Top 10 Genre Joints To See This Summer!

Last Updated on August 3, 2021

Say what now…summertime already?! But it is folks, it is. So strange, but it seems the cinematic slate of summer blockbusters comes earlier and earlier every year now…so much so that instead of June-September, the unofficial movie summer-slam occurs from about May-August. And the front-end kicks off in a like a week!

You already know what that means, right? Right, we’re previewing the most anticipated genre flicks of the summer. Big budget, indie, established directors, up and comers…monsters, zombies, sharks, demons, ghosts, home invaders…we’ve got it all covered. So chill out, get loose, sink and drink and check out our Top 10 Genre Joints To See This Summer!

#1. THE NEON DEMON (JUNE 17TH)

Though he’s whiffed on a few fence-swinging cuts over the years, director Nicolas Winding Refn’s too much of an entrancing visualist to skip the seductive clutch of THE NEON DEMON this June. Great title, great young actress, wonderfully vivid color palate, a provocative tale of Hollywood allure gone all wrong…what’s not to like? I just hope that, if he keeps the plot-line as thin as he usually does, the overall mood works more like DRIVE than ONLY GOD FORGIVES. Better yet, if he uses the Wings Hauser track “Neon Slime” from VICE SQUAD I’ll be a happy boy!

#2. THE CONJURING 2 (JUNE 10TH)

All the principals return for THE CONJURING 2: THE ENFIELD EXPERIMENT to further expound upon the ghastly tale of Ed and Lorraine Warren. James Wan is back in the director’s chair, Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson re-assume the lead roles…this time headed to London to investigate the malefic presence haunting a family of five. The great David Thewlis joins the party, as does Franka Potente and Frances O’Connor. All things considered, THE CONJURING 2 is poised to be one the best horror flicks of the summer!

#3. THE DARKNESS (MAY 13TH)

We really hope, and have faith, that such a generic and uninspired title like THE DARKNESS is no reflection on the overall quality of Aussie director Greg Mclean’s latest horror yarn. After-all, this dude blew up the spot with his feature debut WOLF CREEK, followed-up nicely with his killer-croc flick ROGUE before aptly sequencing WOLF CREEK 2. Now he’s got the great Kevin Bacon on board of his newest flick, which revolves around a family returning from a Grand Canyon vacation to find they’ve brought back a sinister supernatural entity. Bacon can’t escape the following!

#4. HIGH-RISE (MAY 13TH)

Based on what Ben Wheatley has treated us with in only a few short years (KILL LIST, A FIELD IN ENGLAND), coupled with the killer cast that includes Tom Hiddleston and Jeremy Irons, it would seem HIGH-RISE is an absolute no brainer to peruse when it opens wide May 13th. Can’t wait until then? Don’t sweat it, word is the flick will hit the internet two weeks prior (April 28th). My guess is the flick is better suited on the big-screen, mainly for the titular building that may prove to have an evil life of its own. Very little plot details have been dished beyond that, but we know Wheatley will, ahem, RISE to the occasion!

#5. DON’T BREATHE (AUGUST 26TH)

After taking on the herculean task of, then acquitting himself admirably in remaking THE EVIL DEAD in 2013, Uruguayan director Fede Alvarez looks to keep the momentum revving with his new flick DON’T BREATHE. He once again looks to Jane Levy to head his story – this time about a passel of punky teens who break into a rich blind man’s house to rob the joint, only to find something truly horrifying awaiting them. Stephen Lang plays the blind man, with support coming from GOOSEBUMPS’ Dylan Minnette and IT FOLLOWS’ Daniel Zovatto.

#6. SPECTRAL (AUGUST 12TH)

Hear us out a sec, will you. Here’s where we cling to the undying fan-boy obstinance of our love for the 1984 original GHOSTBUSTERS and say, as a means of boycotting the needless cash-grab of a remake, we’re turning to SPECTRAL this summer instead. After-all, the premises of both are quite similar. However, SPECTRAL promises to take the subject matter of a special ops team tasked with ridding the city of a ghoulish incursion far less flippantly. Nothing against the comediennes of the GHOSTBUSTERS rehash, but come on, Vekman? Spengler? Stantz? Tully? These dudes walk with legends!

#7. THE PURGE: ELECTION YEAR (JULY 1ST)

I don’t know exactly why, but setting the third trimester of THE PURGE franchise amid an election year seems like a fresh and exciting new angle. Perhaps it’s because this is an actual election year. Anyway, THE PURGE flicks are always a fun and somewhat liberating vehicle to indulge in some vicarious anarchy, to in a way let off some serious steam, yet do so in a way that’s relatively nonthreatening. Franchise creator James DeMonaco keeps his fingerprint on the series, hopefully refining such by bulking the good and axing the bad.

#8. THE SHALLOWS (JUNE 14TH)

Can you really blame or get mad at the ravenous great white shark attacking Blake Lively in THE SHALLOWS? Look at those goddamn gams…I’m not mad, I’m jealous! All jesting aside, it seems every summer comes equipped with an ersatz JAWS ripoff, but damn if this Jaume-Collet Serra hasn’t made some entertaining movies (ORPHAN yo). Besides, beachfront horror is always perfect for the summertime. THE SHALLOWS is somewhat redolent of OPEN WATER though too, as Blake gets attacked 200 yards from shore, but bleeding and stranded on a rock, can’t quite maneuver so easily back to safety.

#9. PATIENT ZERO (SEPTEMBER 2ND)

Granted, PATIENT ZERO has an appointment scheduled for September 2nd, but if you want to split hairs, it still technically falls on the summer calendar. Good enough for us to include, particularly since it attempts to deal with something most infected-zombie flicks don’t…language. See, the story centers on a gifted man who can speak and communicate with the infected, and must team up with such in order to find a cure for what’s become a global pandemic. Emerging scream queen Natalie Dormer stars, with Stan Tucci onboard for Austiran director Stefan Ruzowitzky (ANATOMY, DEADFALL).

#10. CLOWN (JUNE 17TH)

Okay okay, so Eli Roth’s CLOWN was actually made in 2014 and has made several festival rounds since then. But the truth is the film finally gets a theatrical release here in the states on June 17th. Creepy-killer-clown flicks are always a harrowing prospect, especially when the great Peter Stormare is involved. But in a bit of a twist, this CLOWN actually sees a loving father attempt to liven up his son’s birthday party by dressing up as a circus entertainer, only to realize the suit has quite the evilly possessive hold. COP CAR and SPIDERMAN: HOMECOMING director Jon Watts extends the feature from his own 2010 short.