6 New International Horror Releases That Will Thrill And Chill You This July

Starting the month strong, July 2 brought the first-ever collaboration between Netflix and legendary Japanese entertainment company Toho. A Japanese-South Korean co-production, eight-episode limited series Human Vapor is based on the 1960 Toho film The Human Vapor and blends elements of crime drama, science fiction, and, of course, horror.
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The premise for this one is pretty great: a mysterious man who can turn himself into gas decides to blow up a guest commentator on live TV. After vanishing into (literally) thin air, the culprit announces that he plans to kill again—and again, and again.

A detective and a reporter are hot on his heels, but how do you capture someone you can’t even handcuff? (Perhaps a vacuum of some variety might help? I’m just spitballing.)

After playing the festival circuit back in 2024, Portraits of the Apocalypse is finally arriving on DVD and VOD platforms on July 14.
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From directors Nicanor Loreti, Fabián Forte, and Luca Castello, Portraits of the Apocalypse is set in a Buenos Aires overrun by zombies. Told through four interconnected stories—those of a journalist, a soldier, a mother, and a stranger—the film explores the confusion and chaos of a zombie outbreak, and the human drive to stay alive against the odds.

The cast includes Ezequiel Rodriguez and Demian Salomon, who you might remember from the nightmarish When Evil Lurks (honestly, how could you forget?).

Croatian-Australian filmmaker Al Kalyk makes his feature directorial debut this month with Cruel Hands, an edge-of-your-seat horror-thriller set against the backdrop of Australia’s devastating “Black Summer” bushfires of 2019.
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Trapped between a rock and a hard place, Maria (Mavournee Hazel) flees to an abandoned farmhouse with her 12-year-old son Dai (Diesel La Torraca) to escape her violent husband, Jason (Josh McConville).

As the fires rage and Jason relentlessly hunts them through the smoke, the mother and son’s fight for survival may have devastating consequences. Follow their journey in theaters and on demand on July 24.

Listen, I’m not saying Her Private Hell is going to be good. It might be—I haven’t seen it yet, and it reportedly got a 12-minute standing ovation at Cannes (shortly before all the scathing reviews started pouring in).

All I know is, the trailer has Giallo vibes and the BFI says it has “buckets of gore,” so I am at the very least curious. If you are too, you can catch it in theaters from July 24.
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The first feature film from Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn since 2016’s The Neon Demon, Her Private Hell follows a group of women in a future metropolis who are hunted by a mysterious slasher known as Leather Man. Sophie Thatcher (Companion) and bisexual lighting star.

The Twisted Childhood Universe adds a heavy hitter to its roster this July. Nightmare on Elm Street legend Robert Englund stars alongside Richard Brake (Mandy, Barbarian) in Pinocchio Unstrung, the latest from Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey director Rhys Frake-Waterfield.
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Brake plays Pinocchio’s creator, Gepetto. Influenced by a sinister Cricket (Englund), Pinocchio sets out to carve himself into a real boy… one piece at a time. Todd Masters (Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight) created the Pinocchio doll for the film, which is fully practical. Wish upon a star to see it in theaters on July 24 (or just buy a ticket).

Director Hanna Bergholm follows up her Sundance hit Hatching with Nightborn, streaming on Shudder from July 31.
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The film follows Saga (Seidi Haarla), who, dreaming of starting a perfect family, moves to her isolated childhood home deep in a Finnish forest. But as soon as her son is born, Saga starts to suspect that something is terribly wrong with the baby. Rupert Grint (Knock at the Cabin) also stars.
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For more international horror coming soon to Shudder, check out Japan’s Exit 8 (nominated for Best International Feature in the 2026 FANGORIA Chainsaw Awards!) and Australia’s Saccharine, which join the streamer on July 17 and 24, respectively.

And be sure to pop back next month for a fresh batch of scary-good picks from all around the world.