5 Horror Anniversaries To Celebrate This June

Summerween is one of my favorite times of the year because it combines all the things I love about summer with everything I love about the horror genre.

Outside of Halloween, the second best time to watch a horror movie is in the summer. It’s the perfect setting for camp counselor slashes, monster attacks, and zombie apocalypses. This June is a special month because it features a lot of horror anniversaries that paved the way for horror to be as great and diverse as it is today. If you’re looking to celebrate summerween this month, make sure you check out these films on their anniversaries. 

28 Days Later – 22nd Anniversary

June 27th marks 22 years since 28 Days Later hit the screens, and we are getting closer to the release date of 28 Years Later. In one of the best zombie films of all time, 28 Day Later is about a group of animal activists who unknowingly release “Rage” as they are trying to free a caged chimp. The release of “rage” turns all of its victims into zombies. One victim, played by Cillian Murphy, wakes up to a deserted town and has to figure out how to survive a landscape plagued by zombies. 28 Days Later is available on Apple TV+.

The Thing – 43rd Anniversary

The Thing is a John Carpenter classic and it is celebrating its 43rd anniversary on June 25th this year. The Thing follows a group of researchers who are stationed in a remote Antarctica base. Unbeknownst to them, an intruder is one the base and presents to themselves as a dog. The dog starts to attack some of the crew and they quickly learn that the dog isn’t a dog, but something more sinister that can shapeshift into anything it wants. They must all figure out how to survive the thing. The Thing is available to rent or buy on Prime Video.

The Omen – 49th Anniversary

Also a June 25th anniversary, The Omen is one of the best supernatural horror films of all time. The Omen is about Damien, a child adopted by a family with a very troubling past. The family starts experiencing misfortune after misfortune, eventually leading to an investigation of Damien to realize that he might be the son of the antichrist. You can rent or buy The Omen on Prime Video.

Jaws – 50th Anniversary

Jaws is a classic and will be celebrating its 50th anniversary on June 20th. They most certainly needed a bigger boat as the town of Amity Island is afflicted by a great white shark attack. Once a woman is attacked, the police want to shut the island down, but the mayor is only seeing dollar signs and wants to keep raking it in during tourist season. As you can guess, the shark attack didn’t stop with the one and the attacks kept on coming. Jaws is available to watch on Peacock. 

Psycho – 65th Anniversary

On June 16, 1960, Psycho was released and changed horror for good… or evil. Alfred Hitchcock created Psycho and it is one of the scariest movies of all time and totally flipped how horror movies were viewed, especially considering how mainstream it hit the scene. Psycho is about Marion Crane, a woman on the run with her boyfriend, as she chooses the exact wrong hotel to stop at for a night’s rest. After meeting Norman Bates, a man with some serious mommy issues and taxidermy interests, Marion’s life will never be the same. Psycho is available to watch on Netflix.