It’s been a big week for the horror genre, with Jason Voorhees officially returning to the screen for the first time in 16 years and Zach Cregger’s Weapons hitting a $100 million milestone at the box office. This week also saw the premiere of the Alien franchise’s first ever television series, with TWELVE horror movies being unleashed this week alongside FX’s “Alien: Earth.”
Here’s all the new horror released from August 11 – August 17, 2025!
For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.
Jeremy Rudd’s short film Die’ced (2023) gets a feature length continuation/expansion with Die’ced: Reloaded, and the film slashed into VOD outlets at home earlier this week.
“When killer Benny escapes an asylum on Halloween night, his scarecrow-masked rampage turns 1980s Seattle into a blood-soaked nightmare – with one young woman in his sights.”
Eden Campbell (Fear Street: Part Two — 1978), Jason Brooks (The Death of Snow White) and Nigel Vona (The Chronicles of Riddick) star in horror film Die’ced: Reloaded.
“I’m excited to bring audiences back to the gritty nostalgia of classic ’80s and ’90s slasher horror while blending it with modern horror,” says writer/director Jeremy Rudd. “I can’t wait for everyone to meet our final girl, Cassandra, and our soon-to-be iconic villain, Benny.”
Epic Pictures CEO Patrick Ewald adds, “When I first saw the original short film by Jeremy Rudd, Die’ced, I knew it had the potential to become something bigger, meaner, bloodier and with an ever more unhinged killer, Benny. Die’ced: Reloaded is exactly that. The team at Epic and Dread are proud to have helped bring this savage vision to life and thrilled to unleash it on horror fans who crave brutal creativity and fearless filmmaking.”
It’s a TV series rather than a movie but we can’t not mention creator Noah Hawley’s “Alien: Earth,” which premiered with the first TWO episodes on FX and Hulu this past Tuesday.
“Alien: Earth is off to an enjoyable, unpredictable start that’s already so much better than some paint-by-numbers Alien series,” Daniel Kurland writes in his review of the first two episodes for BD. “When all these scorpions under glass finally strike it will be well worth the wait.”
New episodes of “Alien: Earth” will premiere weekly, and you can expect those episodes on August 19, August 26, September 2, September 9, September 16, and September 23.
“Alien: Earth” is set before the original Alien. It deals with “the emergence of the infamous Weyland-Yutani Corporation and the race between corporations to create new android life.”
Here’s the official plot synopsis for the Alien TV series: “Five corporations – Prodigy, Weyland-Yutani, Lynch, Dynamic and Threshold – wield the power of nations, and proprietary advancements in technology provide the promise of a new tomorrow. When a mysterious space vessel crash-lands on Earth, a young woman and a ragtag group of tactical soldiers make a fateful discovery that puts them face-to-face with the planet’s greatest threat.”
Writer-director Adam Finberg makes his narrative feature debut with Star People, which hit VOD outlets at home this week after getting a limited theatrical release in July.
The film is inspired by the Phoenix Lights, the largest mass UFO sighting in U.S. history. That same infamous 1997 event has inspired several other movies, including 2007’s Night Skies, 2015’s The Phoenix Incident, and 2017’s Phoenix Forgotten.
Star People tells the story of a photographer who receives a tip that could finally shed light on her childhood UFO sighting, but a deadly heatwave and unexpected guests threaten to derail her obsessive search for answers.
Kat Cunning (“The Deuce”), McCabe Slye (Fear Street Part Two: 1978), Eddie Martinez (“The Sinner”), Bradley Fisher (“Westworld”), Adriana Aluna Martinez (“Duster”), and Connor Paolo (“Gossip Girl”) star.
Based on the true story of Russian serial killer Alexander Spesivtsev, Luke Baines (“Shadowhunters”) stars as the murderer in No Tears in Hell, now available on VOD.
Set in the frozen darkness of an Alaskan winter, a mother and son turn their home into a house of nightmares — luring victims into a twisted web of abuse and cannibalism.
Gwen Van Dam (Star Trek: Generations) co-stars as Alexander’s mother alongside Tatjana Marjanovic, Audrey Neal, Gabriella Westwood, and Erik Fellows.
“No Tears in Hell was without a doubt the most difficult, but rewarding film to make,” said writer-director Michael Caissie (Hangman). “From writing the script to physical production and to ultimately seeing the finished film, it really was an emotional roller coaster for everyone.”
He continues, “From having to take emotional breaks from the writing to witnessing cast, crew and even myself crying at the monitor because it was so intense, I knew I was making something important, and I’m really excited for audiences in North American and all over the world to see this unforgettable film.”
Fear Cabin: The Last Weekend of Summer was released exclusively on DVD this past Tuesday, before hitting Digital outlets on August 29 via Cleopatra Entertainment.
Drawing comparisons to Sam Raimi’s horror classic The Evil Dead, the indie horror film is directed by stunt performer Brian Krainson (Renfield, Adult Swim Yule Log).
In the film, “Six friends head into the woods for one last summer weekend, envisioning carefree days by a crystal-clear lake and laughter-filled nights around a secluded cabin. Instead, they stumble upon unsettling rituals that awaken malevolent forces hidden beneath creaking floorboards and moonlit shadows.
“Suddenly, their lighthearted getaway becomes a desperate fight for survival, where demonic presences are determined to keep them there forever.”
Jeremy London (Mallrats) stars alongside Brian Krainson, Jennifer Barlow, Brody Wellmaker, Violet Sinclair, Tea Karlsson, and Parker Denning.
Jason Voorhees is back on the screen in an official capacity for the first time in 16 years, with the Jason Universe team unleashing the 13-minute short film Sweet Revenge this week.
What is Sweet Revenge, you ask? Well, it’s been described as a “vignette” by the team but it’s really a full-on short film that serves to introduce the new Jason Universe branding as well as the fresh new redesign for the Jason Voorhees character. It’s also part of a larger partnership between Jason Universe and Angry Orchard Hard Cider, with special Jason Universe-branded Angry Orchard beverages and 12-packs being released in stores this Halloween season.
The franchise’s long-standing legal troubles have finally been cleared, and this marks the iconic slasher’s first OFFICIAL appearance on screen since the 2009 remake of the original classic.
Actor and stuntman Schuyler White wears the iconic hockey mask in director Mike P. Nelson’s (Silent Night, Deadly Night) short film Sweet Revenge, and you can watch the project in its entirety down below. You might be surprised by how good this bizarre little marketing tie-in turned out to be, and you might also be surprised by how good Jason looks in it.
Almost ten years after the film’s original release, Toho’s Shin Godzilla stomped into U.S. theaters with a brand new 4K remaster courtesy of Gkids beginning yesterday.
The film has been released in its original Japanese language with subtitles, including restored text cards and a 4K remaster that has never before been released in North America.
Check your local listings and grab your tickets now!
We’ve also learned that Shin Godzilla will come to 4K streaming courtesy of HBO Max sometime late this year or in 2026, with a Deluxe Edition physical 4K release up for pre-order.
In Shin Godzilla, “The Prime Minister of Japan pleads with the public to remain calm after a horrific creature of tremendous size makes landfall in the city, leaving death and destruction in its wake. Then, it evolves into the King of all Monsters… Godzilla.”
Hideaki Anno (“Neon Genesis Evangelion” franchise) and Shinji Higuchi (Shin Ultraman) directed the film from a screenplay by Anno, with visual effects by Higuchi.
The first theatrical release from Eli Roth’s new label The Horror Section is Jimmy and Stiggs, the latest blast of insanity from director Joe Begos (Bliss, Christmas Bloody Christmas).
Jimmy and Stiggs is now playing in theaters… Unrated!
The indie horror film “follows a down-on-his-luck filmmaker (Begos) who claims he was abducted by aliens, vowing to bring them down alongside his friend (Matt Mercer).”
“Rarely does a film stop me in my tracks the way Jimmy and Stiggs did,” Eli Roth said in a recent statement. “I grew up on Sam Raimi and Peter Jackson’s low budget over the top splatter fests, and very few filmmakers have ever achieved that level of insanity. Horror fans have not had an experience like this in the theaters in a long time and the spirit, anarchy and fun of the movie represents everything I want to bring to the masses in theaters.”
The Horror Section is a just-launched independent studio from Eli Roth, with a focus on making theatrical horror movies without studio interference. Learn more about the venture here.
Director Chuck Russell (A Nightmare on Elm Street: Dream Warriors, The Blob) returns to the horror genre with Witchboard, and the film is now playing only in theaters.
Witchboard is a remake of the same-titled horror movie from the 1980s.
The new film is set in New Orleans and centers on a cursed artifact unleashes a vengeful witch, drawing a young couple into a deadly spiral of possession, temptation, and occult terror.
Madison Iseman (I Know What You Did Last Summer), Aaron Dominguez (Only Murders in the Building), Antonia Desplat (Shantaram) and Charlie Tahan (Ozark) star.
The remake’s cast also includes Jamie Campbell Bower (“Stranger Things”).
Produced by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (Spring, The Endless, Something in the Dirt), Descendent is now playing in select theaters and it’s also available on VOD outlets.
Set in present-day Los Angeles, Descendent follows Sean Bruner, a school security guard who is haunted by childhood trauma while preparing for the birth of his first child with his wife.
After a beam of light appears in the sky during a late-night shift, Sean wakes up in the hospital with an inexplicable talent for vivid, unsettling drawings of extraterrestrials and desert landscapes. As his visions blur the line between dreams and reality, Sean’s grip on sanity unravels. With time running out, he must confront his fears to escape his family’s tragic legacy.
Ross Marquand (“The Walking Dead”) and Sarah Bolger (A Good Woman is Hard to Find, The Lazarus Effect) star in Descendent, the debut from writer/director Peter Cilella.
Dacre Montgomery (“Stranger Things”) stars alongside Vicky Krieps (Phantom Thread) in Went Up the Hill, a haunting ghost story that’s now playing in select theaters.
Samuel Van Grinsven directs from his script co-written with Jory Anast.
Dacre Montgomery and Vicky Krieps star as strangers brought together by a family connection in this haunting tale of grief, possession and breaking free from the past.
“The film will chart how after being abandoned as a child, Jack (Montgomery) ventures to remote New Zealand to attend the funeral of his estranged mother and there meets her grieving widow, Jill (Krieps). His search for answers becomes dangerous when his mother’s ghost returns to inhabit both Jack and Jill, using each of their bodies to speak to the other, and instigating a life-threatening nocturnal dance between the three of them.”
The truth cuts both ways in The Knife, a psychological thriller co-written and executive produced by Mark Duplass (Creep). Duplass penned the script with former NFL player Nnamdi Asomugha, who makes his directorial debut on the film, and it’s now playing in select theaters.
Construction worker Chris is prepared to do whatever he can to build a solid life for his family, yet his plans are thrown into disarray after a mysterious woman appears in their new home late one night. By the time police arrive, the intruder is lying on the kitchen floor unconscious, a knife in her hand.
It falls to steadfast Detective Carlsen to uncover the truth about what happened. Under questioning, Chris and his family close ranks, hoping to safeguard one another’s secrets—but the choices they make lead to consequences graver than they could ever imagine.
Asomugha stars alongside Melissa Leo, Aja Naomi King, Manny Jacinto, Amari Price, and Aiden Price. The Knife premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last year.
And finally, the rated “R” comic book movie adaptation Red Sonja is now playing in select theaters from Samuel Goldwyn Films, with a Digital release set for August 29.
The film is rated “R” for “Strong/bloody violence.” M.J. Bassett (Ash vs. Evil Dead) directed the Red Sonja movie, with Matilda Lutz (Revenge) starring as the title character.
Here’s the new official synopsis: “Enslaved by an evil tyrant who wishes to destroy her people, barbarian huntress Red Sonja must unite a group of unlikely warriors to face off against Dragan The Magnificent and his deadly bride, Dark Annisia.”
Robert Sheehan (The Umbrella Academy), Wallis Day (Sheroes), Michael Bisping (Den of Thieves), Luca Pasqualino (Snowpiercer), Rhona Mitra (Underworld: Rise of the Lycans), Martyn Ford (Final Score), Ben Radcliffe (Cuban Fury), Eliza Matengu (Predestination), Veronica Ferres (Crisis), Phillip Winchester (Strike Back) and Trevor Eve (Waking the Dead) star alongside Matilda Lutz.
The Red Sonja movie was written by Joey Soloway and Tasha Huo.
Red Sonja, played by Brigitte Nielsen in the 1985 film, is a comic book heroine created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Barry Windsor-Smith for Marvel Comics back in 1973.