August 2021 Horror Movie Releases
6:45
August 6 (theater – limited)
Interest: Mild
This Groundhog’s-Day style thriller follows a couple as they try to save their failing relationship by vacationing in a small island resort, only to be murdered over and over as the same day repeats. This type of time loop scenario can often be a lot of fun, and the trailer looks pretty good. The movie is getting a limited release at Regal Theaters, but hopefully it will hit VOD sometime soon afterward.
John and the Hole
August 6 (theater & VOD)
Interest: Mild
Charlie Shotwell (Eli) stars as John, a boy who traps his family in a hole in the ground in what is described as a coming-of-age psychological thriller. I like some of the cast (Michael C. Hall, Taissa Farmiga), and the trailer is intriguing. The “darkly comic” quote in the trailer gives me a bit of pause, but the rest of the quotes all say it’s dark and disturbing, so hopefully the movie goes for more of the latter and less of the former.
The Last Matinee
August 6 (theater – limited); August 24 (VOD)
Interest: Moderate
The sparse audience attending the final horror movie screened at a small theater is stalked and killed by a mysterious murderer. The trailer gave me some strong Demons (1985) vibes at first, but with a single human killer, I bet it won’t be as bonkers as that. Still, a slasher set in a movie theater falls directly in line with my interests, so I’ll definitely be looking for a way to check this out.
Don’t Breathe 2
August 13 (theater)
Interest: Moderate
The first Don’t Breathe is great, so I’m hoping for more of the same here. It does feel a bit odd that Nordstrom (Stephen Lang) seems like the hero of the movie despite the secrets revealed about him in the first film, but I expect his heroism might not be maintained throughout part 2.
Howling Village
August 13 (theater – limited); August 17 (VOD)
Interest: High
Takashi Shimizu (Ju-On/The Grudge series) is back with another horror flick! The movie came out in Japan a couple of years ago, but it’s finally getting a U.S. release in August of 2021! A young psychologist, Kanade (Ayaka Miyoshi) investigates the disappearance of her brother in cursed site known as the “Howling Village.” The trailer looks like some classic J-Horror, so I’m already invested. This is a must-watch for me.
Demonic
August 20 (theater & VOD)
Interest: Moderate
Neil Blomkamp is back with his first feature since Chappie. I thought Chappie was pretty good, though I wanted it to be better. To me, Blomkamp has some great ideas and creates some great visuals, but I can never get into his movies as much as I want to. That said, Demonic might have the most potential for me personally since it looks like it’s more of a horror movie than high-concept sci-fi he’s done previously.
The trailer makes it look like some sort of demon possession via virtual reality film? I’m not exactly sure, but it looks like it could have some great visuals and some mind-bending psychological horror. I’m hoping for the best.
The Night House
August 20 (theater)
Interest: High
Rebecca Hall stars as a woman who tries to uncover the mystery of her husband’s death and unravels a dark and disturbing mystery. I’m unclear about any more specifics than that, but this seems like the type of movie where the less you know going into it the better the experience will be. I’ve been looking forward to this for a while now.
Behemoth
August 27 (theater – limited)
Interest: Mild
This is listed as “Coming Soon” on the Level 33 Entertainment site, but I’ve found a few places that say it’s being released on August 27. I would assume a very limited release before VOD, though the information out there doesn’t seem too reliable. Regardless, the trailer has some fun and wacky monster stuff in it, so I’d be interested in checking it out.
Candyman
August 27 (theater)
Interest: High
The original Candyman is a standout, scary horror movie from a time (the early 1990s) when a lot of horror was starting to get pretty silly. This new version looks great. Scary, bloody, and visually interesting. It’s definitely one I’m going to try to see opening weekend.
The movie is about an artist, Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) who becomes interested the local urban legend of Candyman and digs a little too deeply into the true story behind it. The movie is directed and co-written by Nia DaCosta, and it’s produced and co-written by Jordan Peele.
Official site: https://www.candymanmovie.com/
