9 New International Horror Movies For The Perfect Summer Staycation

August kicked off in style with the return of legendary British horror house Hammer Films. Staying true to the company's gothic roots, Doctor Jekyll marks Hammer's fourth adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novella, with the most recent being 1971's sublimely queer Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde. 

In this fiendish new adaption, Eddie Izzard (Hannibal) stars as Dr. Nina Jekyll, a giant in the pharmaceutical industry who has been forced into seclusion following a scandal. But her alter ego, Rachel Hyde, is concocting an evil master plan — one in which Nina's new assistant, Rob (Scott Chambers), will soon find himself embroiled… 

After releasing in its home country last October, Doctor Jekyll made its way to U.S. theaters and VOD platforms on August 2. Read more about this “weird little” movie in our interview with director Joe Stephenson.

Director Tilman Singer's stylish first feature, Luz, hypnotized me on first viewing, so I was eagerly awaiting his follow-up even before the bonkers trailers started surfacing for Cuckoo. I had to wait a little longer after the film was pushed out of its original May release slot, but we can finally enjoy it in theaters as of August 9.

Shot on gorgeous 35mm, Cuckoo takes us to the German Alps where 17-year-old Gretchen (Hunter Schafer) has just moved into a resort with her father and his new family. But despite the tranquil setting, something seems… off. Perhaps it's the fact that daddy's boss, Herr König (Dan Stevens), seems weirdly interested in Gretchen's mute half-sister. And what's up with all those strange noises…?

Aussie filmmaker Alice Maio Mackay already has five films under her belt at age 20, but her latest, Satranic Panic, looks like such a campy good time that you'll be distracted from thinking about what you're doing with your own life. 

Available via digital and on demand platforms as of August 13, Satranic Panic is described as a bloody, demon-infested road movie about the power of claiming one's identity and the importance of chosen family (preach). Expect biting wit, killer drag, and incredible tits. Seriously, why are you still reading — go and rent it and come back when you're done. 

Based on the French comic series Les Zombies qui ont mangé le monde (The Zombies That Ate the World), We Are Zombies is the latest offering from RKSS (Yoann-Karl Whissell, François Simard, and Anouk Whissell), the Canadian filmmaking collective that brought us Turbo Kid and Summer of '84.

We Are Zombies follows three slackers trying to make easy money in a city infested with the living-impaired, aka “non-cannibal zombies.” That's right: these zombies aren't after your brains. But you know who you should be worried about? The small-time crooks and evil megacorporation that have kidnapped our heros' grandma. That's just not cool. 

Find out what zombies get up to when they're not eating you alive. We Are Zombies shuffled onto SCREAMBOX on August 13.

From director Kimo Stamboel (The Queen of Black Magic), Dancing Village: The Curse Begins invites you to dance until you drop when it waltzes onto Shudder on August 16. 

In the film, which is a prequel to the movie KKN di Desa Penari, Mila (Maudy Effrosina) and her friends travel to the remote “Dancing Village“ on Java Island to return a mystical bracelet. Unfortunately, the village's new elder, Mgah Buyut, isn't there. When Mila threatens the village's safety by trying to return the bracelet without Mgah Buyut's help, she is forced to join a ritual to select the new “Dawuh,“ a cursed soul that must dance for the rest of her life.

Lesson learned: always wait for the elder before returning your mystical bracelet — especially if you have two left feet. 

Inspired by the true stories shared by listeners of hit Thai radio show Angkhan Khlumpong (Terror Tuesday), anthology series Terror Tuesday: Extreme brings eight haunting episodes to Netflix on August 20. 

Promising tales of extreme terror, Netflix's episode list mentions a possessed doll, a wedding dress hiding a sinister secret, a viral curse passed through the airwaves, and much more. Directors on the series include Prin Keeratiratanalak, Abhichoke Chandrasen, Prueksa Amaruji, Chayan Laoyodtrakool, Surapong Ploensang, Chookiat Sakveerakul, Eakasit Thairaat, and Alisa Pie. 

Scottish filmmaker Graham Hughes (Death of a Vlogger) returns to the world of found footage with Hostile Dimensions, a multiverse thriller that follows two documentary filmmakers investigating the mysterious disappearance of a graffiti artist. When their research leads them to an ominous freestanding door, they are plunged into a dark journey through the dimensions that lie behind it.

Who needs Marvel's multiverse when you've got twisty sci-fi horror? Open the door to Hostile Dimensions when it arrives on VOD on August 23. 

While we wait for that Warm Bodies TV show we were promised way back in 2019, director Orçun Behram is delivering a new zombie love story in the form of The Funeral, coming to SCREAMBOX on August 27.

The Funeral centers around Cemal (Ahmet Rifat Sungar), a lonely hearse driver tasked with taking the body of a young murdered girl, Zeynep (Cansu Türedi), back to her family. But when Zeynep resurrects in the back of the car, Cemal is captivated by her beauty and sets out to avenge her death — leaving a trail of corpses in his wake.

I won't pretend that I know a thing about anime. But I do know that if you're a fan of the anime horror film series Kizumonogatari (or the Monogatari novels on which its based), you'll want to get your butt to the theater on August 28 for the one-day-only event release of Tatsuya Oishi's Kizumonogatari: Koyomi Vamp. 

Editing the Kizumonogatari trilogy together into a single release, Kizumonogatari: Koyomi Vamp sees high school student Koyomi Araragi (voiced by Hiroshi Kamiya) surviving an encounter with the vampire Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade (voiced by Maaya Sakamoto). The film also features an ending theme from French musician Clémentine. 

Want even more inspiration for your horror staycation? Check out these 25 horror movies that you can stream for free in August.