Lure (2026) Review – Close But No Cigar Budget British Horror

Welcome to Knockout Horror and to our review of British horror movie Lure (2026). You can find this movie right now on Tubi but you may want to consider scrolling right past. Let’s explain why.

Back Into The Depths of Tubi

There’s been a lot of great horror releasing over the past few months; it feels like we are right at the start of a boom period for the genre. Obsession is one of my favourite movies in years, Backrooms was a lot of fun, and Hokum was fantastic, too.

With this in mind, I decided it was time to see what’s going on in the basement. Let’s head on over to Tubi and fire up something completely random.

Now, I know, that sounds cruel. But I really don’t mean it negatively. I love Tubi but, let’s be honest, when it comes to horror streaming, it’s the place where you have to shift a lot of boxes of crap around to find what you are looking for.

So down the stairs I went as I attempted to discover something new and interesting.

Only, I didn’t find something new. The movie we are looking at today, Lure, has been in something of a production purgatory for the past few years. Well, that’s if the IMDb profile of director Oliver Cox is to be believed. He remarks on how his feature debut “Lure” is currently in post with a release earmarked for early 2022.

Four years later, here we are – you can find the movie as a recent 2026 release on Tubi completely free. I think that delay speaks to the difficulties that come along with producing low-budget horror. There are so many hoops to jump through and so many plates that need spinning.

“I love Tubi but, let’s be honest, when it comes to horror streaming, it’s the place where you have to shift a lot of boxes of crap around to find what you are looking for. “

It’s almost impossible to release a movie when you initially intended to and years sat on the shelf is a more than realistic proposal.

Was Lure worth the wait?

That extended wait, naturally, begs the question of whether this film from 2021 benefited from the extra time in the oven? Well, if user reviews and that 3.4/10 IMDb user score are anything to go by, almost certainly not. It’s a bit more complicated than that, though.

The story follows a group of men who are invited to an elaborate mansion under the guise of spending time with the alluring Islay (Silvia Presente). Instead of fun and frolicking, however, they find themselves unwilling participants in a sick game of life and death.

Now, we should probably get the obvious out of the way right off the bat. This isn’t a particularly new concept. Two movies immediately jumped to mind when I read that synopsis – Truth or Dare (2012) and Would You Rather (2012). Those vibes only grew stronger as the movie went on.

Islay initially appears to be a really nice person but quickly reveals herself to actually be a complete lunatic. She’s putting these gentlemen through these tests to see who is most worthy of fathering her children (yes… really!). The men are just generic archetypes there purely to be tortured and pitted against each other.

You have the gambler, the doctor, the every man, the gym bro… Nobody stands out. Everything feels borrowed in Lure which is very typical for horror, particularly low-budget productions. Don’t expect too much in the way of innovation or freshness. It’s the execution that counts here and that’s where I find some of the viewer reception a bit bewildering.

I’m not sure I get the hate…

Lure is, fundamentally, quite a well put together movie, all things considered. I watch a ton of low budget horror so have plenty of experience in the matter and feel qualified to comment.

“Technically, Lure is absolutely fine; hell, I’d even say it is pretty well made. It’s the narrative that’s the problem.”

Cox hasn’t fallen for many of the same pitfalls as other inexperienced directors. Camera work is mostly decent, the shot is rarely spasmodic and anxious, lighting is well thought out, and editing is fine outside of a few iffy moments. There’s really not a great deal to complain about. Sure, the audio mix is horrendous and the soundtrack is pretty terrible but those aren’t the kind of issues that will sink a film entirely.

Even some of the acting is solid. Silvia Presente is a lot of fun in the lead role, as Islay, and seems to be having a great time tormenting her fellow cast. Supporting actors like Kit Esuruoso, as Tom, and Paul David-Gough, as David, are fine, too. Most actors seems onboard with the project and fully committed to doing their very best.

Lure isn’t the most obviously terrible film you will ever watch so why the hate? Well, I suppose when you review a lot of low budget films, you get a little bit lost in the technical details. You go through a mental process that requires you to check a few boxes.

Does the film look okay? Is the editing solid? Is the camerawork decent? Does the acting hold up? Technically, Lure is absolutely fine; hell, I’d even say it is pretty well made. It’s the narrative and flow that’s the problem.

The story is poorly constructed

Cox commits a few grievous sins when it comes to producing an enjoyable horror. The narrative is poorly constructed, the story lacks depth and, worse of all, the movie is really quite boring.

Let’s look at those first two issues to start with. The reason that Islay is doing this makes no sense at all. In fact, it’s just farcical. Not only that, but it’s apparently something that happens a lot. How has she never been caught?

Obviously, Cox has constructed the story based around the idea of the mega-wealthy getting away with literal murder but I think it’s going to leave most viewers incredibly wanting. There is no narrative depth here at all so what you are left with is a very slow and plodding torture-porn horror set mostly in one single room in a rather beautiful but also rather dull location.

There’s some very clear Saw influence but it feels derivative rather than simply paying tribute. We even end up chained up to a pipe in one scene with remote electrocution shenanigans.

I couldn’t stop myself from eye rolling at some of the moments that basically lampoon Saw’s trademark editing style as they just feel out of touch and unoriginal. There’s a shot that involves blood spattering on the camera and it made me laugh out loud for how poor it looked.

It’s a single scene that underscores how unsure of itself this film feels. I’m not sure it knows exactly what it wants to be and tries to touch on traits from a ton of genre staples with limited success.

Lure will immediately remind you of much better movies and that is a big problem because it magnifies the biggest issue of all.

It’s just really dull

Above all else, Lure is just an incredibly dull movie. It only clocks in at just over ninety minutes but it feels like two and a half hours. The formula quickly sinks into repetition and the stakes are never really raised enough to reignite any interest you might have had early on.

“Fans of the aforementioned Truth or Dare and Would You Rather might find something to enjoy but there just isn’t enough to recommend to all horror fans.”

The gore doesn’t look great, the violence is lacking in imagination and visceral nastiness, Islay’s tormenting starts to get old by the midway point, the guys aren’t well developed enough for you to really invest in them beyond basic human empathy, and the movie begins recycling its own mechanics very quickly.

It doesn’t help that the script is poor. It’s very padded and, to be honest, pretty laughable in parts.

It’s a shame because there is some technical competence here, a brilliant lead performance by Silvia Presente, and a concept that, despite being derivative, offers promise. It just never comes together.

Fans of the aforementioned Truth or Dare and Would You Rather might find something to enjoy but there just isn’t enough to recommend to all horror fans.

Our Scoring Philosophy: A Fair Fight

Horror is a genre that thrives thanks to indie film makers and low budget creators. At Knockout Horror, we firmly believe that every movie that we review deserves a fair fight. That's why we grade on a curve. Our star ratings are all about context, judging a film on what it achieves with the resources it has.

A 4-star rating for a scrappy indie horror made for $10,000 is a testament to its ingenuity and raw power. A 4-star rating for a $100 million blockbuster means it delivered on its epic promises. We don't compare them side-by-side; we celebrate success in every weight class, from the back-alley brawler to the heavyweight champion. Please keep this in mind when considering star ratings.