Movies
Don’t Let Him In (V)
Once things take a turn for the worse in a rather predictable fashion, we’re treated to yet another predictable twist that attempts to make the film more than it really is. Wrap it up with a cheap explanation as to why everything is happening at the end, and you’ve got nothing more than a lazy 79-minute bore.
Indie British thrillers are usually a sure thing. Maybe it’s their dry humor or tendency to simply charm the pants off of us with their accents, but flicks like Severance and Eden Lake prove that low-budget, independent thrillers from across the pond are generally a welcome addition to your DVD collection. Sadly, Don’t Let Him In is not one of those movies.
Don’t Let Him In follows the unfortunate experience of two couples as they visit a cabin in the woods for a weekend getaway. Happy couple Paige and Calvin is forced to deal with Mandy, Calvin’s immature sister, and Tristan, her most recent one-night stand. Upon their arrival they learn of the “Tree Surgeon,” a serial killer with a penchant for hanging body parts from the trees. As they settle in for a night of incessant bickering and a healthy dose of mistrust, the arrival of a mysterious man, stabbed by an unknown assailant, causes an otherwise ordinary night to devolve into a struggle for survival. Mediocrity ensues.
Which is a shame, really. Don’t Let Him In is, at heart, a slasher film, yet it desperately wants to be a psychological thriller. Working under the auspices of the “whodunit” motif, the film starts off slow, attempting to build suspense through questionable characters with unclear motives. Once things take a turn for the worse in a rather predictable fashion, we’re treated to yet another predictable twist that attempts to make the film more than it really is. Wrap it up with a cheap explanation as to why everything is happening at the end, and you’ve got nothing more than a lazy 79-minute bore.
Given that it’s direct-to-DVD, the amount of extras are pretty impressive, with a behind-the-scenes featurette, clocking in at 41:22, topping the list. While the film itself leaves a lot to be desired, the opening spiel by writer/director/producer Kelly Smith talking about the long road that lead him to making the film is rather interesting. In watching Smith discuss the idea behind his film, his words echo many of mine in the review above. I suppose this is a good thing; he did get the point across, it just didn’t work in the way he had hoped. Despite this, hearing Smith talk about the film gives you a newfound respect for it. You may not like the movie, but his passion and love for it and independent film is undeniable and admirable.
Sadly, fans of visual FX are left with little more than a 01:16 collection of scenes that quickly compares before and after scenes of many of the film’s effects shots, created by Aetas Film. Sure, it’s interesting (as someone ignorant of how most effects or done, I found it rather intriguing), but it’s so short it’s nothing more than a tease. Tack on a trailer and the requisite commentary, the latter of which is pretty impressive for a DTV independent horror flick, and you round out the special features. Some good, some bad, but enough to compel fans of the film to purchase it.
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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