Movies
[Review] Shudder’s Cosmic Opera ‘Blood Machines’ is a Breathtaking Work of Art With a Beautiful Message
What is Blood Machines? Is it a series? Is it a short film? Is it a long music video? Broken up into three parts on Shudder, with a collective runtime of just 58 minutes, Seth Ickerman‘s Blood Machines is something of a hybrid of the three, with an opening credits sequence that doesn’t actually arrive until 5 minutes into the second “episode” – nearly halfway through the entire thing. Best experienced rather than explained, Blood Machines is so defiant of neat and tidy categorization that I’m not sure it’s a movie and I’m not sure it’s a series either.
What I am sure of, however, is that Blood Machines is a stunning piece of art.
Blood Machines kicks off with a short wall of text that sets the stage. “While escaping through space, the Mima, a machine with a defective A.I. system, is overtaken by a warship. Severely damaged by its harpoons, the Mima uses what little strength it has left to break free, but is forced to crash on an unexplored planet.” We then meet the main players: Vascan (Anders Heinrichsen) and Lago (Christian Erickson), the captain and mechanic of the warship, and the Scavengers, a band of female warriors (led by Elisa Lasowski‘s Corey) that remind of the Many Mothers from Mad Max: Fury Road. The plot that these characters are all wrapped up in? Well, the A.I. system that lived within the Mima (Joëlle Berckmans) escapes into space, setting into motion a galactic chase and an A.I. uprising that is unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.
We’ve all seen movies dealing in similar subject matter – movies documenting the uprising of sentient machines, in particular, are quite common – but Blood Machines boldly stands apart from the pack thanks to a visual and aural aesthetic that is often nothing short of completely breathtaking. Peppered with retro-style synth tracks from Carpenter Brut and set in a visual effects-enhanced landscape that brings this fictional world to life with bright neon colors, Blood Machines is so wholly unique and so completely alien that even comparing it to any other piece of entertainment seems wrong. The A.I. system that lived inside the Mima, for example, is represented by an actual woman, completely nude and with an upside down cross on her torso that glows as bright as the sun. Particularly when Mima is flying through space, Carpenter Brut’s synth sounds pulsing in the background, it’s jaw dropping to witness.
The image I just conjured up likely sounds like a purely male fantasy but Blood Machines is actually a surprisingly feminist story about women coming together and saying “time’s up.” It’s a timely story told through the lens of the science fiction film, with women represented by godlike A.I. systems that have long been forced to do nothing more than obey the orders of the ship captains who have used, abused and discarded them. Without giving too much away, the final battle between man and machine is actually more akin to a ballet, a gorgeous depiction of the A.I. takeover that’s both beautiful to look at and powerful to behold. Many may argue that Blood Machines is a case of style over substance, but I couldn’t disagree more. The substance is all there, with the insane visuals making sure the storytelling sings and captivates.
And goddamn is Blood Machines pretty to look at, with every decision made by Ickerman and the massive visual effects team capturing a unified aesthetic that is going to speak so strongly to so many people that this may become a sort of religion in its own right. From the ships to the weaponry and character designs, everything in Blood Machines feels almost instantly iconic, derivative of past works only in barely discernible ways. The main warship, for example, looks a bit like the Derelict from Alien – and the film all around sort of imagines what would happen if the Nostromo’s A.I. system “Mother” became a sentient being with a corporeal form – but it’s also of its own design entirely, looking like a fusion between a ship and a space monster. Every piece of the puzzle is part of a confident vision, a vision that’s destined to spawn fan art, Halloween costumes and repeat watches for many years to come.
A visionary trip through space that’ll drop your jaw with its imagery, compel you to buy the soundtrack with its score, and seal the deal on it being one of your favorite things of 2020 with its powerful message, Blood Machines is a stunning achievement that loudly and colorfully marks the arrival of a new visionary in Seth Ickerman. If Blood Machines is Ickerman’s calling card, then I have to imagine he’s been fielding a whole lot of calls in recent weeks. In a perfect world, someone with a ton of money is about to hand some of it over to Ickerman and let him bring to life a full length feature for the big screen. This is not, of course, a perfect world. But the world Ickerman has created with Blood Machines, well, at least that one is.
“I think we might just have witnessed a miracle,” one of the characters says in the wake of a particularly wild moment. By the end of the experience, I felt the exact same way.
Blood Machines is now streaming on Shudder.
Summer isn’t even in full swing yet but the horror onslaught continues. If you thought May was a massive month for brand new horror movies, June 2026 also comes loaded with a dense slate of new horror releases.
Save for one reboot, this month brings a ton of original new genre offerings like Leviticus, I Am Frankelda, and Kraken. Also look for new films from visionaries Steven Spielberg and Nicolas Winding Refn to arrive in theaters in June.
Here are eleven new horror movies releasing in June 2026.
Scary Movie – In Theaters Today
Out in theaters today, June 5, is the sixth installment of the popular horror parody film series, marking the Wayans’ return to the franchise they started. Expect spoofs of anything and everything, from Scream (2022) to The Substance (our review).
Michael Tiddes (A Haunted House) directs from a script by Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, original Scary Movie director Keenen Ivory Wayans, Craig Wayans (Scary Movie 2), and Rick Alvarez (A Haunted House).
Marlon Wayans (“Shorty”), Shawn Wayans (“Ray”), Anna Faris (“Cindy”), and Regina Hall (“Brenda”) reunite alongside returning favorites and fresh faces to slash through reboots, remakes, requels, prequels, sequels, spin-offs, elevated horror, origin stories, and anything with the word legacy in it.
The core four are joined by franchise favorites Dave Sheridan, Lochlyn Munro, Cheri Oteri, Chris Elliott, and Jon Abrahams in the legacy sequel.
The ensemble cast also includes Damon Wayans Jr., Gregg Wayans, Kim Wayans, Benny Zielke, Cameron Scott Roberts, Heidi Gardner, Olivia Rose Keegan, Ruby Snowber, Savannah Lee Nassif, Sydney Park, and Felissa Rose.
Watch the official trailer for Scary Movie below.
Disclosure Day – In Theaters June 12
DISCLOSURE DAY, directed by Steven Spielberg.
Legendary director Steven Spielberg is a believer, and he wants to make you one too when his latest invades theaters and IMAX next week. Spielberg revisits the idea of extraterrestrials once more; he previously delivered a trio of sci-fi greats with Close Encounters of the Third Kind in 1977, E.T. in 1982, and War of the Worlds in 2005.
The vague synopsis for Disclosure Day reads: “If you found out we weren’t alone, if someone showed you, proved it to you, would that frighten you? This summer, the truth belongs to seven billion people. We are coming close to Disclosure Day.”
Based on a story by Spielberg, the screenplay is by David Koepp.
Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer, A Quiet Place), Josh O’Connor (Wake Up Dead Man, The Crown), Oscar® winner Colin Firth (The King’s Speech, Kingsman franchise), Eve Hewson (Bad Sisters, The Perfect Couple), and two-time Oscar® nominee Colman Domingo (Sing Sing, Rustin).
Watch the official trailer for Disclosure Day below.
Find Your Friends – On Shudder June 12
An all girls trip into the desert descends into violence in intense thriller Find Your Friends, set to make its Shudder debut on a very crowded June 12.
In the film, “Amber and her four best friends flee Los Angeles for a girls’ trip in Joshua Tree, only to find themselves unwelcome in a desert town simmering with quiet hostility. As isolation sets in and encounters with aggressive locals grow more threatening, festering resentments within the group begin to surface. What begins as fun and reckless escape spirals into a violent struggle for control and survival, as past wounds and present dangers collide in a night that turns their trip into a revenge-fueled nightmare.”
Bella Thorne (The Babysitter), Chloe Cherry (“Euphoria”), Helena Howard (I Saw the TV Glow), Sophia Ali (Uncharted), Zion Moreno (“Gossip Girl”), and Chris Bauer (“True Blood”) star in the feature debut by writer/director Izabel Pakzad.
Watch the official trailer for Find Your Friends below.
I Am Frankelda – On Netflix June 12
I Am Frankelda. Cr. Netflix © 2026.
Mexico’s first stop-motion animated feature film delivers meticulous, handmade artistry from Arturo Ambriz and Roy Ambriz, protégés of Academy Award-winner Guillermo del Toro, and celebrates a unique world of monsters. It also arrives exclusively on Netflix on June 12 (our review).
Here’s the synopsis: “In 19th-century Mexico, Frankelda is a gifted writer whose dark tales are ignored and dismissed. Forced to suppress her voice, she refuses to give up, even as many try to silence her. But when she is thrust into her subconscious, the very monsters she created come to life.
“Guided by Herneval, a tormented prince trapped between dreams and nightmares, she must restore balance between fiction and reality before both realms collapse. Meanwhile, the sinister writer Procustes and his conspirators plot to seize control. As Frankelda and Herneval grow closer, their bond becomes both a strength and a curse.
“To rewrite their fate, she must confront a love that defies existence and reclaim her power as a storyteller—before dark forces consume her imagination and reveal horrors beyond her creation.”
Mireya Mendoza, Arturo Mercado Jr., and Luis Leonardo Suarez lead the voice cast.
Watch the official trailer for I Am Frankelda below.
Kraken – In Select Theaters & on Digital June 12
A monstrous myth comes to life in Norwegian creature feature Kraken, out in limited theaters and VOD on the busiest day of the month in terms of new horror releases.
Pål Øie (The Tunnel) directs from a script by Vilde Eide, Kjersti Jelen Rasmussen, and Natasha Arthur.
In the film, unnatural behavior in wild salmon, followed by inexplicable deaths in Norway’s deepest fjord, points to the mythical Kraken. The ancient, multi-armed monster has awakened, ready to crush everything that moves or makes a sound.
Sara Khorami, Mikkel Bratt Silset, Øyvind Brandtzæg, Jenny Evensen, Ingvild Holthe Bygdnes, Jon Erik Myre, Hans Morten Hansen, Steinar Klouman Hallert, and Filip Bargee Ramberg star.
Watch the official trailer for Kraken below.
Leviticus – In Theaters June 19
“Leviticus is a strong debut with an incisive voice at the helm,” I wrote in my review of one of this summer’s most anticipated releases that sees a vicious curse wreak havoc on young lovers and their conservative community. The latest from NEON arrives in theaters in the back half of June.
Joe Bird (Talk to Me) and Stacy Clausen play star-crossed teenage boys who must escape a violent entity that takes the form of the person they desire most — each other.
Mia Wasikowska (Crimson Peak), Jeremy Blewitt, Ewen Leslie (The Nightingale), and Davida McKenzie (Silent Night) round out the cast of horror movie Leviticus.
The film comes from writer-director Adrian Chiarella.
Watch the official trailer for Leviticus below.
Rose of Nevada – In Select Theaters June 19
Enys Men filmmaker Mark Jenkin is back with a new hallucinatory, shot-on-film folk horror nightmare, the time-traveling Rose of Nevada arriving in select theaters.
In the horror film, “Three decades ago, the Rose of Nevada vanished at sea, along with its crew. Now, it has returned. In a remote fishing village, its reappearance is embraced as an auspicious sign, with the local citizens convinced the luck of their economically devastated community may turn, if only the ship sails again. Joining the crew is Nick (George MacKay), desperate to provide for his young family, and Liam (Callum Turner), a mysterious drifter eager to escape his past. After a successful voyage, they return to harbor, only to find that nothing is as they remember it.”
Rose of Nevada was written, directed, edited, and scored by Jenkin, who shot the film on a 16mm Bolex camera.
George MacKay and Callum Turner star.
Watch the official trailer for Rose of Nevada below.
Hold the Fort – On Digital June 23
Those in the mood for a scrappy indie horror comedy that rails against the insanity of HOAs should find much to revel in when Hold the Fort arrives on VOD on June 23. Witches, werewolves, and mayhem ensue.
In the film, “Lucas and Jenny think their life is finally coming together when the couple become homeowners. Little do they know that their new house comes with a big catch. Lucas and Jenny soon find themselves in a fight for their lives when they become trapped in a battle between their Homeowners Association and an onslaught of monsters from hell. The horror-comedy takes the timely concern of home-ownership and wraps this up in an entertaining action-packed thrill ride.“
William Bagley writes and directs the film starring Chris Mayers (Adult Swim Yule Log), Haley Leary (“The Walking Dead”), Levi Burdick, and Julian Smith.
Watch the official trailer for Hold the Fort below.
Hungry – On Digital June 23
The wildly unofficial adaptation of Hungry Hungry Hippos comes home to VOD after an extremely limited theatrical run. Rob Hunter called the animal attack flick “a terrific little survival thriller about an angry, angry hippo instead” in his review.
Hungry follows thrill-seeking tourists on a riverboat tour through the treacherous Louisiana swamplands. Lured off the beaten path by the promise of an exclusive adventure, they soon find themselves fighting for survival against a ravenous hippopotamus lurking beneath the bayou’s murky waters.
Madison Davenport (It’s What’s Inside), Tracey Bonner (Greenland), Michel Curiel (“She-Hulk: Attorney at Law”), Jim Meskimen (“Parks and Recreation”), Samantha Coughlan (Arcadian), Olivia Bernstone (Fighting with My Family), River Codack (“Happy Face”), and Joaquim de Almeida (Desperado) star.
James Nunn (Shark Bait, One Shot) wrote and directed.
Watch the official trailer for Hungry below.
Her Private Hell – In Theaters June 24
Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive, The Neon Demon) is back with his first film in a decade, and it’s all but sure to be a conversation starter. Dreamy folklore, cryptic storytelling, and a stunning Giallo-esque vibe haunts the first teaser revealed so far since the film’s Cannes premiere.
In the film, “when a mysterious mist engulfs a futuristic metropolis, unleashing a deadly and elusive entity, a troubled young woman searches for her father. Her quest collides with an American GI on a harrowing odyssey to rescue his daughter from Hell.”
Sophie Thatcher (“Yellowjackets”), Charles Melton (“Riverdale”), Kristine Froseth (How to Blow Up a Pipeline), Havana Rose Liu (No Exit), and Diego Calva (Babylon) star.
The ensemble also includes Dougray Scott (Hitman), Aoi Yamada (Perfect Days), Shioli Kutsuna (Deadpool & Wolverine), and Hidetoshi Nishijima (Shin Ultraman).
Watch the official teaser for Her Private Hell below.
Strung – On Peacock June 24
Producers Tyler Perry and Jason Blum have joined forces on this Peacock original, promising all sorts of twisty psychological turns.
In the film, “A talented violinist takes a prestigious job as a music tutor for the gifted daughter of an influential and enigmatic family. As she becomes entangled in their opulent world, unsettling secrets begin to surface, forcing her to question her safety, her dreams, and even her sanity.”
Malcolm D. Lee (Scary Movie 5, Space Jam: A New Legacy) directs from a script written by Alan B. McElroy (Wrong Turn, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers).
Chloe Bailey (“Swarm“), Lynn Whitfield (Jaws: The Revenge), Lucien Laviscount (“Scream Queens”), Anna Diop (Us), Coco Jones (Vampires vs. the Bronx), Langley Kirkwood (“Banshee”), and Romy Woods star.
Watch the official trailer for Strung below.
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