Frightening Strikes

As summer fades and the nights grow longer, horror fans have plenty to look forward to. September delivers a diverse lineup of spine-chilling films, ranging from supernatural hauntings to psychological terror and slasher mayhem. With the return of fan favorites and a new outing from Brandon Christensen, there’s no shortage of thrills leading up to the Spooky Season. Whether you’re drawn to suspenseful mysteries, eerie folklore, or full-on slasher scares, this month’s releases promise to keep every horror enthusiast on the edge of their seat. The Conjuring: Last Rites   The Conjuring: Last Rites sees the return of Ed and Lorraine Warren in the final chapter of The Conjuring saga. Inspired by the infamous 1986 haunting of the Smurl family in Pennsylvania, the Warrens are called out of near-retirement to confront one of the darkest cases of their careers. Joined by their daughter Judy and her partner Tony, Ed and Lorraine must face a demon that knows their weaknesses and is determine...

The Presence is a supernatural horror film that flips the haunted house genre on its head by telling the story from the ghost’s perspective. Shot in a style that flirts with found-footage , without the unruly camera-work, the film invites viewers into the world of the Payne family - up close, uncomfortable, and increasingly eerie. Simmering Tensions The Paynes have just moved into a new house, hopeful for a fresh start. But simmering tensions soon bubble to the surface. Rebecca, the driven matriarch and a high-powered legal professional, is facing undisclosed legal trouble. She seems closest to her golden-boy son Tyler, a cocky high school athlete, while her relationship with her daughter Chloe is more strained. Chloe, still grieving the mysterious death of her best friend Nadia, is fragile and isolated - further alienated by her brother’s bullying and her mother’s emotional distance. Meanwhile, Chris, the father, tries to both support the family and contain its worst excesses, juggl...

In Oculus , writer-director Mike Flanagan takes a familiar horror trope, the haunted mirror, and reframes it into something original. A supernatural psychological horror, Oculus is less concerned with jump scares and more interested in blurring the boundaries between perception and reality. It’s a chilling, mind-bending battle of wills between siblings and a malevolent force that doesn’t intend to go down without a fight. A Shattered Childhood The film opens with Tim Russell being released from a psychiatric facility into the care of his sister, Kayley, 11 years after the violent deaths of their parents in a tragedy that shattered their childhood and changed their lives forever. While Tim spent over a decade trying to piece his sanity back together, Kayley's been chasing a different truth, rooted in the antique mirror she believes was responsible for the family’s destruction. Unbeknown to Tim, Kaylie has tracked down the Lasser Glass (as the mirror is known) and orchestrated its r...

August might be heating up, but horror fans won’t be cooling off any time soon. This month’s line-up is lean, but what it lacks in quantity, it more than makes up for in potential. From unnerving hauntings to alien chaos and backwoods possession, these titles bring something fresh and fearsome to the table.  As there are so few, we’ve rounded up every horror release hitting screens this August, and for once, most of them look like they could be winners.  Together When Maddie and Jamie retreat to a remote coastal house for a much-needed break, they hope to reconnect and repair their fractured relationship. But isolation isn't always the answer and when cracks in their bond re-appear and their arguments intensify, strange phenomena begin to occur hinting at something more sinister within the house itself  The couple realise they face a terrifying question: is it just them or is something else living with them? If the trailer's anything to go by, this looks wild, intense and...

It Feeds is a possession horror with a twist. Rather than inhabiting and corrupting its host in the usual way, the demon attaches itself to victims, using them to feed on others for survival, and it has a voracious appetite. When paired with the protagonist’s unusual psychic ability, the film brings a fresh angle to familiar territory. An Extraordinary Secret Cynthia Winstone is a therapist with an extraordinary secret: she can enter people’s minds and delve into their deepest fears, helping them to overcome trauma from the inside out. It’s an ability she keeps hidden as a past tragedy, involving her husband’s death and the forced relocation of her family, has left scars that haven't quite healed. Now she works under the radar, aided by her daughter Jordan, who’s training to join the unconventional family business. Their quiet life is shattered when a panicked girl, Riley, barges into their home, begging for Cynthia's help. She's in a hurry as she has escaped her father an...

Fear Street: Prom Queen  is an add-on to the  Fear Street  universe and, aside from its Shadyside setting and R.L. Stine origins, it has little in common with the entertaining trilogy that preceded it. Rather than capturing the spirit of the original films, this standalone slasher opts for tired tropes, offering little in the way of tension or entertainment. Excitement Builds in Shadyside It opens with excitement building at Shadyside High as they prepare for the senior prom of 1988. Six girls are competing for the crown of Prom Queen and we are introduced to the characters as they battle it out for supremacy. It’s clear from the outset that Tiffany Falconer is the favourite, while outsider Lori Granger struggles to escape the shadow of a dark rumour - that her mother murdered her father at prom 18 years earlier. Lori is supported by her best friend Megan, a well-meaning “stoner and horror nerd” whose antics - including the use of fake blood and horror props - backfire an...