Movies
Ironclad (limited)
“With the standoff covering months of stasis and starvation, English extends Ironclad past its expiration date. After a rousing opener, the picture settles into a routine of exposition and conflict that weakens the overall pace. It limps to a conclusion, yet Ironclad sustains a convincing posture of heroism and self-defense. Though derivative, it remains hearty and vividly destructive to the final moments.”
The last few years have brought plenty of vicious historical actioners to cinemas, including Centurion and Black Death. Ironclad purports a stronger historical accuracy than its competition, but it certainly doesn’t hold back on the brawn and body trauma. It’s overlong, but Ironclad provides a righteous jolt, working as a gritty work of period recreation and as a sword-swinging marathon of squirting blood and flying severed limbs.
The year is 1215 and King John (Paul Giamatti, wearing a Prince Valiant wig) has retreated into the expanse of England, looking to build an army and reclaim power lost when he was forced to sign the Magna Carta treaty. Witnessing his return is Marshall (James Purefoy), a noble member of the Knights Templar who wishes to keep the raging king contained. Teaming up with Albany (Brian Cox), the men set out to form a company of mercenaries and misanthropes (including Jason Flemyng and Mackenzie Crook), looking to head off King John at Rochester Castle, a pivotal area that unites the land. Holing up inside the fortress with Cornhill (Derek Jacobi) and his bride Isabel (Kate Mara), Marshall and the men prepare for battle, facing the wrath of King John and his heathen army.
Co-writer/director Jonathan English has a specific tenor of doom in mind with Ironclad, and he’s skilled enough to pull the considerable anguish off. The goal here is to plop the viewer in the middle of a war, watching as Marshall and his testy band of outsiders defend a castle from a man scorned, a focused royal who will stop at nothing to restore his rule, which he believes is a God-given position. It’s this combustible mixture of politics, religion, and savagery that drives the film forward, generating an intense feel for combat and honor, a tone that English has a firm grasp on for the majority of the motion picture.
Also in the film’s favor are the locations, which evoke a harsh land of castles and crummy weather, highlighting environments as beaten and scarred as the men who cross the land. Though not blessed with the largest budget, English conjures a commendable sensation of time and place, with a cast enthusiastically displaying their medieval costumes and weapons, happily raising hell and chewing scenery — Giamatti and Cox being primary hams, but in entertaining ways that help English unearth the epic feel of conflict he requires when the action takes a smoke break. Ironclad looks superb, gritty and spare, doing much with only moderate financial backing.
In keeping to era standards, Ironclad is extraordinarily violent, with an orgy of slashings and severings depicted to maintain intensity. Few punches are pulled once Marshall declares war on the crown, with English keeping an eyes-wide-open approach to the brutality of warfare (cruelly, some of the conflict is photographed with worthless instances of shaky-cam), watching as soldiers are chopped and stabbed in a most graphic manner. Gorehounds will delight. Less convincing is a romance of sorts between Marshall and Isabel, worked into the film to maintain a human element the violence threatens to erase. It’s too calculated, despite a commendable articulation of skirt-hiking lust from Purefoy and Mara.
With the standoff covering months of stasis and starvation, English extends Ironclad past its expiration date. After a rousing opener, the picture settles into a routine of exposition and conflict that weakens the overall pace. It limps to a conclusion, yet Ironclad sustains a convincing posture of heroism and self-defense. Though derivative, it remains hearty and vividly destructive to the final moments.
This week’s big new horror release is of course Evil Dead Burn in theaters later in the week, but you don’t have to wait until this weekend to inject fresh nightmares into your eyeballs.
Five brand new horror movies have already released at home this week.
Here’s all the new horror that released on Tuesday, July 7, 2026!
Director André Øvredal’s (The Autopsy of Jane Doe, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, The Last Voyage of the Demeter) new movie Passenger is now available on Digital at home.
Here’s the synopsis for Passenger: “A few weeks into their van life adventure, a young couple witnesses a horrific accident that leaves the driver dead. Soon they’re being pursued by a demonic stalker who’s impossible to outrun and follows them wherever they go.”
André Øvredal told Bloody Disgusting in an exclusive chat, “It’s a road movie, which is what I really fell in love with. It’s totally unique for me as a horror movie. Bridging the road movie with a haunting, essentially, on the road. I think it’s the scariest movie I’ve made.”
The cast includes Jacob Scipio, Lou Llobell, Melissa Leo, Tony Doupe, Bonni Dichone, Devielle Johnson, Jessica Cruz, Miles Fowler, and Alan Trong.
The screenplay is written by Zachary Donohue (The Den) and T.W. Burgess (Mister Howl). Former Warner Bros production executive Walter Hamada, who steered the Conjuring and It franchises, is producing via his 18hz as part of his first-look deal with Paramount. It screenwriter Gary Dauberman is also producing via Coin Operated.
Supernatural horror, psychological suspense, and an eye-catching creature take center stage in The Leaching, now available on Digital from Dark Star Pictures and Uncork’d Entertainment.
“After waking up in a grave on her father’s isolated forest property with no idea of who she is or how she got there, Vivian must use her limited memory to piece together the nightmarish truth, all the while being tormented by the undead, a giant leech monster, and her ‘father.’
“Over the next few days, she will uncover the framework of a truly nefarious supernatural scheme, but will it be too late?”
The Leaching is written and directed by Evan Showalter (Ante Mortem, Bad Music Terry).
“The Leaching is an exploration of faith, the loss of self, and the monsters (literally) that emerge when people surrender themselves to something greater than they can understand,” says Showalter. “It’s an isolating horror film that plays with a very uncomfortable question.”
A film student finds herself trapped in a giallo nightmare in lo-fi horror movie City Wide Fever, which is now streaming exclusively on the Midnight Pulp streaming service.
The meta horror movie is from debut writer/director Josh Heaps.
In City Wide Fever, “Sam, a young film student, discovers a USB detailing the life and career of forgotten Italian horror director Saturnino Barresi.
“As she begins to investigate his mysterious disappearance, Sam finds herself pulled into a violent conspiracy eerily similar to those of the films she adores.”
Diletta Guglielmi, Angelica Kim, and Nancy Kimball star with Onur Tukel (Summer of Blood), Larry Fessenden (You’re Next), Carolyn Farina, and comedian Ian Fidance.
Paul Lê wrote in his review for Bloody Disgusting, “This isn’t just a case of throwback filmmaking that’s been achieved with contemporary technology; the director used era-authentic equipment to help create this striking and nostalgic piece of modern horror. The end result is a movie… teeming with enough verve and style to make it feel fresh.”
A Gen Z slasher that pays homage to ’90s teen slasher movies, You’re Dead to Me is now available on Digital outlets at home courtesy of distributor Dark Star Pictures.
In the slasher film, “Three high school seniors skip prom for a secluded weekend party free from parents, school, and responsibility, but their escape turns terrifying when they learn one of their classmates has been brutally murdered.”
Denise Richards (Valentine) stars alongside Siena Agudong (Sidelined: The QB and Me, Sidelined 2: Intercepted), Jessica Belkin (“Baywatch” ), Ella Anderson (“Henry Danger,” Song Sung Blue), and Conor Husting (“Boo, Bitch”, Hollywood Stargirl).
The film was directed by Juan Pablo Arias Munoz.
You’re Dead to Me was co-written by Sarah Howard and Terry Castle, the daughter of the legendary producer and filmmaker William Castle (House on Haunted Hill, The Tingler).
Steven Quale (Into the Storm, Final Destination 5) directed the supernatural thriller Black Box, which has now taken flight on Digital outlets courtesy of Aura Entertainment.
The film is based on the short film The Vessel, and an original screenplay from horror writer Stephen Susco (The Grudge, The Grudge 2, Texas Chainsaw 3D, Hell Fest).
Black Box (Flight 298) follows the supernatural events surrounding Vero Airlines 298 from New Orleans to Seattle.
Tom Brittney, Holly Leena White, Betsy Blue English, Dane Whyte O’Hara, Kaja Chan, Asa Ali, Boadicea Ricketts, Ceallach Spellman, Georgina Leonidas, Molly Belle Wright, Hanneke Talbot, Danny Mack, and Weronika Rosati star in Black Box.
Hammerstone Studios’ Alex Lebovici (Barbarian, Boy Kills World) and Jon Oakes (Drive, The Guilty) will produce alongside Capstone’s Christian Mercuri and David Haring (Bill & Ted Face the Music), Warren Zide (The Final Destination, American Pie), and Susco. Ruzanna Kegeyan and Roman Viaris of Capstone, and Clark Baker (Vessel) will executive produce.
What happened to Flight 298? Find out on Digital outlets now.
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