Idris Elba is poised to fight for survival against a ravenous lion when Beast roars into theaters this weekend. And Steven Spielberg’s shark classic, Jaws, swims back into theaters next month with a first-ever IMAX and Real 3D re-release. Both films send the clear message that this summer belongs to pissed-off animals on the attack.
This week’s streaming picks celebrate the summer subgenre with five titles that center around predators from the animal kingdom, some real and some a bit farfetched. All bring the teeth, claws, scales, and attitude to deliver summer thrills.
Here’s where you can stream them this week.
For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.
Alligator – AMC+, Shout TV, Shudder
The plot, borrowing from a popular urban legend, follows a baby alligator flushed down the toilet. It winds up in the sewer, a local laboratory’s precise spot used as a dumping ground for growth hormones and waste. That cute baby alligator grows into a monstrous beast and wreaks havoc on the town. Only Robert Forster’s Officer David can stop it. From director Lewis Teague (Cujo, Cat’s Eye), Alligator is legitimately good. It also earns major points for having the gall to kill a child in a memorably suspenseful scene.
Brotherhood of the Wolf – AMC+, Kanopy, Shudder
This highly underseen, loose telling of Beast of Gévaudan favors realism over the supernatural with its predator. Christophe Gans’ genre-bender follows Chevalier de Fronsac (Samuel Le Bihan) and close friend Mani (Mark Dacascos). They are sent to the Gevaudan province to investigate brutal slayings by a mysterious beast. It’s a stylish take on a historical account, full of conspiracy, court intrigue, horror, and martial arts—a slickly shot retooling of its source inspiration, only in the loosest sense. Expect a stylistic twist on the animal attack feature.
Burning Bright – Freevee, Tubi
As if Kelly doesn’t have enough problems to deal with between her mother’s suicide and caring for her autistic brother, someone has sealed all the doors and windows in her house and let loose a ravenous tiger. She can’t call for help because a hurricane has downed all phone communication. Burning Bright is an underseen gem that far exceeds what could’ve been a cheesy thriller. Director Carlos Brooks creates genuine, white-knuckle suspense and employs a real tiger for maximum effect, often through composited shots. The early melodramatic exposition scenes may seem daunting at first, but all of that fades away once the tiger is let loose.
Eight Legged Freaks – Tubi
Animal attack horror movies ground themselves in realism and weaponize tension. This pick is for you if you need a reprieve from the serious fare. Arachnophobia proved that venomous, normal-sized spiders are terrifying. Throw toxic waste into the mix, creating gigantic killer arachnids, and the temptation to nuke the planet to eradicate all things arachnid becomes very tempting. Luckily, Eight Legged Freaks takes a comedic approach in this love letter to the atomic ’50s. Giant spiders become slightly less scary when they chirp at each other in a cute gremlin-like language. It’s a fun, campy feature, but that won’t make it any easier if you’re an arachnophobe.
Rogue – Plex, Tubi, Vudu
Rogue stars Michael Vartan as travel journalist Pete McKell, on assignment in Northern Territory. He joins a group of tourists on a river cruise led by wildlife researcher Kate Ryan (Radha Mitchell). The tour goes swimmingly, but the group discovers a shipwrecked boat just as it’s winding down. It puts them directly in the path of a 25-foot man-eating crocodile closing in for dinner. Writer/Director Greg McLean (Wolf Creek) crafts a lean, mean survival horror movie that uses simplicity to heighten the nail-biting tension.
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