MONTH IN REVIEW: AUGUST 2026

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...

The drought is over! We've finally had some rain! And we also had a shower of new releases to enjoy in August. It's just a shame that most of them weren't anything to shout about...

August kicked off with Eli Roth's Ice Cream Man – a film about a creepy Ice Cream Man, whose sweet treats cause the kids in a picturesque small US town to start offing the adults. Hmmm, yeah. So this has been getting some pretty awful reviews across the board (a 1.4 rating on Letterboxd!) and early negative reviews will have undoubtedly affected ticket sales (it's only taken $5m). The use of generative AI hasn't helped its cause either. Although we didn't hate it quite as much as others, it's still pretty bad and is probably Roth's worst film to date. It's messy and lazy and unsatisfying. Dude, just get back on to the Thanksgiving sequel. Because this slush is not impressing anyone. On the same day (7^th), The Last House arrived on Netflix. The concept is intriguing. During a storm, a family become sealed inside their own home with no way out and must work together to survive against a mysterious looming threat that is keeping them trapped. Sounds cool, right? Unfortunately the film kinda sucks. The tone is inconsistent, the characters are dull and the ending is a total cop out. There are a couple of genuinely creepy shots and sequences, but it's not enough to recommend it.

A week later, The End of Oak Street arrived in cinemas. Now, a release for this film has been mooted for what feels like three years, so it's a relief to finally actually see the bloody thing! Produced by J.J. Abrams and directed by David Robert Mitchell (It Follows), the plot is pure Twilight Zone nonsense. A family bands together to navigate their new surroundings after a cosmic event transports their neighbourhood to another place and time. This has provoked some quite extreme reactions from cinemagoers - people either seem to really like it, or they loathe it. We enjoyed it quite a lot. It's got some good dino action and some genuinely shocking moments for a 12A. Its tonal shifts won't endear it to everyone (obviously) and the ending is a bit naff, but there's a lot to like. It's made its money back in ticket sales but is still yet to smash the $100m mark.

On Shudder, Hellcat was released on the 14th. Brock Bodell's debut feature sees a woman waking up in the back of a camper trailer, with no idea how she got there and a nasty gash on her arm. Through an intercom, the mysterious driver tells her that she's been infected by something and that if she doesn't get to a doctor within the hour, something really bad is going to happen. The first hour of this is an effective, tightly wound little single-location thriller, but the further it goes on and the more answers it provides, the less satisfying it becomes.

On the 21st, we got the biggest genre release of the month – the sixth Insidious film, titled Insidious: Out of the Further. The plot is your usual load of Insidious fare; a small kid goes into the Further, only to realise that entities can follow her back into the real world. You know the deal. A lot of critics haven't been kind to this, and there are horror fans who are quite sniffy about this franchise. But as far as these types of glossy, big-budget horrors go, it gets it mostly right. It's not a classic, but there are some great sequences (the pillow fort!) and it will play well with mainstream audiences. It's taken nearly $70m in its first week too, which is quite impressive.

And finally, we have Penny Lane is Dead, which arrived on Shudder on the 28th. Set during a scorching Australian summer in the 1980s, three friends celebrate the end of school at a beach house, but things take a horrible turn when a prank goes wrong. This feels like one of those nasty exploitation flicks we got back in the 1970s, but with a side order of very black comedy. It's actually very good right up until the end, when it sort of shits the bed. There's some genuinely grim and affecting stuff in here, and the tonal shift at the end undermines most of it.

Looking ahead to September, there are a few things to keep your eyes out for.

On the 2nd, Leviticus arrives on the big screen. This Oz horror has already been released in the US and the critical reception has been almost universally positive (it currently holds a 92% rating on RT). It's about two teenage boys who try to escape a violent entity that takes the form of the person they desire the most. Which, in this case, is each other. We've actually already seen this and are pleased to report that it's excellent. It's been compared to It Follows and, whilst it's not quite as ominous and scary as that, it's haunting and packs an emotional punch. Go see it.

Scary Movie 6 comes to Paramount+ on the 3rd. Critics didn't like it, most cinemagoers did. If you liked the others, you'll probably enjoy it. On the 4th, Parasomnia lands on Shudder. It's about a young woman tormented by night terrors who begins to suspect that the demonic figure from her dreams has crossed over into the real world. Very early reviews indicate this might have some serious scare potential (yay!). Out the same day on VOD is Dark Hollow, an Appalachian creature feature about a monster that comes out of a coal mine after a partial collapse. Looks like a fun (and bloody) little creature feature.

A week later, the third season of The Creep Tapes comes to Shudder. This spinoff of the Creep movies (starring Mark Duplass) has been as weird and deranged as you'd expect. The mix of ultra-black comedy and brutality isn't for everyone, but we kinda love it. For something a bit more lighthearted, the second season ofStranger Things: Tales from '85 will hit Netflix on the 17th. There's nothing particularly outstanding about this animated spin-off, but the first season did deliver a bit of fun and nostalgia. Perfect for younger viewers especially.

On the 18th, Goody Goody is released on Shudder. A home birth goes horribly wrong when complications arise during a raging blizzard. Sounds deliciously claustrophobic.The biggest release of the month is released on the big screen on the same day: Zach Cregger's Resident Evil. This big-budget reimagining of one of the biggest movie and video game properties ever (the films have grossed over a billion dollars) will hopefully be a step up in terms of quality from its predecessors. The fact that the director of Weapons and Barbarian is at the helm gives it a decent chance, at least. Plus, the trailer looks quite good...

A week later American Horror Story: 13 arrives on Disney+. If the Ryan Murphy brand of horror is your thing, then you'll be pleased. We gave up a few years ago after a particularly disappointing season, but hey, it might have improved at this point (has it?).

Korean monster movie Hope also gets a cinema release a week later. This Korean monster movie is about residents of a remote harbour town who find themselves in a desperate fight for survival when a mysterious discovery is made on the outskirts of town. This looks like it could be a chaotic, action-packed blockbuster. It's nearly three hours long though, so take some snacks with you.

Aside from that, there are a trio of excellent genre films coming to Prime; Obsession (18th), Backrooms (26th) and Hokum (28th). Obsession is also available on DVD from the 7th, as is André Øvredal's Passenger.

In terms of horror news, here's what August threw up...

We'll start with the sad news.

We lost a few people in August unfortunately:

Reggie Bannister (aged 80) – best know for playing Reggie, ice cream vendor turned hero in the Phantasm franchise.

Hayden Panettiere (aged 36) – who played Kirby in two Scream movies.

Screaming Mad George (aged 69) – Japanese special effects artist and director best known for his work on films such as Society (1989), Predator (1987) and Big Trouble in Little China (1986).

Tim Curry (aged 80) – best known to horror fans for his iconic portrayal of Pennywise in the Stephen King's IT miniseries (1990)

Dan Stevens has officially been cast as Alex Murphy/Robocop in Prime Video's upcoming live action TV series. The eight-episode series is being written by Peter Ocko (Lodge 49). James Wan's Atomic Monster and Blumhouse will produce.

HBO have greenlit a second season of IT prequel series, IT: Welcome to Derry. Set for a 2027 release, the new season will jump back 27 years from the first season and will be set in the midst of the Great Depression.

Parker Finn's remake of Possession has been given a release date; June 11^th, 2027. Margaret Qualley and Callum Turner will play the lead roles, originally played by Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill.

Mason Gooding and Emily Rudd will lead the cast of Paramount's upcoming horror sequel, Crawl 2. Alexandre Aja is returning to direct the new film, which shifts the alligator-survival setting from a flooded Florida home to the streets and sewers of New York City.

A Leprechaun horror movie is officially in development at Lionsgate, with horror veterans Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan writing the screenplay. No, Jennifer Aniston won't be returning.

Warhammer 40,000 series is in active development at Amazon Prime Video with Henry Cavill attached as the star and executive producer. Mike Flanagan will produce and write the script.

A sequel to Jurassic World: Rebirth has been officially confirmed. Filming will begin next year. Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey and Mahershala Ali will return. Director Gareth Edwards will not.

There's going to be a second new Elm Street movie! Fresh off the news that Paramount and the Craven estate are going ahead with a new movie based on Wes Craven's original script, it turns out that New Line/Warner Bros - who hold the international rights to the franchise - are going to make their own Elm Street film! Lee Cronin is set to direct.

Trailer wise, there were a clutch of new ones to whet our appetites for the rest of the year;

Violent Night 2: Stuck on the naughty list after forgetting the true meaning of Christmas, Santa tries to save a local mall from a ruthless gangster and his squad of goons. This looks utterly daft, but should be fun.

Family: Summer, 2002. Watching her sick father decline, 11-year-old Johanna makes a call for a good spirit to save him. But something else comes instead. Ruth Wilson looks terrifying.

Breeder: An eccentric poodle breeder lures a broke college student to her remote ranch with the promise of research funding, but he soon learns there's a catch.

Never After Dark: A traveling psychic who helps lost souls cross over encounters a powerful entity at a remote house.

Pendulum: A couple, journeys to a retreat in New Mexico seeking healing. Patrick grows skeptical of the retreat's leader as Abigail falls under her influence. They wonder if the group's practices offer genuine healing or conceal a terrifying truth.

That's your lot! The next one of these will be at the very end of September – spooky season will be just around the corner!