Movies
Doctor Blood’s Coffin
“With a title like ‘Doctor Blood’s Coffin’, I was expecting something cheesier than the film offered; it was closer to melodramatic thriller than full blown horror, and kept the body count relatively low.”
With a title like Doctor Blood’s Coffin, I was expecting something cheesier than the film offered; it was closer to melodramatic thriller than full blown horror, and kept the body count relatively low. Hell, the title wasn’t even being lurid for the hell of it – the character’s actual name was Peter Blood, and he was a real doctor. So I guess his decision to turn to mid-century horror movie mad science was probably for the best; it’s not like anyone is going to go to a chiropractor or podiatrist named Doctor Blood.
Anyway, the movie’s OK. Shaving 10-15 minutes from the runtime and/or adding another kill scene couldn’t hurt – there really isn’t a lot of meat on its bones, rendering its 91 minute length a bit excessive. They could have had a lot of fun with the idea of constantly asking former resident/poorly named doctor to help out on the deaths he himself was committing, but there are less than a handful of them over the course of the movie. And the only cop in town starts to suspect him around the halfway point anyway (though not as quickly as he should, considering his name is DOCTOR BLOOD), so there’s not enough to it to warrant making up for the movie’s dull spots.
It’s funny how the composer took it upon himself to make things more exciting though. During a transplant scene near the end, Doctor Blood just calmly does his thing, and the camera isn’t really moving much or anything – but if you shut your eyes and listen to the score, you’d swear you were listening to an incredibly tense chase scene or something. I mean, the whole movie is coming down to him trying this surgery – obviously SOMETHING’s going to happen, so there’s not really much excitement in seeing the process. And that’s part of the problem with the movie – it’s a Frankenstein tale where the monster doesn’t awake until the final 5 minutes.
In fact, it actually works more as a tragic romance, since Blood falls for a woman who (spoiler) was married to the guy he is trying to resurrect. Obviously if his experiment works, he will probably lose his new girlfriend in the process – an angle I wish they explored more, but instead save the resurrection of the guy for the final sequence, when it’s too late for any sort of quirky character stuff like that. I propose a remake where the dead guy is resurrected at the end of the 2nd act at the latest! I mean, we’ve seen a zillion Frankenstein wannabe movies, but none that were also love triangles, right?
It also works as a travelogue for Cornwall, as the ocean-side scenery is just wonderful to look at, and the village itself looks charming as all hell. The film was directed by Sidney J. Furie, whose name should be familiar to anyone who watched 80s and 90s action movies (including Iron Eagle!). Furie’s filmography is more random than Alan Smithee’s, so he doesn’t exactly have a noticeable style or anything. If you found an old Michael Bay horror movie and it didn’t have a bunch of orange-filtered shots or low angles that swoop around the actors, it’d be one thing, but there’s no signature Furie style for his fans to look for in this early work. “Ah, classic Furie shot.” – something no one has ever said.
MGM has released the film via their on demand service, and it looks pretty damn great. The film had been available on a few budget packs in the past, but from what I understand they were washed out (and full-frame – this is an anamorphic 1.78:1 transfer), so if you’re a fan of this film it’s definitely worth the upgrade. On the other hand, they didn’t provide the trailer like they did for Quatermass, and once again it’s the sort of disc that won’t play in your DVD-rom drive, which just baffles me. Plus it’s hardly a movie you’d want to watch over and over. But the lurid title and intriguing love/Frankenstein mix definitely lends itself to a remake, so if that ever comes you should check it out so you’re not that guy saying “I never saw the original”. Even for not very good movies, you still sound like a chump!
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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