Movies
Half Moon (V)
“The biggest disappointment, however, is what the promos call a ‘bloody, hair raising climax’ that fails to impress… I expect a lot more after being forced to sit through an hour long conversation and an overly dramatic sex scene.”
Creating an original werewolf film and properly executing the story behind it is a very difficult task. These films usually require either intense costuming or CGI, an obvious understanding of the myth, and a need to show intense gore. Werewolves are bloodthirsty, moon-obsessed creatures who instill fear. I’d say that’s a great way to kick off any good horror movie.
That’s part of why Half Moon intrigued me. The premise was interesting- a mysterious man reaches out to his on-call prostitute for companionship only to have another arrive in her place. The kicker is that the mysterious man is a werewolf and he’s in town for a treatment that will permanently rid him of his ‘disease.’ Throw in an unknowing, half naked heroine and it could easily have been a classic.
Key words: could have been.
Adult film star Tori Black stars as Rose, a seemingly lost, young prostitute who has to deal with her own inner demons as well as her overzealous and less than charming pimp. While working the streets, Rose runs into a friend who ends up telling her about her monthly date with a mysterious man who pays a lot of cash for her, ahem, companionship. When the friend gets arrested moments later, Rose takes the call- and the date. The mysterious man, Jacob, played by the talented Marek Matousek, is the lone savior of this film. His performance is brilliant and carries the less than adequate plot. He does a great job with what little is given to him- and that alone is why I didn’t turn the DVD into a coaster.
The biggest problem with Half Moon is that the story drags. The bulk of the movie is literally a story building conversation between Rose and Jacob in a hotel room that goes on and on and on. She talks about her childhood and her pimp, he talks about how he was infected and the treatments he needs, and somehow it starts over again, literally going in circles. Tori Black’s mediocre performance certainly doesn’t help- her character has a hard time deciding whether she’s a damsel in distress or a hood rat. The sound quality makes some of the scenes unbearable- at times it’s hard to tell if you’re watching a home video or an actual DVD release. The biggest disappointment, however, is what the promos call a ‘bloody, hair raising climax’ that fails to impress. Rose tries to help Jacob escape from the wrath of her pimp, but instead finds herself at his mercy. Jacob turns into a werewolf, attacking and killing the pimp, and changing Rose into one of his own. Though the transformation was pretty cool for a low budget flick, it just flopped. I expect a lot more after being forced to sit through an hour long conversation and an overly dramatic sex scene. Basically Matousek’s performance is the lone reason I would encourage anyone to watch the movie- otherwise, it’s just another one to throw to the wolves.
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.
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