There is a lot of entertainment out there these days, and a lot of fantasy, sci-fi, and horror titles to parse through. So we’re rounding up the genre movies coming out each month.
August closes out the summer blockbuster season with some pretty terrifying horror flicks, a few post-apocalyptic romps, and a superhero comedy so gory it wasn’t released for two years after its festival debut. Here’s the full list of fantasy, sci-fi, and horror movies releasing in August.
The Bad Guys 2 — in theaters August 1
The talking animal criminals of DreamWorks’ Bad Guys are back in this sequel. Mr. Wolf and his crew are doing their best to be upstanding citizens, but they find themselves hijacked by a new team of animal criminals—the Bad Girls, led by snow leopard Kitty Kat (voiced by Danielle Brooks). The Bad Girls force the reformed Bad Guys to do one last job for them… one that might cost them the Bad Guys their new reputations as upstanding citizens. Starring the voices of Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, and Awakfina.
Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy — in theaters August 1
Kim Dok-ja is just a regular guy, who happens to be one of the only fans of an obscure, post-apocalyptic web novel called Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse. When he reaches the disappointing last chapter, the events of the novel suddenly come to life, with ominous decrees from powerful beings forcing humans to do terrible things. Dok-ja is the only one who knows what will happen and he teams up with the novel’s main character so that they can write a better ending for the world. Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy is based on the popular South Korean webtoon of the same name.
Together — in theaters August 1
In this body horror movie, a married couple (played by real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie) moves to the countryside, hoping for a fresh start after some matrimony troubles. While on a hike, they discover a remote cave. But after they spend the night there, they start to notice something strange happening to their bodies… which begin to fuse together whenever they touch.
The Wildman of Shaggy Creek — in theaters August 1
Based on a children’s horror novel, The Wildman of Shaggy Creek follows a young boy named Scott, who is dared by some bullies to spend the night in the woods. Shaggy Creek Woods is rumored to be the home of a hulking Bigfoot-like creature. Scott doesn’t really believe in the strange “Wildman,” but a night camping out in the woods might just change his mind.
Sketch — in theaters August 6
Tony Hale and D’Arcy Carden star in Sketch, a fantasy comedy about a widowed father struggling to help his children come to terms with their mother’s death. It’s hard enough already, but one day, the drawings in his daughter’s sketchbook—which she’s been using to process her grief—come to life. Soon the whole neighborhood is terrorized by cartoony, doodled monsters.
Freakier Friday — in theaters August 8
Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan unite for this legacy sequel to 2004 classic (remake) Freaky Friday. This time, instead of a simple mother-daughter body switcheroo, the body swap involves a grandmother (Jamie Lee Curtis), a mother (Lindsay Lohan), a daughter (Julia Butters), and a soon-to-be stepdaughter (Sophia Hammons). It’s hijinks upon hijinks, with some familiar faces (hello, Chad Michael Murray!) returning and new ones entering the fray (hey there, Manny Jacinto!).
Weapons — in theaters August 8
Written and directed by Zach Cregger (the man responsible for Barbarian), Weapons is the tale of one small community’s response to a classroom full of young children vanishing on the same night… that is, all except one. As adults search for answers, this horror-thriller offers up plenty of chills and terror.
Shaman — in theaters & on digital August 8
Set in rural Ecuador, Shaman follows a missionary family determined to convert the local indigenous peoples. But the family’s son stumbles upon a mysterious cave and then gets possessed by a demonic spirit. While the missionaries believe they can banish the demon away with a good old-fashioned Catholic exorcism, the local shamans know better. This spirit is way older than any form of Christianity and a lot more needs to be done in order to banish it before it consumes them all.
Fixed — on Netflix August 13
Genndy Tartakovsky, the legendary animator behind Samurai Jack and Dexter’s Laboratory, directs this wacky adult comedy about a dog. After one too many humps on grandma’s leg, Bull (Adam DeVine) is set to get neutered. He teams up with his dog friends, which include a boxer named Rocco (Idris Elba) and a dachshund named Fetch (Fred Armisen), for one last wild romp. Bull is determined to woo the hot Afghan hound next door (Kathryn Hahn) before he loses his balls the next morning.
Jimmy and Stiggs — in theaters August 15
In this gory, alien-filled horror movie, an out-of-work filmmaker claims he’s been abducted by aliens. He can’t quite remember what happened on his bender, but he’s definitely convinced it was aliens. Naturally, he recruits a friend to help fend off the eventual alien invasion. Jimmy and Stiggs is the first movie from horror director Eli Roth’s new indie production studio.
Red Sonja — in theaters August 15
A version of a Red Sonja movie has been in development since the 1985 film starring Brigitte Nielsen and Arnold Schwarzenegger, though this particular Millennium Media version has been in talks since 2015. It’s finally here! The sword and sorcery film stars Matilda Lutz as the titular heroine, a badass barbarian who wears an iconic (and much debated) chainmail bikini. Sonja unites a group of unlikely heroes in order to overthrow the tyrannical king who has enslaved her people.
Went Up the Hill — in theaters August 15
Went Up the Hill is an eerie paranormal thriller that draws from the nursery rhyme “Jack and Jill” as inspiration. A young man named Jack returns to New Zealand to attend his estranged mother’s funeral. There, he meets her widow, an enigmatic woman named Jill. Things start to get creepy when his mother’s spirit begins to possess them both in order to talk to one another. Old wounds are unearthed and trauma deepens, and Jack and Jill need to find a way to exorcise the ghost of the woman that still haunts them.
Witchboard — in theaters August 15
A remake of the 1986 supernatural horror cult classic of the same name, Witchboard follows a group of friends who open a cafe in an old New Orleans house. Of course, that house ends up having some dark secrets—including a mysterious pendulum board. The friends consult an occult expert and end up getting pulled into the machinations of a witch coven, powerful spirits, and dark magic. The reboot comes from Chuck Russell, who directed The Scorpion King and The Mask, so it looks like Witchboard is going to be a campy good time too.
Afterburn — in theaters August 22
Dave Bautista and Olga Kurylenko lead this post-apocalyptic sci-fi action flick, which takes place in a world where technology was decimated by a solar flare. A decade later, Bautista’s character Jake works as a treasure hunter, who seeks expensive works of art and rare objects for wealthy and powerful clients. His latest adventure leads him to Europe, in search of the Mona Lisa, but he soon learns that this simple mission might be way more complex than he bargained for.
Ne Zha 2 (English Dub) — in theaters August 22
Ne Zha 2 came out in China earlier this year and quickly became the highest-grossing animated film of all time. The movie is a direct sequel to 2019’s Ne Zha. Both films are loosely based on the 16th century Chinese novel Investiture of the Gods and follow a young boy named Ne Zha, who is born with incredible but destructive abilities. His immense powers strike fear in the hearts of villagers and gods alike, but Ne Zha is determined to use them for good and fight an ancient evil.
The Toxic Avenger — in theaters August 29
Two years after premiering at Fantastic Fest, superhero black comedy Toxic Avenger finally gets a wide release. Apparently, it was so gory that the movie had a hard time finding a distributor. Peter Dinklage stars as a janitor in a fantasy world, who gets poisonous powers after a freak accident. He battles bad guys, while also trying to salvage his relationship with his son. The movie is a reboot of the 1980s film series of the same name.
The best thing about the original Red Sonja movie was, by far, Ennio Morricone’s music. Is there any reason to suspect this one will be better?
The dog cartoon just looks gross.
I hesitate to watch Red Sonja. I saw the Brigette Nielsen one when I was young and was in awe. I watched it initially for Arnold, but when I saw Nielsen…well, it was a revelation. I had no idea women could or would be so tall AND muscled AND that they would be shown on screen and approved. Ever since, all the stick-figure women playing warriors, etc. have usually failed to be believable. Maybe if they get rid of the chainmail and fur bikinis and give them some body armor. I’ll probably pass on this version, too.
Weapons looks interesting, though…