Movies
Behemoth (V)
“I hate feeling like I’m being overly analytical of a film that clearly doesn’t deserve it, and had this have been just another fun B-movie romp, I probably wouldn’t have judged it quite so harshly. If you take your terrible film this seriously though, it deserves all of the vitriol that it receives. As far as Maneater/SyFy films go, “Behemoth” is a complete dud.”
When you sit down to watch a SyFy original film, you pretty much know what kind of experience awaits you. Bad acting, convoluted plot, and terrible CG special effects, these are all of the components that form films that are shown on SyFy. Most of the time, the films are unwatchable, but every now and then, a shiny “so bad it’s good” turd emerges from the compost heap. Unfortunately “Behemoth” is not one of these films.
When making a bad movie, the one thing you can do to find an audience, is to make sure that the viewer has fun. Some SyFy flicks are wall to wall creature on creature action, with a few human casualties thrown into the mix. The mistake that the crew behind “Behemoth” made, was that they tried to take the film much more seriously than it deserves. A low budget creature feature has no business being a slow burning flick, unless there’s an extremely talented director behind the camera. The creature doesn’t even appear until almost 45 minutes into the 90 minute runtime, and that’s just a quick glimpse at a giant eyeball peering through a hole in a rock, and a large swipe of what appears to be flex duct tubing.
The story never really materializes, combining elements of both cautionary environmental tales, as well as ancient world-changing catastrophic events. This is all somehow tied to Earth’s comeuppance, a punishment for our collective sins. As stated above though, these things are never really tied into the overall arch of the story, and little lip-service is paid to any one element of the mythology outside of a quick, unexplained mention. There’s a crazy old man, filled to the brim with apocalyptic theories of the world’s impending demise. What little explanation that is provided comes from his crazy ramblings that, until the giant “Tremors” knock-off emerges from the ground are written off as ramblings of a lunatic.
By the time the full scale of the creature is revealed, there are about 10 minutes left in the flick, and you’ve probably stopped caring a long time ago. There’s little to no creature/human interaction, no battle whatsoever, and a very small, almost completely bloodless body-count. Some movies find their way to the SyFy channel because of their outlandish, over-the-top nature. Some just have a hard time finding distribution. In the case of “Behemoth” it’s just a bad movie all-around. Even if you follow these films religiously, it’s a safe bet to go ahead and give this one a skip and wait for the next giant mutant creature cage match. There’s no fun to be had here, and nothing even remotely interested to look forward to.
I hate feeling like I’m being overly analytical of a film that clearly doesn’t deserve it, and had this have been just another fun B-movie romp, I probably wouldn’t have judged it quite so harshly. If you take your terrible film this seriously though, it deserves all of the vitriol that it receives. As far as Maneater/SyFy films go, “Behemoth” is a complete dud.
The holiday weekend means a light week for new horror releases, but it does bring the return of Dark Castle Entertainment to select theaters. It’s being joined by 6 new horror movies.
Here’s all the new horror releasing June 29, 2026 – July 3, 2026!
For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.
You wished for it. The highest-grossing horror movie of the year (so far), Curry Barker’s Obsession, arrived on Digital on June 30.
In Curry Barker’s theatrical debut Obsession, after breaking the mysterious One Wish Willow to win his crush’s heart, a hopeless romantic finds himself getting exactly what he asked for but soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price.
Michael Johnston (“Teen Wolf”), Inde Navarette (“Superman & Lois”), Cooper Tomlinson (“That’s a Bad Idea,” Milk & Serial), Megan Lawless (The Death That Awaits), and Emmy Award-nominee Andy Richter (“Conan,” Elf) star.
Based on a story by director James Kondelik (Behind The Walls) and a screenplay by Canadian writer Victor Rose, survival thriller Pitfall headed home to Digital on June 30. Family is murder in this Cineverse release.
In Pitfall, a young man becomes separated from his friends in the woods and plunges into a ten-foot pit lined with spikes, impaling his leg and leaving him helpless. As reality sinks in and his situation grows dire, he realizes the fall wasn’t an accident.
The film stars Richard Harmon (Final Destination: Bloodlines), Alexandra Essoe (The Pope’s Exorcist), and UFC champion Randy Couture (The Expendables) as the ruthless killer who stalks his prey in the woods. Marshall Williams (The Ice Road), Jordan Claire Robbins (The Umbrella Academy), and Matt Hamilton (Murder for Sale) also star.
The Amityville IP leans into Jaws with Amityville Shark House, just in time for the Fourth of July holiday too, as it released on Digital June 30.
Will Collazo Jr. (Amityville Thanksgiving) and Shawn C. Phillips (Amityville Karen) co-direct from a script they wrote with Julie Anne Prescott.
In the movie, after discovering an ominous shark idol hidden beneath the decaying floorboards, Richard unknowingly awakens an ancient and savage force. As the entity begins to merge with him, a quiet coastal town descends into blood-soaked chaos.
With each victim claimed, the monstrous predator grows stronger, fueling a cult’s belief that their dark god has been reborn. Now, the race is on to stop the carnage before evil consumes everything in its path.
Phillips and Prescott also star alongside Tasha Tacosa, Maritza Brikisak, Gigi Gustin (The Retaliators), Adam Marino, and Carl Solomon.
Available on Digital, Blu-ray, and DVD as of June 30 is Jacked, directed by John Fucile from a script he co-wrote with Simon Fraser.
The synopsis: “Set in the summer of 1987, JACKED follows two small-town teenagers whose day at the lake turns into a fight for survival after their car breaks down and they encounter a violent stalker.”
Marla Jean Robison, Tom Koch, Anthony Cipriani, Wynn Reichert, Kam Perez and Bella Marie star.
Get ready to work up a killer sweat and maybe spill some blood with Slashercise, a workout meets slasher hybrid that arrived exclusively on Bloodstream on July 1.
Written and directed by Ama Lea (Deathcember), the retro-styled feature follows “a masked killer known only as Meathead as he stalks the fitness clubs of Los Angeles, turning workout sessions into blood-soaked nightmares. As the city’s top trainers are picked off one by one, a group of determined fitness fanatics must fight back before they become the next bodies on the mat.”
Vanessa Decker (Stiletto), John Bloom (The Last Drive-In With Joe Bob Briggs), Spencer Charnas (Ice Nine Kills), Sarah French (Blind), Kelli Maroney (Night of the Comet), Sarah Nicklin (V/H/S/Halloween), Diana Prince (The Last Drive-In With Joe Bob Briggs), Jared Rivet (The Once and Future Smash), Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp), Tiffany Shepis (Victor Crowley), and Lisa Wilcox (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master) star.
After a record-breaking box office run, A24 and director Kane Parsons’ feature debut is heading back to theaters with bonus footage. AMC Theatres is unleashing Backrooms: Everything Must Go Editiontoday, July 3.
In the film written by Will Soodik, the owner of Cap’n Clark’s Ottoman Empire discovers a strange doorway in the basement of the furniture showroom. He sets out to explore the mysterious, liminal space, walking headfirst into a creepypasta nightmare.
Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsvestar.
AMC describes this release as a “theatrically exclusive post-credit” with additional footage from Kane Parsons. Expect 16 minutes of bonus footage, with the new version clocking in at 2 hours and 6 minutes.
The Last Exorcism director Daniel Stamm and Dark Castle Entertainment are back with Lockbox, in select theaters July 3. It adapts Soren Narnia‘s Knifepoint Horror Podcast story “Winthrop” by Emmy-winning playwright Justin Yoffe.
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.”
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.
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.
You must be logged in to post a comment.