The Best Horror Movies Streaming This Month Will Give You Summer Scares (July 2024)
We're officially knee-deep in summer! The 4th of July just happened, and I'm sure some of you are gearing up for a summer vacation. Whether you're staying at home chilling in a tiny inflatable pool or heading out and hitting the beach, summer is a great time to just take it easy and disassociate from your normal, every-day life. It's also a great season for horror. I know there's a certain subset of folks — let's call them "normal people" — who primarily associate horror with autumn and Halloween. In fact, I've met more than one person in my life who has claimed they only watch horror movies around Halloween time. And while I'm not one to judge, I'll say this: why limit yourself? Horror can be celebrated year-round! Especially when there are a whole slew of scary movies set during the summer season. And that's where this month's horror streaming column comes in. Below, you'll find a round-up of some great summer horror movies that are perfect for these hot days. So fire up the grill, sweat through your tank-top, and get ready to get scared.
Bodies Bodies Bodies
Streaming on Netflix.
There's a hurricane brewing in "Bodies Bodies Bodies," and the body count is climbing. Halina Reijn's wickedly fun horror-comedy follows a group of clueless, bickering Gen-Z youths who gather in a big house for a hurricane party. When the storm starts, the group — played by Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova, Myha'la Herrold, Chase Sui Wonders, Rachel Sennott, Lee Pace, and Pete Davidson — huddles inside. Old resentments and perceived slights begin to take shape in the shadows, and then everyone decides to play an alcohol-fueled murder mystery game called Bodies Bodies Bodies. It's all fun and games ... until people start dying for real. And everyone is a suspect. Dark, twisted, satirical, and unpredictable, "Bodies Bodies Bodies" is the perfect summer horror flick for a night when oppressive heat and humidity cause storm clouds roll in.
Stream this if you like "Knives Out," "Heathers," and drunken chaos.
The Burning
Streaming on Prime Video.
While Jason Voorhees might be the king of the summer camp slasher, let's not forget about Cropsy, the badly burned butcher at the heart of Tony Maylam's "The Burning." Years ago, some mean kids pulled a prank on poor old Cropsy, the drunken caretaker of Camp Blackfoot. The prank went horribly wrong, leaving Cropsy hideously burned. Now, Cropsy, looking a lot worse for wear, returns and begins picking off camp counselors one by one in increasingly gruesome fashion (aided by makeup effects legend Tom Savini). It's probably worth noting that while "The Burning" seems to be ripping off "Friday the 13th," the film was actually conceived before that movie even hit theaters. It's probably also worth noting that the story for the film was dreamt up by none other than garbage monster Harvey Weinstein, with his brother Bob co-writing the script. If you can get beyond that admittedly icky involvement, you'll find a fun '80s slasher pic with a cast that includes a young Jason Alexander (!).
Stream this if you like the "Friday the 13th" series, "Happy Birthday to Me," and teenage camp counselors who look like they're in their mid-30s.
Creepshow 2
Streaming on Prime Video and Tubi.
"Creepshow 2" isn't as good as the first "Creepshow," but it does have one highly memorable installment. Like the first film, "Creepshow 2" is drawn from the mind of Stephen King (although King didn't pen the script this time; George A. Romero gets the film's sole writing credit). The best segment of the bunch is "The Raft," adapted from the King short story of the same name (it was first published in 1982, then popped-up in his 1985 collection "Skeleton Crew"). Full disclosure: "The Raft" is actually set in October, not the summer. But it certainly has summer vibes, and that's why I'm including it here. The story follows a group of friends who swim out to a wooden raft on a remote lake (what's more summer than a day at the lake?). That's where the fun ends, because a black, oily blob-like creature is lurking in the water, and if any of the unlucky swimmers steps off the raft, they'll be horribly digested by whatever the hell the blob-monster is. This leads to a series of gruesome, gore-filled deaths that'll have you avoiding lakes for the foreseeable future.
Stream this if you like "The Ruins," "Creepshow," and lots of bloody goo.
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
Streaming on Max.
Rather than put the first "Friday the 13th" movie on this list and call it a day, I decided to cut to the chase and list the best "Friday the 13th" movie instead. Despite it's title, "Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter" was, of course, not the "final" chapter — they kept making sequels after this. But "Final Chapter" is often hailed as the most enjoyable entry in the franchise; it's the film that feels like it perfected the formula of the series as a whole. On paper, it has basically the same set-up as every other "Friday" film — undead slasher Jason Voorhees starts slicing and dicing his way through horny young people. But there's great atmosphere here, aided by memorable characters, including Crispin Glover, who dances like a crazy person in one scene. This is also the entry that introduces Jason's greatest foe: a small boy. That boy, Tommy Jarvis (Corey Feldman), is a horror nerd, which ultimately makes him well-suited to finally face off against Jason in the film's grand finale.
Stream this if you like all the other "Friday the 13th" films and Crispin Glover dancing.
Jaws 2
Streaming on Peacock.
Look, I could've put the original "Jaws" on here, but ... do I really need to? Is there anything more to even say about "Jaws" at this point? It's a perfect movie. I just revisited it for the umpteenth time on the 4th of July, and you know what? It still rules. That Steven Spielberg guy, let me tell ya — he knows what he's doing! So rather than rehash the same stuff about "Jaws" yet again, I decided to give "Jaws 2" a spotlight. To be clear: "Jaws 2" is nowhere near as good as "Jaws." Not even close. But it is kind of a fun, cheesy sequel that almost feels like a slasher movie, where the slasher just happens to be a shark. Once again, the shores of Amity Island are plagued by a great white shark, and once again, Roy Scheider's Chief Martin Brody is sounding the alarm. You'd think after the events of the first film that Brody would earn the benefit of the doubt, but the powers-that-be running Amity once again think he's overreacting — until it becomes clear he's not. Meanwhile, a group of kids (including Brody's own son) have gone out sailing and are now being picked off by the shark one by one. Again, is this as good as Spielberg's original? Absolutely not! But it's still pretty fun.
Stream this if you like "Jaws," "Deep Blue Sea," and boating enthusiast teens being eaten by a shark.
Midsommar
Streaming on Max.
Ari Aster followed up his killer debut "Hereditary" with "Midsommar," a funny, disturbing extravaganza about the dangers of hanging out with Swedish people. After suffering a family tragedy, insecure Dani (Florence Pugh) gets invited along on a trip to Sweden with her boyfriend Christian (Jack Reynor), and his friends Josh (William Jackson Harper), Mark (Will Poulter), and Pelle (Vilhelm Blomgren). The journey takes them to Pelle's ancestral commune, where a multi-day midsummer festival is about to begin. The getaway descends into madness as things grow increasingly disturbing, building towards a magnificent climax. Aster's script focuses on the fractured relationships among these characters, who clearly don't really like each other even though they're all supposed to be close (for instance: Christian was actually planning on breaking up with Dani, but ended up inviting her along for the trip instead). While I don't think "Midsommar" is particularly scary, it's unnerving mix of humor and horror make for a unique cinematic experience. And all of it unfolds in bright, cheerful sunlight.
Stream this if you like "The Wicker Man," "The Devils," and strange trips.
The Prowler
Streaming on Prime Video.
Shot in the beach town of Cape May, New Jersey (where I used to go on vacation as a kid), "The Prowler" is a nasty little slasher that feels somewhat forgotten, or at least underrated. The story follows a group of college kids who are stalked by a killer in a World War II army uniform. The kills, which are accented by the makeup work of Tom Savini (him again!) are brutal and gruesome, and the beach vibes make this the perfect summer horror flick (although the film claims it takes place in California rather than New Jersey). There's some deeper meaning to be found here about how the killer might be a war veteran, but if you want to look beyond that and just vibe on the slasher thrills and chills, you'll dig what's on display here.
Stream this if you like "My Bloody Valentine" and the Jersey shore.
Sleepaway Camp
Streaming on Peacock.
"Sleepaway Camp" is known for its whopper of a twist ending (I won't give it away if you somehow have managed to remain unspoiled after all these years). While this is billed as a slasher pic, it's not your typical entry in the subgenre. It's stranger, and nastier, than you might expect, and it's also funny in a twisted sort of way. The story follows young Angela (Felissa Rose), a shy, traumatized kid who ends up at Camp Arawak. Angela is mercilessly bullied by fellow campers, and then, one by one, people start turning up dead. These deaths are ruled accidents at first, but soon, it sure starts to look like there's a killer on the loose. This is all building towards one of the most memorable, and shocking conclusions in horror history. Even if you don't care for the movie as a whole, I promise the ending will stick with you.
Stream this if you like the other summer camp horror movies on this list and having your mind blown by a twist ending.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Streaming on Peacock.
The best movie on this list, Tobe Hooper's "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" is a classic for a reason. Despite years of imitators (and sequels and reboots), the original "Texas Chain Saw" is still a powerful, singular work of horror. Shot for cheap, the entire film feels raw and real, as if we're witnessing something we shouldn't be watching. While not overly graphic (despite what its reputation suggests), the kills here feel intensely brutal due to the way Hooper shoots them; there's a cinéma vérité vibe to the entire endeavour. You can practically smell the foul, dead odors wafting from the slaughterhouse-like sets. On a sweltering summer day, a group of friends driving through Texas runs afoul of a family of cannibals. The results are genuinely terrifying.
Stream this if you like the countless "Texas Chain Saw Massacre" knock-offs, none of which come even close to replicating the intensity of the original.
Tourist Trap
Streaming on Prime Video and Shudder.
You wanna see something weird? Then you should check out David Schmoeller's truly bonkers "Tourist Trap." Like "Texas Chain Saw," the plot follows a group of friends on a summer road trip who take a very, very wrong turn. In this case, they find a strange tourist trap museum run by Mr. Slausen (Chuck Connors). Oh, did I mention Mr. Slausen is friggin' crazy? And also he has the ability to turn people into mannequins? And also the mannequins are alive? None of this makes much sense, which only adds to the eerie strangeness of the movie, resulting in a truly odd cult classic.
Stream this if you like "House of Wax" (2005) and weird, weird stuff.