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Over 20 New Horror Movies and Shows Releasing in August 2021!

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Pictured: 'Don't Breathe 2'

Autumn may be around the corner, but the summer isn’t going to end without a bang. August is packing a great variety of horror, covering every nightmare one can imagine.

When a journalist returns to her ancestral home to research a story, a group of locals capture her and accuse her of being the devil. Will she escape? Why have these locals assumed that she is the devil? You’ll have to watch The Old Ways to find out when it releases on August 5th via Netflix.

Ever been bitten by a strange creature and then start to have your body change in unsettling ways? No? Lucky you then. That scenario however is the cursed fate of our protagonist in Teddy, releasing on Shudder August 5th

As we get older, rebellion is a natural part of life. We hang out with our friends more, stay out later, dig a hole and trap our family in there (wait what?). Well the latter is more so in John’s case. A psychological thriller that also acts as a coming-of-age story, John And The Hole follows the titular thirteen year old having some… minor issues with his family. You can find the film On Demand and in theatres August 6th.

‘The Last Matinee’

Bloody Disgusting once again joins forces with Dark Star Pictures to bring you a new film of chilling delight! The Last Matinee centers around a group of people catching the last showing of a horror movie in a small town theatre; but these moviegoers won’t get to enjoy their popcorn in peace with a murderer on the loose. This Neo-Giallo slasher looks to thrill viewers with extravagant and brutal violence, all while delivering an intriguing setting and atmosphere. The Last Matinee arrives in cinemas August 6th (on Digital HD and VOD August 24th). 

Also on August 6th, Netflix unleashes a bloodsucking locusts in the French horror movie The Swarm, wherein a mother raising locusts realizes they have a taste for human blood.

Some folks have trust issues that cause barriers in their relationships. For one young woman who is staying in an isolated cabin, she starts to believe her best friend is stealing her blood. I’m sure things will work out between them just swell. Bleed With Me arrives on Shudder August 10th.

The slasher series is back with brand new fourth season “Slasher: Flesh & Blood,” coming to Shudder on August 12th. The new season follows a wealthy but dysfunctional family gathering for a reunion on a secluded island. Their old wounds and competitive rivalries flare up when the family realizes a masked killer is on the island, intent on cruelly picking them off one by one.

From Cinedigm and Fathom Events, The Stairs is coming to select theaters for one night only on August 12th, with John Schneider (The Dukes of Hazzard) and Academy Award® nominee Kathleen Quinlan (Apollo 13) leading the cast. “In 1997, a young boy is out hunting with his grandfather when he stumbles upon a mysterious staircase deep in the forest. The subsequent disappearance leaves locals baffled as to the fate of the wayward pair. Twenty years later, a group of hikers set off on an ambitious trail, taking them deep into a secluded stretch of woods.”

‘Brand New Cherry Flavor’

Taking place in the ‘90s of Los Angeles, Lisa is an aspiring film director. When a horrible act is done, she sets out on a path for revenge – though, that revenge comes with a supernatural twist. The psychological madness of Brand New Cherry Flavor begins August 13th via Netflix.

Stephen Lang’s Blind Man comes back to theaters on Friday, August 13th, with Don’t Breathe 2 continuing the character’s storyline. He has been hiding out for years in an isolated cabin and has taken in and raised a young girl orphaned from a house fire, but when a group of home invaders shows up, it’s back to business as usual for the Blind Man.

The new movie from Ju-on director Takashi Shimizu, Howling Village will also release on August 13th, coming to select theaters ahead of an On Demand release on August 17th. In Howling Village, “After her brother goes missing, Kanade, a young psychologist visits his last known location, an infamous haunted and cursed site known as ‘Howling Village’ to investigate his disappearance. Her investigation reveals that the village’s mysteries are connected to her family and works to uncover her family’s dark history.”

With visions of a woman in black appearing to her, a woman finds herself driven to kill. Taking her blade into the night, she plunges it into her victims, satiating its need for blood. Girl With A Straight Razor is out August 17th via Blu-Ray, DVD, and VOD.

‘Demonic’

Neil Blomkamp of District 9 and Elysium returns with his next feature, Demonic. A young woman seeks to understand unsettling details about her distant mother by entering a simulation – only to accidently unleash horrifying demons. Demonic not only looks to be another venture into Blomkamp’s sci-fi genius, but an unnerving work of horror. The film releases in theatres August 20th, as well as on Digital and VOD.

A woman relives the trauma of her past when a serial killer – who happened to have kidnapped her as a child – escapes prison. It is only a matter of time until the killer finds The Girl Who Got Away. This tense thriller makes its way onto VOD and in theatres August 20th.

After a meteor strikes a small town, the environment turns on its inhabitants, killing anyone who dares walk upon the land. That said, it appears the townsfolk don’t stay permanently dead. Risen arrives on VOD August 20th.

Horror fans can also enter The Night House on August 20, with David Bruckner’s new movie coming to theaters nationwide. The Night House follows a widow (Rebecca Hall) who begins to uncover her recently deceased husband’s disturbing secrets, and it was written by Ben Collins & Luke Piotrowski (Super Dark Times, Hellraiser, SiREN).

‘The Night House’

Based on the short story Jerusalem’s Lot by Stephen King, Chapelwaite features Adrian Brody in a chilling mystery drama. After losing his wife, a captain takes his family to a small Maine town where they find themselves threatened by a presence not of this world. You can find the show on Epix starting August 22nd.

Also on August 22nd, AMC kicks off the eleventh and final season of “The Walking Dead.” The long-running series will be ending with an expanded two-year eleventh season that will span 24 episodes, bringing the hit zombie series to an end sometime in 2022.

Ahead of the second season, anime film The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf comes to Netflix on August 23rd. “Before Geralt, there was his mentor Vesemir — a swashbuckling young witcher who escaped a life of poverty to slay monsters for coins. But when a strange new monster begins terrorizing a politically fraught kingdom, Vesemir finds himself on a frightening adventure that forces him to confront the demons of his past.”

American Horror Story: Double Feature looks to spice up the formula for the series, offering its story in two parts. Part one is titled Red Tide, with Part two titled Death Valley. The recent trailer provides some hints as to what to expect – shark people and aliens it seems – but not much as far as actual plot details. That said, the two-part concept as separate creature features looks intriguing as hell! The show kicks off August 25th on FX (each episode to then appear on Hulu the following day).

“American Horror Story: Double Feature”

The next day, Shudder unleashes new original body-horror movie Mosquito State on August 26th. “Isolated in his austere penthouse overlooking Central Park, obsessive Wall Street data analyst Richard Boca (Beau Knapp) sees ominous patterns: His computer models are behaving erratically, as are the swarms of mosquitos breeding in his apartment, an infestation that attends his psychological meltdown.”

One man must go through absolute hell to save his terminally ill daughter. Vicious self-mutilation, hitmen and demonic forces make for the horrors that audiences will experience in Behemoth when it hits Digital August 27th.

And of course, the month of horror ends on a high note with Nia DaCosta’s Candyman, finally coming to theaters on August 27th. This “spiritual sequel” to the original classic was co-written by Jordan Peele, and it’s set to give rise to a whole new Candyman. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Aquaman) stars in the new movie as Anthony McCoy (that name should sound familiar to fans of the original classic, we’ll say that much), who investigates the legend of Candyman and seems to find himself becoming the latest central figure in the mythology.

‘Candyman’

Michael Pementel is a pop culture critic at Bloody Disgusting, primarily covering video games and anime. He writes about music for other publications, and is the creator of Bloody Disgusting's "Anime Horrors" column.

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The 10 Scariest Moments in the ‘Ghostbusters’ Movie Franchise

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scariest Ghostbusters

WARNING: The following contains mild spoilers for the Ghostbusters franchise. 

Yes, Ghostbusters is a horror movie – gateway horror to be exact. Setting aside the fact that the title literally contains the word “ghost,” a foundational element of the scariest genre, the franchise follows a group of paranormal researchers who battle entities attacking from beyond the grave. After countless rewatches, the classic films and newer sequels may not scare us much anymore, but how many times have we as genre fans asserted that a film does not have to be “scary” to be considered horror?

Genre classification is nebulous and any film that centers on ghosts has a place in the sprawling house of horror. Yes, it’s true that most viewers over the age of thirteen will find more to laugh about than scream while watching a Ghostbusters film, but each entry contains a handful of terrifying moments. With Gil Kenan’s Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire uniting three generations of the parascientific warriors, perhaps it’s time to highlight the most frightening moments from each phase of this legendary franchise. 


Ghostbusters (1984)

A Haunted Library

scariest Ghostbusters movie

Ivan Reitman’s original film begins with a campfire tale come to life. We follow an unsuspecting librarian as she ventures deep into the stacks to reshelve a book. With her hair blowing from a spectral breeze, we watch a hardcover float across the aisle to the opposite shelf. A second book follows, but the librarian remains unaware. She finally notices the disturbance when card catalog drawers open on their own spewing cards into the air like literary geysers. She flees through the maze of narrow stacks only to come face to face with a mysterious force who blows her back with a powerful roar. We won’t see the Library Ghost (Ruth Oliver) until a later scene, but this introduction firmly positions the film that follows in the world of horror. On first watch, we can only speculate as to the ghost’s malevolence and whether or not the librarian has survived the encounter. It’s the perfect introduction to a world in which ghosts are not only real, they will pounce on unsuspecting humans at the drop of a … book. 

Shaky Ground

The original finale may not be the film’s most terrifying moment, but it has become the franchise’s most iconic image. When faced with choosing a form for Gozer (Slavitza Jovan), Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) inadvertently conjures up an image from his childhood. Moments later, a set of once-cheery eyes peer through the skyscrapers. The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man towers over the city, stomping and destroying everything in its path. While there’s definitely something terrifying about a jovial mascot turned deadly killer, what happens moments before is arguably scarier. 

The Ghostbusters arrive at the luxury apartment building to throngs of adoring fans. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) plays into this hero-worship and promises an easy solution to a supernatural problem. But before they can enter the building, lightning strikes the upper floors sending massive chunks of brick and cement raining down on the barricaded street. The ground begins to shake and a giant fissure swallows the entire team. It’s a destabilizing moment made all the more terrifying by its shocking reality. Speculation about the existence of ghosts may vary from person to person, but there’s no doubt that sinkholes are very real. It’s entirely possible that the ground we’re standing on right now could spontaneously begin to crumble, sucking us down into a seemingly bottomless void beneath the earth. 


Ghostbusters II (1989)

Runaway Baby

Ivan Reitman’s sequel begins with a sly update on the life of a beloved character as Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver) pushes a baby carriage containing her infant son Oscar (Henry and William Deutschendorf). When last we saw the attractive cellist, she was kissing Venkman in the wreckage of Gozer’s demise and the thought of this loveable lady’s man becoming a father may be more nerve-wracking than anything contained in the first film. We never learn much about Oscar’s real father, but we do discover that fate has a sinister plan for the adorable child. While Dana chats with her landlord, Oscar’s carriage rolls a few feet away. Dana reaches for the handle, but the buggy begins speeding down the sidewalk careening through the busy crowds. As if guided by unseen hands, the carriage twists and turns, then abruptly swerves into oncoming traffic. Cars honk and veer out of the way, but the racing carriage marks a collision course with an approaching bus. The wheels screech to a halt moments before what would surely be a deadly crash and Dana rushes to embrace her vulnerable child. This harrowing scene is likely to terrorize any parent who’s experienced the fear of trying to protect a baby in an unpredictable world.  

Sewer Screams

scariest Ghostbusters scene

While investigating the second film’s primary villain, Vigo the Carpathian (Wilhelm von Homburg), three of the Ghostbusters venture into the sewers hoping to find a growing river of slime. Ray, Winston (Ernie Hudson), and Egon (Harold Ramis) trek down an abandoned subway line while speculating about the hordes of cockroaches and rats they hear scurrying behind the walls. These vermin may be scary, but there are more malevolent monsters lurking in the dark. Ray and Egon both amuse themselves with the tunnel’s echo but Winston’s “hello” goes unanswered. Moments later, a demonic voice bellows his name from the dark end of the corridor. Waiting behind him is a severed head floating in the empty tunnel. As he tries to retreat, the team finds themselves surrounded by dozens of ghoulish heads that disappear faster than they materialized. Moments later, a ghostly train hurtles towards them, swallowing Winston in its spectral glow. Egon theorizes that something is trying to keep them from reaching their destination with effective scares designed to frighten the Ghostbusters and audience alike.  


Ghostbusters (2016)

Haunted Basement

Like its predecessor, Paul Feig’s remake opens with a spooky vignette. Garrett (Zach Woods) gives a tour of the Aldridge Mansion, a 19th century manor preserved in the middle of the busy city, and walks visitors through a troubling history of excess and cruelty. Hoping to inject a bit of excitement, he pauses near the basement door and tells the horrifying story of Gertrude Aldridge (Bess Rous), a wealthy heiress who murdered the house’s many servants. Hoping to avoid a public scandal, her family locked her in the basement and her restless spirit can still be heard trying to escape. Garrett triggers a trick candlestick to fly off the shelf, hinting at the spirit’s presence, but a late night incident shows that the deceased murderess may actually be lurking in her ancestral home. While closing up for the night, Garrett hears ominous noises from behind the barricaded door and watches the knob rattle against the heavy locks. An unseen attacker hurls him through the house and eventually drives him down the basement stairs to a sea of green slime pooling on the floor. The stairs crumble leaving the tour guide hanging on to the door frame for dear life as a spectral figure glides toward him with menacing hands outstretched. Once again, we won’t see the fully revealed ghost of Gertrude Aldridge until later in the film, but this terrifying opening sets the stage for a dangerous showdown with an army of the dead.

Mannequin On the Move

The scariest moment of the 2016 remake is arguably the vicious online hatred sparked well before the film’s release. In response to brutal comments posted to the first official trailer, the cast returned to film an additional scene in which they react to dehumanizing negativity. But another sequence may cut closer to the heart of this upsetting experience. The Ghostbusters respond to a call at a concert venue and split up to cover more ground. Patty (Leslie Jones) enters what she calls a “room full of nightmares” and immediately reverses course to avoid a multitude of mannequins stacked haphazardly in the dark. As she walks out the door, one of the faceless creatures turns its head her way. Walking on its own, this sentient prop follows her down the hall, pausing the moment she turns around. Eventually breaking cover, the mannequin chases Patty down the hall to the rest of the team. They unleash their proton packs and make quick work of the gargoyle-like ghost. Though this connection is surely unintentional, it’s a terrifying parallel to a faceless monster sneaking up to attack a woman simply trying to do her job. 


Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)

Smoke and Monsters

While Ghostbusters: Afterlife is nowhere near as scary as the horror films playing in the local summer school science class, Jason Reitman’s legacyquel does contain its share of frights. The film opens with a harrowing scene as we join Egon (Oliver Cooper) in the last moments of his life. Racing away from a sinister mountain, Egon’s truck collides with an unseen force and flips upside down in a field of corn. The elderly scientist races back to his crumbling farmhouse with a trap in hand, intent on ensnaring this invisible being. Unfortunately, the power fails and Egon has no choice but to hide the trap under the floorboards and wait. He sits in a comfortable old chair as a horrifying cloud of smoke drifts in behind him, momentarily forming the shape of a fanged beast. Demonic hands grab him from within the chair, likely causing the heart attack that will be listed on his death certificate. But his abandoned PKE meter below the chair activates, reminding us that Egon may be deceased, but he is far from gone.  

The Terror Returns

scariest Ghostbusters moments

Ghostbusters: Afterlife turns out to be a touching tribute to Harold Ramis as his friends and family unite to complete the beloved scientist’s heroic mission. In addition to a tearjerker ending, Reitman also includes a bevy of callbacks to the original film. Not only do the Spenglers square off against the team’s first enemy, Gozer (Emma Portner), the nonbinary entity brings back the Terror Dogs that once possessed Dana Barret and Louis Tully (Rick Moranis). These demonic beasts first rear their ugly heads while Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd) stops by Walmart to buy a midnight snack. While the horde of mini marshmallow men are eerie in their gleeful self-destruction, the ghostly canine that chases him through the store is the stuff of nightmares. Early iterations of this fearsome creature are hindered by ’80s-era special effects, but Reitman’s version feels frighteningly real. While Gary frantically tries to find his keys, this Terror Dog snarls at him from atop his car dashboard, leaving the endearing science teacher with no way to escape. 


Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024)

Frozen Dinner 

After a film set in a small mountain town, the opening of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire takes us back to New York circa 1904. We see the fire station in its early years as a horse-drawn carriage responds to a call. Arriving at the scene, a fireman tests the door for heat and watches in horror as his hand instantly freezes. Inside, they find jagged shards of ice surrounding and piercing a frozen dinner party. Guests are posed in various states of ice-covered surprise while an eerie record skips in the corner. A figure covered in brass armor we will come to know as a Fire Master is crouched in the corner clutching a mysterious orb. When the fireman touches this rippling sphere, the frozen diners’ heads begin to explode, an ominous precursor to the chilling threat awaiting the newest Ghostbusting team. 

Lights Out

If Ghostbusters: Afterlife featured the lo-fi gear of the 80s, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire hurls us into the future. Wealthy financier Winston Zeddemore has been surreptitiously building a new containment unit to relieve pressure on the original model along with a secret lab designed to study ghosts and haunted objects. In addition to fancy new gadgets and gear, this facility contains several captured spirits like a fanged Wraith and a speedy Possessor. Lab techs assure the astonished Spengler team that they are perfectly safe, but it seems they’ve overestimated the facility’s security. Lucky (Celeste O’Connor) and Lars (James Acaster) are studying the aforementioned orb when the power goes out, leaving them stranded in the dark with a cache of haunted objects. Not only does the ancient sphere hold a deadly spirit, the proton fields containing the captured ghosts have just been disabled. These terrifying creatures begin to drift through the walls toward the defenseless lab techs, perhaps at the bidding of an evil commander. Thankfully the generator kicks on in the nick of time, drawing the ghosts back into their cells. It’s a tense moment reminding us that no matter how charming the Ghostbusters may be, they still spend their days with evil spirits just waiting for an opportunity to wreak havoc.  


The Ghostbusters franchise excels at mixing humor and fear, practically setting the blueprint for the modern horror comedy. Moments from the original two films terrified a generation of gen-xers and elder millennials and newer iterations are currently scaring their kids. The fifth franchise installment effectively passes the proton pack torch to a new generation of Ghostbusters and we can only hope additional films will continue to induct future generations of Ghostbusters fans into the horror family as well. 

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is now playing in theaters. Read our review.

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