The summer of scares is truly heating up. July's release schedule was bursting at the seams, and August is shaping up to be just as hair-raising, with a horde of horrifying new titles competing for space in your nightmares.
After setting sail on The Last Voyage of the Demeter, why not travel a little further? From Spain to South Korea and everywhere in between, here are ten international horror films and series you can catch this August.
1. Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead (Japan)
You know those days when you'd rather experience a zombie outbreak than go to work? Akira (Eiji Akaso) gets his wish in Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead, director Yûsuke Ishida's live-action adaption of the hit manga of the same name.
The Japanese horror-comedy sees Akira and friends fighting to cross off all the items on Akira's bucket list before he kicks said bucket. Did I mention there's a zombie shark? Because yeah, there's a freaking zombie shark, and you can see it for yourself on Netflix as of August 3.
2. Meg 2: The Trench (US/China)
Speaking of sharks, Meg 2: The Trench swims into theaters on August 4. While the 2018 original may have been a little toothless from a scare perspective, the sequel certainly caught horror fans' attention when it tapped Ben Wheatley (A Field in England, Kill List) to direct.
With a monstrous new underwater foe to contend with, martial arts legend Wu Jing joining the cast, and more Jason Statham to keep your mother happy, Meg 2: The Trench looks like the snappy summer blockbuster we need to weather the Barbenheimer hangover. You can also expect some stunning location shots because the US-China co-production headed to Thailand and Hong Kong and London's Leavesden Studios, but that's less glamorous).
3. The Thing Behind the Door (France)
Knock, knock. Better think twice about opening, because director Fabrice Blin's The Thing Behind the Door is bringing something unspeakable to VOD platforms on August 8.
Pitched as a "Lovecraftian creature feature," the film follows Adèle (Séverine Ferrer), a young woman struggling to cope with the loss of her husband during the First World War. Haunted by visions of him in her dreams, she turns to black magic to bring him back to life. Of course, that's rarely the recipe for a happily-ever-after, and what Adèle resuscitates is… perhaps not marriage material.
4. Wolfkin (Luxembourg/Belgium)
Family drama meets body horror in Wolfkin, a new werewolf flick from director Jacques Molitor said to have strong practical effects.
In the film, single mother Elaine (Louise Manteau) takes her son, Martin (Victor Dieu), to visit his late father's estranged family in small-town Luxembourg after he begins exhibiting some strange, aggressive behavior. But the family is hiding a dark secret, and when Elaine realizes what Martin may become, she's soon fighting for her son's future. Beware the moon when Wolfkin arrives on DVD and Digital platforms on August 8.
5. Zombieverse (South Korea)
Imagine signing up to take part in a reality dating show and finding yourself thrust into a full-blown survival horror game instead. That's the premise of Zombieverse, an unscripted South Korean series shuffling onto Netflix on August 8.
Over the course of three days, the ten-member cast of Zombieverse is tasked with escaping zombie-infested Seoul without getting bit. Between the relentless onslaught of "undead" foes and the scheming of their fellow contestants, there's sure to be blood… though hopefully, that part isn't real.
6. The Communion Girl (Spain)
Let's take a trip to 1980s Spain next with director Víctor Garcia's The Communion Girl, which centers around one of horror's favorite subjects: a very creepy doll.
Sara (Carla Campra) is a newcomer struggling to fit in with the tight-knit community of Tarragona. To make matters worse, a night out with her best friend ends in an ancient curse when Sara sees a girl dressed for her first communion running across the road carrying—you guessed it—a creepy old doll. Find out what the doll's deal is when The Communion Girl debuts on Shudder on August 11.
7. Belle (Iceland)
It's a tale as old as time, but prepare to see Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve's 1740 fairy tale Beauty and the Beast as you've never seen it before in Belle, a new horror adaptation hailing from Iceland.
Written and directed by Max Gold, Belle sees the titular protagonist surrendering herself to a vicious beast in return for a mythical rose that may save her ailing father's life. Now she must battle the beast's spell—and the toxic relationships in her life. Belle played in select theaters last month, but if you missed it, you can pluck this rose On Demand from August 22.
8. Subject (Australia)
Prison or a shadowy government experiment? That's the choice presented to Willem (Stephen Phillips) in director Tristan Barr's Subject, coming to SCREAMBOX on August 22.
The Australian mind-bender explores what happens after Willem, electing for the isolation experiment, starts to question whether he's really alone. The trailer hints at the presence of some sinister creature—but is it all in Willem's mind?
9. The Dive (Germany)
Sometimes, it's just safer to stay on dry land. Two divers find that out the hard way when a catastrophic landslide traps one of them 28 meters below the surface in The Dive, arriving in theaters and on VOD and Digital platforms on August 25.
The Dive was based on the 2020 Scandi survival thriller Breaking Surface from filmmaker Joachim Hedén, who co-wrote the script for the English-language re-imagining with its director, Maximilian Erlenwein. While the water at least looks warmer in this version, it may be enough to put you off a deep-sea diving holiday for the foreseeable future.
10. Haunting of the Queen Mary (US/UK)
Pack your sea legs because Haunting of the Queen Mary docks in theaters and On Demand platforms on August 18—and you'll want all your wits about you for this voyage!
Filmed on location on the infamously haunted RMS Queen Mary ocean liner, the movie tells the story of one family's mysterious and violent experiences on the ship on Halloween night, 1938, and their interwoven destiny with another family in the present day. Dracula Untold director Gary Shore is at the helm, and the trailer is giving serious The Shining vibes. All aboard… forever… and ever… and ever…
That's it for August! Enjoy your trip, and check back for an all-new round-the-world horror itinerary next month.
