Editorials
The Dark Side of “Fantasy Island”: Revisiting the Show’s Creepiest Episode, ‘The Nightmare’
On Valentine’s Day, Blumhouse’s latest release gives a classic fantasy TV series from the ‘70s a horror makeover in Fantasy Island. At least, that’s how the description of the plot reads on IMDb. First introduced in 1977 as a pair of back-to-back TV movies, Fantasy Island starred Ricardo Montalbán as the mysterious Mr. Roarke, a debonair and mysterious fellow who welcomes guests to his island to fulfill their greatest fantasies. Fantasies that rarely ever turn out how the guest envisioned. The setup of the series allowed for all corners of tone and genre to be explored. While fantasy and drama remained at the forefront of the series, it wasn’t out of the norm for horror to guest star in episodes.
Outside of the guest’s dream scenario, Fantasy Island kept its supernatural elements understated and enigmatic for much of its run. Mr. Roarke often dropped hints toward his immortality and an ethereal, specific code of ethics he adhered to. There were also the episodes in which he engaged in a battle of wits with the Devil (Roddy McDowall) himself over the claiming of souls, sharpening the mystery further. Many years after the series had ended its run, Montalbán revealed in an interview that he played Roarke as a fallen angel whose sin was pride, and that the island was Purgatory. So, really, in the grand scheme of biblical battles of good and evil, Fantasy Island remained far closer to genre fare than a cursory glance suggests.
Mr. Roarke granted his guests anything their hearts desired, which meant the sky was the limit for the scenarios they faced. For many, their dreams were rooted in reality. For others, they encountered ghosts, witches, mermaids, demons, and plenty of time travel. All of which were intended to instill a valuable life lesson for the participant. Each episode featured two to three unrelated fantasies at play. Season four’s “With Affection, Jack the Ripper” saw a criminologist live out her dream of discovering the identity of Jack the Ripper, only to find herself his newest intended victim. “Possessed” featured a mother seeking Roarke’s help when her daughter begins behaving strangely, and the ep’s title is a crucial hint as to why. Season five’s “The Ghost’s Story” revolved around a woman forced to stay the night in an actual haunted house for the sake of her occultist reputation.
That’s only scratching the surface of the horror-centric fantasies.
The series’ creepiest episode of all, though, came very early in its run when the supernatural hadn’t yet become so prominent: season two’s “The Nightmare.” A young woman wanted to play out her recurring nightmare to decipher its meaning. A nightmare that traumatized her as a child, but has come back with a vengeance after her recent nuptials. Roarke recreates her childhood home and bedroom down to every last detail, and the poor woman’s nightmares are viscerally personified post-haste.
It’s sensory overload as her nightmares are filmed in a disorienting, blurry fishbowl aesthetic. The unnerving sound is dialed up to an extreme decibel; the maniacal cackling of her marionette clown, now life-sized and autonomous, to the child-like screams of her other toys as they spontaneously combust. The more the woman tries to flee her childhood home, the more she’s cornered by sentient toys and roaring flames. The woman does eventually discover the root cause of these terrifying visions, but the truth isn’t nearly exciting as the build-up, and you can probably figure it out by the context clues in her waking life. Still, “The Nightmare” makes for a jarring terror-filled episode.
Michael Peña takes over the role of Mr. Roarke in the 2020 film adaptation, which promises to place Fantasy Island firmly in the realm of horror. While it remains to be seen whether this iteration of the character is more rooted in evil, the truth is that the property was never too far from the genre in the first place. The only real question is, what took so long?
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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