THE SHINING, from left: Jack Nicholson, Lia Beldam, 1980. ©Warner Brothers/courtesy Everett Collection
It’s a neverending struggle trying to decide what to watch on Paramount+ each month. As horror fans and Goths try to remain as pale as possible during the summer months, it’s as important as ever to have a streaming guide you can trust.
We all get trapped in the endless abyss of the digital carousel. Sometimes it seems as if there will always be something to watch, then suddenly, you’re all caught up with your current favorite show. The drop-off can be quick and steep.
To start with, Paramount+ now includes SHOWTIME (for an extra fee), so season 2 of Yellowjackets is locked and loaded. Feel free to posit as many theories as you like that, inevitably, won’t actually wind up being correct. The Vinn diagram of horror hounds and metal heads tends to overlap, so it’s also worth highlighting the new series I Wanna Rock: The ’80s Metal Dream. Premiering on July 18, the docuseries will chronicle the rise and abrupt fall of the ’80s metal scene told by the musicians that lived it. The show will feature Kip Winger, “Snake” Sabo, Janet Gardner, John Corabi, and Dee Snider.
Looking for the new horror movies available in July? Check out these terrifying additions to Paramount+ that rank among some of the best selections yet for the streaming platform.
Interview With the Vampire
Before the riveting AMC+ series that effectively re-imagined the eternal love affair between Lestat and Louis for a new generation, there was Tom and Brad. 4EVA. Director Neil Jordan’s epic interpretation of Anne Rice’s seminal vampire novel was mainlined into the pop culture mainstream in 1994 when Cruise and Pitt were at their apex. Unafraid to embrace the underlying homoeroticism of Rice’s book, Interview With the Vampire stayed true to the tragic spirit and century-spanning heartbreak found within its pages. We’ll even forgive the tacked on Hollywood ending featuring Lestat cruising across the Golden Gate Bridge blaring the Guns ‘N’ Roses cover of “Sympathy For the Devil.”
Pet Sematary II
The original 1989 Pet Sematary is also available now on Paramount+, but its campy sequel has garnered more hardcore fans over the years. Pet Sematary II tried to capitalize on Edward Furlong’s newfound stardom after Terminator 2: Judgement Day with minimal success at the time of its initial release in late August of 1992. Director Mary Lambert returned to helm the follow-up about brooding high schooler Jeff Matthews (Furlong) who makes the same mistake as the Creed family from the original. Once again, the forbidden Indian burial ground beyond the town of Ludlow’s childhood pet cemetery is desecrated in hopes that Jeff’s mother will return from the grave.
Although Furlong still has that every kid relatability, Clancy Brown steals the show as a cruel stepfather named Gus who comes back but is definitely not the same. Lambert intentionally made the sequel more over-the-top, filling Pet Sematary II with a lot more gore and a dark sense of humor. If the original film was cut from the same cloth as Tobe Hooper’s 1974 indie masterpiece, Pet Sematary II is Lambert’s take on Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part II.
Kill Me Now
Kill Me Now is a welcome new entry this month on Paramount+, mainly due to a strong cast and a script that’s way more entertaining than it should be. Featuring Beck Bennet and Kyle Mooney from Saturday Night Live fame, there’s a solid pedigree for a satisfying horror comedy that could have been a complete waste. The simple slasher premise of small-town teens partying at a remote cabin is always ripe for parody, and Kill Me Now doesn’t disappoint. There’s another Driller Killer that looks like a ripoff of Abel Ferrara’s NYC bound attacker from his gritty 1979 film on the prowl here as well.
Made in 2012, some of the jokes feel a little stale now after Danishka Esterhazy’s modern reimagining of Slumber Party Massacre for Syfy and Tim Story’s The Blackening. Go in expecting something a little closer to Broken Lizard’s Club Dread and you’ll be fine.
Pumpkinhead
Legendary effects artist Stan Winston made his directorial debut with Pumpkinhead. And he saved his best monster for his very own creature feature. Lance Henriksen puts his considerable acting weight and natural intensity to great use as a local farmer seeking revenge after the senseless death of his little boy. In an interesting twist, the accident was caused by a group of teenage dirt bikers that were really just looking to have a good time. They’re not inherently evil, making their gruesome fates all the more tragic.
Henriksen’s character Ed Harley conjures up an unforgiving demon that’s long been thought to be a legend. Harley becomes inextricably linked to the beast that begins to feed off his own grief. Still recognized as one of the greatest creature designs in horror history, Pumkinhead was way ahead of its time.
Bones and All
Based on the best-seller by Camille DeAngelis, Bones and All was poised to become a sleeper hit for the horror genre when it was released during Thanksgiving of 2022. Directed by a bona fide auteur in Luca Guadagnino (Call Be By Your Name, Suspiria) and starring teen sensation Timothée Chalamet, almost no one went to see this darkly sweet cannibal road trip movie about two star-crossed teens with a penchant for flesh.
Their cannibalism wasn’t a choice though, it is an unquenchable thirst they have from birth. Bones and All is borderline brilliant at times, toeing the line between a doomed teen romance and a graphic horror film. Hopefully, more people will give it a chance now that it’s widely available.
It premieres on July 31st on Paramount+.
Read the full list of horror movies hitting Paramount+ in July below.
Streaming July 1
Better Watch Out
Black Sunday
Case 39
Interview With the Vampire
Kill Me Now
Pet Sematary (1989)
Pet Sematary II (1992)
Pumpkinhead
The Shining
Wolf
Streaming July 12
It Follows
Streaming July 31
Bones and All
Tags: Bones And All Horror July Paramount+ Timothee Chalamet Tom Cruise
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