6 Biggest Horror Movies Releasing July 2022

Get ready for an eclectic selection of horror movies releasing July 2022, including Jordan Peele's newest mysterious sci-fi, a thriller staring Winona Ryder, and a documentary on one of the strangest heavy metal bands out there. More Shudder and Netflix originals, along with plenty of indie productions, make for even more promising horror content this July.

6 Biggest Horror Movies Releasing July 2022 coverThe summer of horror continues as the horror movies releasing in July 2022 offer an eclectic buffet of scares, thrills, and tense atmospheres in equal measure.

Jordan Peele is back writing and directing horror for the big screen in his most sci-fi tale yet, Winona Ryder trades in Demogorgans for a mystery with a shocking twist, and the biggest Taiwanese horror movie ever released gets unleashed on Netflix. With Shudder offering even more treats for subscribers to enjoy, and a fair amount of VOD/digital options, there’s a horror movie releasing in July 2022 to suit everyone.

With so much horror unleashing on big and small screens alike this summer, there’s now a bonus section at the end to spotlight some small indie productions you might like too.

Now that July has passed, make sure to check out our biggest horror movies releasing in August 2022 article, and if you’re after some more great horror movie suggestions, check these out:

Incantation

Releases July 8 on Netflix.

Incantation has already released in Taiwan, becoming the highest-grossing Taiwanese horror movie ever. Netflix has scooped up the streaming rights to the incredibly successful found footage film directed by Kevin Ko.

Inspired by a true story involving a family of cult worshippers in Taiwan, Incantation is shot in mockumentary/found footage style. It follows mother Li Ruo-Nan (Hsuan-yen Tsai) and her daughter. Ruo-Nan seems to be cursed after breaking a religious taboo, and now must protect her daughter from the consequences of her actions. The trailer has some Rec, and Searching vibes (with a creepy kid thrown in, of course). This promising concept mixed with a large subscriber base with Netflix could make the Taiwanese hit one of the biggest horror movies releasing July 2022 for new international audiences.

Regardless of how the film does on Netflix, Incantation is already getting a sequel due to its mega-success in Taiwan. So if you do end up liking horror the tale, there’s more to come!

She Will

Releases July 15 in US theatres.

Charlotte Colbert makes her theatrical feature film debut with She Will, a moody gothic tale about witches and revenge. Horror royalty Dario Argento of Suspiria and Inferno fame “presents” the movie as an executive producer.

She Will also has a stellar cast, with Alice Krige (Star Trek: First Contact, The OA), Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange, Castlevania), Rupert Everett (Stardust, My Best Friend’s Wedding) and Kota Eberhardt’s (X-Men: Dark Phoenix) performances going down very well with advanced reviewers–as has Colbert’s dream-like style. The basic premise of the film has actress Veronica (Alice Krige) and her nurse, Desi (Kota Eberhardt) retreat to the Scottish countryside while Veronica recovers from surgery. The director of the movie that made Veronica famous (Malcolm McDowell) just so happens to be there as well. Veronica soon starts to have strange dreams about the land as she learns of its history of condemning witches.

These types of atmospheric horror productions often turn out to be either poorly executed metaphors to send you to sleep, or incredible explorations of modern themes through a creepy lens. She Will seems to be of the latter quality, judging from early reviews, making it one of the biggest horror movies releasing July 2022.

Gone in the Night

Releases July 15 in US theatres.

Gone in the Night seems to be more of a thriller than an out-and-out horror, but with Winona Ryder’s star power, and a creepy mystery for audiences to solve, it seems to tick all the right boxes for fans of the horror genre too.

First distributed at festivals titled The Cow, Eli Horowitz’s theatrical directorial debut follows Kath (Winnona Ryder) and her boyfriend (John Gallagher Jr.), who rent a remote cabin only to find another couple (Owen Teague and Brianne Tju) already occupying it. The four of them decide to share the cabin. However, Kath’s boyfriend soon goes missing, along with the young woman they recently met. Kath then enlists the help of an unlikely ally (Dermot Mulroney) to track them down.

Early reviews seem to be split on whether the lead-up to a certain twist is worth the price of entry or not, but honestly, that’s what has me most hooked about the movie’s premise. It might turn out to be a big letdown, but at least we have another winning Winona Ryder performance to soothe us if the story does turn out to be as divisive as it has been with critics. If you liked Horowitz’s style on both the Homecoming podcast and series, then hopefully Gone in the Night will tick all the right boxes for you, even if it doesn’t turn out to be one of everyone’s biggest horror movies releasing July 2022.

This Is GWAR

Releases July 21 on Shudder.

Admittedly, I’ve never heard of the ‘shock-rock’ band, GWAR, and the trailer for the documentary This is GWAR has me regretting that unfortunate oversite.

Having amazingly stayed the test of time (and rotating band members) for thirty years, GWAR gets their own feature documentary that includes interviews with members of the band, both past and present. Also interviewed are other artists, including Weird Al Yankovic, Thomas Lennnon, Alex Winter, Bam Margera, and Ethan Embry. The documentary also includes never before seen footage of legendary GWAR frontman, the late Dave Brockie.

If, like me, you’re not familiar with who GWAR are and are perhaps wondering why you should care about the documentary, your interest might be piqued when you hear that the heavy metal band is known for dressing in outrageously grotesque costumes inspired by horror concepts. The band also has a deep, satirical lore surrounding its ridiculous sci-fi mythology. They seem to put horror performance art showcases first, and music second.

This is GWAR premiered at Fantastic Fest in 2021 and won the 2021 Audience Award at Nightstream. Although the gross-out nature of the band might get an eye-roll from some, the real stories and drama behind the band’s rich and controversial thirty-year history is the main appeal of the documentary. GWAR have never broken out into the mainstream consciousnesses over the years for very long. Hopefully, a whole new audience can appreciate the storied history of one of the strangest, most controversial heavy metal bands when the movie drops on Shudder. They might not be one of the biggest bands in the world, but This is GWAR is looking like it could be one of the biggest horror movies releasing July 2022.

Nope

Releases July 22 in US theatres.

Jordan Peele turns his talents to a more overt sci-fi tale than he’s told in his horror movies before with the hotly anticipated Nope.

Although Get Out and Us have slight science fiction elements to their horror, none of them had aliens—well, what appears to be aliens. In our closest look at the movie’s plot yet, the latest trailer sees brother and sister OJ (Daniel Kaluuya) and Emerald (Keke Palmer) try to capture evidence of abnormal events involving both animals and people occurring near their family ranch. Other details about the film are being kept under wraps for now, including the exact role Ricky ‘Jupe’ Park (Steven Yeun) plays in the story.

Although not much else is known about the film, if you’ve ever seen a Jordan Peele movie you’ll know what to expect —in that you really won’t know what to expect. Both Get Out and Us had the same sort of dark social tone that’s likely to appear in Nope, but followed two very different narratives. I can’t wait to see what Peele does for his third feature film, which looks to have all the thematic and directorial skill he’s made a name for himself within the horror community. Nope is definitely the biggest horror movie releasing July 2022 and could likely be one of the best of the year as well.

The Reef: Stalked

Releases July 29 on Shudder.

If you want to continue Shark Week celebrations this year, The Reef: Stalked can fill that creature feature sized hole in your schedule. The sequel to The Reef comes over ten years after the original surprised audiences with its tense atmosphere and actually-this-isn’t-horrible production values. Director and writer Andrew Traucki returns, meaning we know it’s at least in capable, proven hands.

This time, the story follows Nic (Teressa Liane) who travels to a tropical resort with her friends for a kayaking and diving adventure in an effort to heal after witnessing her sister’s horrific murder. Early in their expedition, a great white shark attacks the group, forcing them to band together to try and kill it. If you’re not a movie monster type of horror fan, you still might want to give The Reef: Stalked a try if you have a Shudder subscription. If it’s anything like the original, you’re in for more of a Jaws type viewing than a Sharknado affair, making it one of the biggest horror movies releasing July 2022.

Indie Horror Movies Releasing July 2022

The following indie horror movies are releasing in limited theatres, VOD, or streaming services during July 2022. Some may have already had small theatrical runs, whereas others are debuting digitally—and all look very promising!

The Prey: Legend of Karnoctus, The Ghosts of Monday, and American Werewolves.

The Prey: Legend of Karnoctus, The Ghosts of Monday, and American Werewolves.

  • American Werewolves: Releases July 5 on VOD and digital. Seth Breedlove’s newest documentary poses the question: do real werewolves exist? Comprised of around a dozen witness accounts, Breedlove presents a witness-focused study into the “dogman” phenomenon that pervades American folklore.
  • The Prey Legend of Karnoctus: Releasing July 7 on VOD and digital. Danny Trejo and Nick Chinlund lead an Elite Group of Special Forces against a deadly beast in the caves of Afghanistan. Matthew Hensman and Gustavo Sainz de la Peña wrote the script, from a story by Gustavo Sainz de la Peña, in an homage to the action-adventure and monster flicks of the 1980s.
  • The Ghosts of Monday: Releases July 15 in limited US theatres. Tells the chilling story of a group of US filmmakers who travel to Cyprus to film a documentary in the tragically famous Hotel Gula, a once popular resort where more than 100 people died in mysterious circumstances. What begins as just another day at the office will eventually turn into a terrifying journey into the unknown. Directed by Francesco Cinquemani and stars Julian Sands.

What horror movie are you most excited about this July? Let me know in the comments below!

2 Comments

  1. Avatar photo

    Thanks, Jessica! Definitely going to watch all of these. Absolutely looking forward to Nope and Incantation the most.

    Reply
    • Avatar photo

      Thank you – the exact same picks from me! Jordan Peele sure knows how to make ‘em

      Reply

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