for Canada Day (July 1)? The Paperboy is now on Prime Video.

Estranged (2015)

Estranged (2015)

Directed by Adam Levins.

Estranged demonstrates how dangerous it can be to forget the past. Amy Manson‘s character is returned to her family after a bad accident while living abroad. She uses a wheelchair for the time being, and her memory is affected. As she reunites with her family though, the main character can’t help but feel like something is “off” about them…

This dark British movie can be viewed on I Forgot Day (July 2). It sports enough shocks to make it memorable. Estranged is now streaming on Tubi.

No genre is as prolific as horror, so it’s understandable that movies fall through the cracks all the time. That is where this recurring column, Deep Cuts Rising, comes in. Each installment of this series will spotlight several unsung or obscure movies from the past — some from way back when, and others from not so long ago — that could use more attention.