MONTH IN REVIEW: AUGUST 2025

It's not always easy to keep track of the world of horror day-to-day. So here's a round up of what's happened last month and a glimpse of what we can expect in the coming weeks...

Well, that’s that then. Summer is done. Over. Put the suntan cream and shorts away and dig out the blankets and thermal socks. Like many, I’m always a bit down about the fact that the long sunny days and wearing just a t-shirt for 90 days in a row will soon be a distant memory. But there is something quite comforting about autumn and from a horror perspective, as soon as September begins, let’s face it – it feels like a countdown to Halloween. The supermarkets will soon be full of decorations and sweets and kids’ costumes and that’s cool. It’s all a bit more chilled out and less frantic than Christmas. Partly because you haven’t got to buy presents for 27 people. Autumn is also where traditionally, things kick up a gear from a horror perspective. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves! We’re here to talk about what went down in August but to be honest, it was a bit of a quiet month so this will be a bit shorter than normal.

In terms of horror releases, there weren’t many. Streaming platforms were disappointingly void of new releases – including Shudder, which here in the UK, we constantly seem to get a short thrift in comparison to what US audiences get access to. We did get three cinema releases though, which sort of saved the day. The first of these, Weapons, was undoubtedly the biggest and best. In terms of numbers it’s done exceptionally well. Longlegs was last year’s summer horror surprise and took in an impressive $129m at the box office. Well Weapons has taken over $220m so far, which is quite amazing. Director Zach Cregger’s debut, Barbarian, was a bit of a sleeper hit back in 2023 but Weapons has taken over four times as much money. At a time when cinemas are struggling, it’s a positive reminder that audiences are still willing to turn out for strange, medium-budget genre films. But was it any good? Yes, it was. Like Barbarian, it is an intriguing mix of horror, dark comedy and drama and it plays around with the narrative too. It’s perhaps not quite as scary as some people would like, but there are several standout scenes that will live long in the memory. It’s a shame that Together, starring Dave Franco and real-life missus Alison Brie didn’t perform quite so well, with a modest $28m take at the box office. It came to cinemas off the back of a bit of hype from festival screenings but the marketing and concept of the film obviously hasn’t quite connected with general audiences. Now I know that a relationship body-horror starring Dave Franco might not be everyone’s idea of a good time at the cinema – and it’s not as good as Weapons either. But it is actually very watchable and perfectly entertaining. Even Dave Franco is ok…

Finally, and most recently, we have Macon Blair’s reboot of The Toxic Avenger. Although it’s got a much bigger budget and a much stronger cast, it still retains the gonzo charms of the original. It’s just as crude and gory too, although it might be a bit too abrasive for some. It’s nothing special but if you like your superhero movies a bit rough around the edges and covered in viscera then you might get something out of it.

Thankfully, September looks like a more abundant month. Kicking things off is the final instalment of The Conjuring franchise, The Last Rites. The original Conjuring (2012) is probably one of the most successful horror films of the 21^st century and whilst its two sequels (The Conjuring II and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It) aren’t half as good, they’re still satisfyingly spooky. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson are always good value and at 135 minutes, we can expect an epic conclusion to the Warren’s ghosthunting journey. That’s out on the 5^th and then on the 12^th we get The Long Walk, directed by Francis Lawrence (The Hunger Games) and based on a novel by Stephen King. Set in a dystopian United States ruled by a totalitarian regime (so, present day basically), it’s about a group of young men who enter a walking contest where they must maintain a speed of at least 3mph or face death. The contest ends when there’s only one contestant left. The book is pretty grim and we’re expecting this adaptation to be a bit brutal too. On the 19^th, Him, produced by Jordan Peele is released. The plot is a little mysterious but centres on a promising young footballer (Tyriq Withers) who is invited to train at an isolated compound owned by a legendary quarterback (and one of his childhood heroes). But he soon discovers that the quest for greatness comes at a terrifying cost. Feels like it might be a bit Don’t Blink if you ask us. Just hopefully a little better.Then on the 23^rd we get a couple of releases (at selected cinemas). Sackface and co return once again for the second instalment of (the wildly unnecessary) reboot of The Strangers. The Strangers: Chapter 1 was a dud. It took half the money the 2008 original did and more importantly, kinda sucked. There’s probably not much appetite for a sequel but hey, surely it has to be better than its predecessor, right? On the same say, Dead of Winter is released and although it looks more like a tense thriller, it feels genre adjacent at the very least. Emma Thompson plays a grieving widow who gets lost in the backroads of Minnesota. She finds a remote cabin and inside, a woman being held hostage. Everything obviously gets a bit fraught after that as you can imagine!

Aside from the cinema releases, there are a few notable features arriving on streaming this month. Tomb Watcher lands on Netflix on the 4th. This Thai horror follows a man and his lover who must spend 100 days in a remote villa with the preserved corpse of his recently deceased (and wealthy) wife in order to claim her inheritance. Honestly… just walk away. Nothing good ever comes from that kind of setup. Also out on Netflix the same day is the wonderfully titled Strange Frequencies: Taiwan Killer Hospital, a Philippine horror film inspired by the Korean found footage cult hit Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum. Meanwhile, Shudder finally brings us a new original: Night of the Reaper. A college student, a last-minute babysitting gig, a 1980s setting, and a serial killer on the loose - what’s not to love?

It’s not been the busiest week news wise, but here are some things that happened. Or were reported at least…

• John Krasinski will be back behind the camera for A Quiet Place: Part III. There have been three Quiet Place movies to date (including the spinoff) and the franchise has raked in $900m so far. No wonder another one is on the cards. Although it’s not official, it’s believed Emily Blunt will return too.

• The second season of The Creep Tapes will premiere at some point this autumn. The first season was a hit for AMC+ and Shudder and it’ll be good to see Mark Duplass do his thing again. I can understand the franchise’s unique brand of cringe inducing horror isn’t to everyone’s taste but I sort of love it.

• The Institute, the TV adaptation of Stephen King’s 2019 novel of the same name starring Ben Barnes has been renewed for a second season after the first season performed pretty well.

• Nicolas Cage is in talks to star in season 5 of True Detective. The crime anthology series has notably always had at least one big name star in each season, with Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Colin Farrell, Rachel Adams, Mahershala Ali and most recently, Jodie Foster all playing leading characters. Plot details have not been revealed but rumours are that it’ll be set in Jamaica Bay, New York. Issa Lopez will once again direct.

• The trailer was released for the Halloween video game, which will be released on PS5, Xbox series X and S and PC. You can either play as Michael, hunting down Haddonfield residents or you can be a civilian, trying to survive the night and save potential victims. It looks pretty awesome!

• We mentioned earlier that Weapons has been a major hit, and now talk of a follow-up is already gaining traction. Warner Bros. and New Line are reportedly in discussions with director Zach Cregger about a potential prequel. We won’t spoil which character it might centre around… but if you know, you know.

• Disney+ has officially pulled the plug on Goosebumps after two seasons. The horror anthology performed decently and we enjoyed both seasons, but there’s a glimmer of hope: Sony is reportedly looking for a new platform to keep the show alive for a potential third season.

August also delivered a solid batch of trailers:

Scared Shitless - stars Steven Ogg as a plumber who, along with his germophobic son, are forced to get their hands dirty to save the residents of an apartment block when a genetically engineered blood-thirsty creature escapes into the plumbing system.

Good Boy is a supernatural horror told entirely from the perspective of a dog. Yes, really. Sounds amazing, right? Now I just want a reimagining of Alien from the perspective of Jonesy the cat.

The Rage - where a rabies epidemic causes ferocious wolves and bears to attack, forcing a desperate father to save his son from an isolated hunting lodge. I mean, if they were out hunting, I’m on the side of the rabid animals to be honest…

Cold Storage follows two young workers at a sealed facility who must survive a terrifying night shift when a highly contagious, mutated fungus breaks loose. It looks fun—and boasts a solid cast: Liam Neeson, Georgina Campbell, and Joe Keery.

Shelby Oaks - where a woman still searching for her long-list sister begins to suspect that the imaginary demon from their childhood might actually be real. Looks like this one could be quite creepy!

Do Not Enter centres on a group of urban explorers who investigate an abandoned hotel (because that always ends well) and quickly find themselves up against a supernatural force (of course).

So there you go. That’s actually quite a long post isn’t it? Ah well. Enjoy what promises to be a fairly busy few weeks. This time next month it’ll all be about the countdown to Halloween. Eek!!