Movies
Mike Flanagan Updates on ‘Before I Wake’; Will We Ever See It?
While he’s had great success with films such as Oculus, Hush and Ouija: Origin of Evil, Mike Flanagan hasn’t had so much luck with Before I Wake.
The film, starring Thomas Jane, Kate Bosworth and Jacob Tremblay, was moved around the release schedule so many times that it became impossible to keep track of, and it’s now off the map completely.
So what exactly happened and when, if ever, will we finally get to see Before I Wake?
Flanagan relayed the full story to Mick Garris on the new episode of Post Mortem today.
“It was a great deal [with Relativity], and it was a big fat wide release,” Flanagan recalled. “And so we sold the movie to Relativity, and we had a release date, and we were all set, and I moved on to the next project. And then things just got weird. Everything kind of stalled. We weren’t getting trailers and posters and materials. We didn’t know it at first, but it was because of the collapse [of Relativity]. And so they moved it off the date.”
Flanagan continued, “Then we started to really learn about how much trouble the company was in, and they finally came to us, and it was like, ‘Yes, we’re going to file Chapter 11, but we’re confident we’re going to pull out of it.’ But they’d pushed the date back twice at that point, and we had international buyers that had picked it up based on the wide release commitment in the States. So we kicked and screamed and shook our fists, but there was no choice but to kind of wait it out and hope they emerged from bankruptcy and would pick up where they left off.”
“My suspicion — and I’m just speaking for myself — is that the theatrical option’s pretty well burned at this point,” he added. “Our international distributors waited for a while for Relativity, but then a lot of them just started releasing it, and so it got pirated very quickly. And then we had this wave of negative reviews that came in, mostly criticizing the movie for not being a horror movie and being marketed as one. So, between those reviews, and the fact that it’s been so exposed online, I’d be very surprised if after all these years somebody wanted to take a shot at it theatrically.”
Soon after the podcast hit, Flanagan clarified some of his comments on Facebook.
“We’re very optimistic about a variety of options in a post-Relativity world for the movie, and I certainly wasn’t trying to imply that the film will never be released – far from it,” he noted. “I’m very proud of the movie, and we have a number of avenues that could get it to its audience, even if it doesn’t end up being a wide theatrical. We’re still determined and optimistic for the film to finally be available, and weighing all of our options at the moment.”
We’ll report more as we learn it.
July may not be as densely packed with horror releases as May, but it brings one of the year’s most anticipated titles along with a few new surprises and a long-awaited return of a visionary director.
It’s also the month of sharks. July brings the return of Shark Week, and horror is following suit accordingly with new shark horror.
Here are five new horror movies releasing in July 2026.
Lockbox – In Theaters July 3
The Last Exorcism director Daniel Stamm and Dark Castle Entertainment are back with Lockbox, adapting Soren Narnia‘s Knifepoint Horror Podcast story “Winthrop” by Emmy-winning playwright Justin Yoffe.
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.
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.”
Watch the official trailer for Lockbox below.
Evil Dead Burn – In Theaters July 10
After shattering nerves with spider creature feature Infested, director Sébastien Vaniček will unleash Deadite carnage in what might be a continuation of Evil Dead Rise. The filmmaker co-wrote the screenplay with Florent Bernard.
Evil Dead Burn is said to “unleash the franchise’s most savage and terrifying ride to date, blazing onto big screens with an all-new chapter of carnage and demonic mayhem.”
Souheila Yacoub, Tandi Wright, and Hunter Doohan lead the cast of the brand new Evil Dead movie alongside Luciane Buchanan, Errol Shand and Maude Davey.
In the film, “After the loss of her husband, a woman seeks solace with her in-laws in their secluded family home. As one by one they are transformed into Deadites—turning the gathering into a family reunion from hell—she comes to discover that the vows she took in life… live on even in death.”
Watch the official trailer for Evil Dead Burn below.
The Bay – In Theaters and on VOD July 17
Thanks to Jaws, July belongs to shark horror and the next shark attack horror movie swimming our way this summer features an animatronic shark that’s been created by SFX and animatronics company Bischoff’s.
“I’m delighted with the scale and performances we’ve delivered onscreen,” writer/director Phil Volken said. “The Bay’s going to completely immerse and terrify audiences worldwide!”
Francesca Eastwood (M.F.A., Clawfoot), Alexander Wraith, Dani Oliveros, and Ta’imua star.
In The Bay, “When their tour boat sinks in a shark sanctuary, two best friends must fight for survival to escape the shark-infested waters.”
Watch the official trailer for The Bay below.
Pinocchio Unstrung – In Theaters July 24
The “Poohniverse” continues to expand, this time with a gory reimagining of a certain little wooden puppet. Rhys Frake-Waterfield (Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey) writes and directs the fifth entry in the Twisted Childhood Universe, following Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey and its sequel, Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare, and Bambi: The Reckoning.
Richard Brake (Barbarian) stars in Pinocchio Unstrung as the obsessive Geppetto, with horror icon Robert Englund (Nightmare on Elm Street) as the voice of Cricket.
Pinocchio is voiced by Jude Evan Lloyd and brought to life via a practical animatronic created by Todd Masters (“Tales from the Crypt,” Slither). Cameron Bell, Jessica Balmer, Jack Art Gray, and Peter De Souza-Feighoney round out the horror movie’s cast.
Pinocchio Unstrung unfolds “inside an elite London prep school. Created by Geppetto and influenced by a sinister Cricket, Pinocchio launches a violent crusade to carve himself into a real boy like his brother, one piece at a time…”
Watch the official trailer for Pinocchio Unstrung below.
Her Private Hell – In Theaters July 24
The Neon Demon director Nicolas Winding Refn gives his visionary spin on giallo film with his first feature in a decade, co-written with Esti Giordani (“Vida”). Pino Donaggio (Carrie, Don’t Look Now) composed the score. Expect vibrant style here.
Sophie Thatcher (“Yellowjackets”), Charles Melton (“Riverdale”), Kristine Froseth (How to Blow Up a Pipeline), Havana Rose Liu (No Exit), and Diego Calva (Babylon) star.
The ensemble also includes Dougray Scott (Hitman), Aoi Yamada (Perfect Days), Shioli Kutsuna (Deadpool & Wolverine), and Hidetoshi Nishijima (Shin Ultraman).
In the film, “when a mysterious mist engulfs a futuristic metropolis, unleashing a deadly and elusive entity, a troubled young woman searches for her father. Her quest collides with an American GI on a harrowing odyssey to rescue his daughter from Hell.”
Watch the official teaser for Her Private Hell below.
Which of these July 2026 horror movies are you most excited for?
Other new nightmares this month include the psychological thriller Night Nurse releasing in select theaters on July 10 and dark fable Nightborn debuting on Shudder on July 31. Throwback horror Dead Media arrives in theaters on July 16 ahead of its Digital release on July 28, while Kathryn Newton kickstarts July with YA shark horror The Devil’s Mouth on Prime Video.
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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