Editorials
Is It Bad For A Movie to “Devolve Into A Slasher?”
Slasher films are one of the most profitable sub-genres of all horror films, but critics tend to criticize them a lot. On a certain level I get it. By the early 90s, the market was so saturated with slasher films that it became difficult to tell each film apart. It was clear that filmmakers and studios were becoming lazy, trying to churn out as many films as possible for maximum profit (since horror films are usually less expensive to make). Lately (and by lately I mean in the past 10 years), there have been many great horror films that have been criticized of “devolving into a slasher” in their final acts. I don’t fully understand why that is a bad thing. Spoilers for a few of the films I mention below will be discussed. You’ve been warned.
The film that immediately springs to mind when I read this phrase is Danny Boyle’s 2007 sci-fi/horror film Sunshine. I love that movie but many of the negative reviews for it all agreed on one thing: the film loses it’s way around the 2/3 mark when it resorts to standard slasher tropes. In case you haven’t seen it, Sunshine is about the crew of “Icarus II,” who are heading to the dying sun in an attempt to reignite it with a nuclear bomb. Along the way, they discover the “Icarus I,” which was lost seven years prior. The first two acts of the film are beautiful and thought provoking, but once the crew finds the “Icarus I,” a killer boards their ship and starts to kill them off one by one.
Now I can understand why some would see this as a bad thing. Sunshine starts out as an original science-fiction film with a focus on character development, but once they find the “Icarus I” all hell breaks loose and the film literally turns into a horror movie. Being a horror fan, I don’t necessarily think that this is a bad thing. Yes, Sunshine takes a rather unexpected turn, but it doesn’t hamper the enjoyment of the film. I’m sure that people who went in expecting a strictly science-fiction film were taken aback, but does it mean that a movie automatically takes a turn for the worse when it starts killing off its characters in rapid succession in the final reel?
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon is another film that I feel is unjustly criticized for turning into another slasher film in its final act. I’m sure many of you have seen this but just in case: Behind the Mask follows a news crew making a documentary about rising slasher Leslie Vernon as he explains how to become the perfect serial killer. The entire film is a love letter to slasher films like Halloween and Friday the 13th, but it was criticized for the moment when the documentary cameras turn off and the documentary becomes an actual movie (it makes more sense if you see it). Leslie goes on his killing spree, and the film becomes and actual slasher movie.
Why is this a bad thing? It seemed fairly obvious that that would be the direction the film would go for it’s climax (actually, I may have just answered my own question). Regardless, I disagree with the consensus that the last act doesn’t live up to all that preceded it. The first two acts are stronger, but just because the ending of the film is a bit more predictable doesn’t make it bad. In fact, I believe that was the whole point of the ending: to show that a classic slasher formula is what people want to see.
A few other films spring to mind when discussing this topic: The Lazarus Effect, The Purge, Donkey Punch, Severance, and Grace, among others, but Sunshine and Behind the Mask are the two big ones for me, if only because they are both great films that are not made worse by third act bloodbaths. There is probably a lot I haven’t said here that could be covered ad nauseum in a research paper, but the purpose of this post was to start a discussion. Do you agree with critics that films like these need to stick with what they are already doing so well and not resort to standard slasher tropes? Or do you, like me, think there is nothing wrong with it? Sound off below!
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
You must be logged in to post a comment.