August 2019 VOD & Digital Releases Include THE BANANA SPLITS MOVIE, GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS, BRIGHTBURN, NEKROTRONIC, MA, GWEN, ITSY BITSY

As the calendar creeps closer towards the Halloween season, we have a brand new month of VOD and Digital releases coming our way throughout the month of August. Things kick off on the 2nd with the latest installment of Blumhouse’s Into the Dark series, School Spirit, and the directorial debut of Jason Mewes, Method in the Madness, also hits various platforms the same day.

August 6th is a very busy day for digital releases, as we have 10 different films coming out that day, including Brightburn, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, The Night Sitter, and Perception. Nekrotronic, featuring Monica Bellucci, arrives on the 9th, and just a few days later, The Banana Splits Movie hits digital on the 13th, and I’m still not sure what to make of it, but I will definitely be watching that night to see just what on earth they’ve done with these classic TV characters.

On August 20th, Ma is ready to bring the party to your home via its digital release, and if you missed it while it was airing on AMC, the latest season of The Walking Dead comes to digital the very same day. August’s VOD and digital releases wrap up with Richard Bates Jr.’s Tone-Deaf on the 23rd, the haunting Ladyworld on the 27th, and on August 30th, be sure to check out both Itsy Bitsy as well as the new series, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, which you can find exclusively on Netflix.

Into the Dark: School Spirit (Blumhouse) – Exclusively on Hulu August 2nd

With college applications, test scores, and uncertainty looming the senior year of high school can be frightening enough, but the students of Helbrook High find themselves not worried about stress of school, but rather the School Spirit, which haunts the halls. The Breakfast Club meets Blumhouse in Hulu’s School Spirit, when a group of social outcasts who are stuck in weekend detention are confronted by the school’s legendary hauntings.    

Method in the Madness (Cinedgim) – August 2nd

In the film, Mewes, tired of Hollywood’s perception of him, embarks on a quest to reinvent himself as a serious actor. Upon advice from best friend Kevin Smith, Mewes tracks down a highly secretive method - acting book – with disastrous consequences. Joining the star-studded ensemble are David Dastmalchian (Ant-Man), Mickey Gooch, Jr. (How to Be Single), Blake Harrison (The Inbetweeners), Casper Van Dien (Starship Troopers), and Judd Nelson (The Breakfast Club).

A Score to Settle (RLJE Films) – August 2nd

Diagnosed with a fatal condition, Frankie Carver (Nicolas Cage) is released from prison after serving 19 years of hard time. With only a short time left to live, Frankie must desperately try to make amends with the son he left behind while he plots a bloody course of revenge - tracking down his old gang to make them pay one by one.

3 Lives (High Octane Pictures) – August 6th

Emma wakes up to find herself trapped in an abandoned bunker. She soon realizes that there are two other victims trapped with her, Ben and Jamie, who she knows from her days in high school. Now Ben and Jamie are Emma’s only means of escape from their savage captors, three ex-soldiers. Faced with the choice to stay in the bunker or to escape her kidnappers with the help of her former rapist and his old friend, Emma chooses the latter.

Ruthlessly the ex-soldiers chase the group through the wilderness. While Emma tries to find out why Ben, Jamie, and herself have been kidnapped in the first place. Slowly matters start to spin out of control, facades start to crack and Emma has to learn who her real enemy is.

Brightburn (Screen Gems) – August 6th

What if a child from another world crash-landed on Earth, but instead of becoming a hero, he proved to be something far more sinister?

Cleavers: Killer Clowns (101 Films) – August 6th

Jody Ann Howells, a survivor of the Still Rivers Massacre is on the hunt for the man who turned her hometown into a nightmare, but a figure connected to that night may be her only hope in saving an all American Family who have found themselves in the clutches of The Cleaver.

Doe (Unified Studios) – August 6th

A man wakes up with no memory of his past but the ability to speak dozens of languages fluently. After finding a clue about his former self, he will race against time to discover his true identity.

D-Railed (Uncork’d Entertainment) – August 6th

A woman boards a train that derails into a lake in the middle of the night. She, along with other surviving passengers find themselves trapped within the sinking wreckage. They discover what lies beneath the surface is far more terrifying as they fight to stay alive against a deadly predator determined to kill them one by one!

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment) – August 6th

When ancient god-sized monsters rise again, the crypto-zoological agency Monarch faces off against Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah as they all vie for supremacy.

The Manson Family Massacre (4Digital) – August 6th

In this unique take on the infamous Manson murders, we follow two generations of chilling real-life events, which occur at 10050 Cielo Drive, one of America's most notorious addresses.

The Night Sitter (Uncork’d Entertainment) – August 6th

Starring The Walking Dead’s Elyse DuFour, The Night Sitter fixes on a scheming con artist that poses as innocent babysitter to steal from a wealthy occult enthusiast. Just as the thief arrives to clean out the house, the home owner’s reclusive son stumbles upon one of his father’s artifacts and unwittingly summons a trio of witches known as The Three Mothers. As the playful, sadistic witches start picking people off, the humans form an unlikely bond and try to survive the night together.

Pentagram (4Digital) – August 6th

A group of teenagers must somehow survive the night when they find themselves trapped within a pentagram. To stay inside the candlelit confines means safety; the escape means certain death at the hands of a mysterious entity.

Perception (Gravitas Ventures) – August 6th

When Daniel, a successful real estate developer, must evict Nina, a mysterious small-time psychic struggling to provide for her young son, the last thing he expects in return is a free reading. But when Nina senses the spirit of Daniel’s dead wife, a once-promising artist, his desire to reconnect with her quickly becomes an obsession. Haunted by memories, Daniel is determined to reunite with his wife—who may have designs of her own. Soon, Daniel and Nina must each decide how far they’ll go to get what they want in this supernatural, psychological thriller.

Every Time I Die (Gravitas Ventures) – August 9th

When Sam is murdered in a remote lake, his consciousness begins to travel through the bodies of his friends in an effort to protect them from his killer. This dark passage leads him on a greater journey – discovering his own identity.

Nekrotronic (Momentum Pictures) – August 9th

Howard North, a down on his luck sewage worker, gets dragged into a global conflict between the Nekromancers, a family of badass demon hunters, and Finnegan (Monica Bellucci) - an evil demon who absorbs people's souls to increase her power. When Howard finds out the truth behind Finnegan's past and her dark plans for the future, he teams up with his new friends to discover he is the ultimate Nekromancer, the only one with the power to defeat her and save the world.

Wicked Witches (Midnight Releasing) – August 9th

After being thrown out of his home by his wife for being promiscuous, Mark finds himself back at Dumpling Farm, a place of youthful memories and parties, but things aren't quite right. His old buddy Ian, who has never left the place, is possessed by a group demonic, flesh eating Witches. Using Ian and his farm, these beautiful Witches honey trap Mark and his friends to consume their souls.

The Banana Splits Movie (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment) – August 13th

The Banana Splits Movie will offer a new take on the classic characters. The film follows a boy named Harley and his family as they go to a taping of The Banana Splits TV show, which is supposed to be a fun-filled birthday for young Harley. But things take an unexpected turn — and the body count quickly rises. Can Harley, his mom and their new pals safely escape?

Blindsided (Uncork’d Entertainment) – August 13th

Sloan Carter is a young girl who has recently been blinded. Her father leaves for the weekend and her two best friends, returning home from University, keep her company. A protégé of her father's, passing through town, also spends the night. The peaceful weekend is interrupted by a shadowy threat and the safe country getaway turns into a fight for survival.

Is That You? (Breaking Glass Pictures) – August 13th

Is That You? follows Lili, a young girl living in the Cuban countryside, and her mother, who are both trapped in a modest shack by her domineering father. When he suddenly disappears, Lili decides to carry out a ritual to help bring him back...leading her to uncover a disturbing truth about his disappearance. 

The Marker (Uncork’d Entertainment) – August 13th

In The Marker, a criminal seeks redemption by connecting with the daughter of the woman he killed. Along the way he is haunted by his guilt in the guise of the woman's ghost.

Gwen (RLJE Films) – August 16th

Gwen is a young girl desperately trying to hold her home together – struggling with her mother's mysterious illness, her father's absence and a ruthless mining company encroaching on their land. As a growing darkness begins to take grip of her home, the local community grows suspicious and turns on Gwen and her family.

Camp Wedding (Shark Party Media) – August 20th

Back in 1985, Camp Pocumtuck was a notoriously strict religious summer camp until it was forced to shut its doors when a young girl was struck by lightning and drowned. Before that, several women were burned at the stake for being witches nearby and before that, it was the site of a Native American massacre. Nowadays, it's available on Airbnb. Mia’s booked it and expects her wedding party to transform this now dilapidated summer camp into the wedding venue of her dreams. As her friends utterly fail to execute her master plan, they also begin disappearing.  But nothing will stop Mia from having a perfect wedding, even when someone starts texting her to hide the bodies.

Ma (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment) – August 20th

Octavia Spencer delivers an unnervingly daring performance as Sue Ann, a lonely woman who keeps to herself in a quiet Ohio town. When local teenager Maggie (Diana Silvers, Glass) asks Sue Ann to buy booze for her group of friends, she decides to make some new friends of her own and offers her basement for the kids to party. They just have to follow a few simple house rules: Someone has to stay sober, don’t curse, never go upstairs and call her “Ma.” As Ma’s hospitality curdles into obsession, her place goes from the best place in town to the worst place on earth. 

Seaside (Gravitas Ventures) – August 20th

Set amidst the dangerous beauty of the Oregon Coast, SEASIDE follows Daphne, who moves in with her boyfriend, Roger, when he inherits his childhood beach house. The two decide to start a family and a new life but when they run into Susanna, a local who works at the arcade, Daphne realizes that Roger hasn’t been completely honest about his romantic past. Now, Daphne must risk everything to fight for her relationship and even her life.

The Walking Dead: Season 9 (Lionsgate) – August 20th

Last season brought the culmination of “All Out War,” which pitted Rick Grimes and his group of survivors against the Saviors and their leader, Negan. With Negan’s life in his hands, Rick had a character-defining choice in front of him, and he spared Negan to uphold the values his late son, Carl, championed – values that created conflict within his group. Now, with our survivors rebuilding civilization under Rick’s leadership a year and a half after the end of the war, it’s a time of relative peace among the communities. However, the world they knew is rapidly changing, nature is literally taking over, and, as time passes, the communities confront unexpected obstacles and danger. But nothing can prepare them for the formidable force they’re about to encounter, threatening the very idea of civilization our survivors have worked so hard to build.

Burn (Momentum Pictures) – August 23rd

BURN follows a lonely, unstable gas station attendant Melinda (Tilda Cobham-Hervey), tired of being overshadowed by her more confident, outgoing co-worker Sheila (Suki Waterhouse).   When the gas station is held at gunpoint by Billy (Josh Hutcherson), a desperate man in need of quick cash, Melinda finds an opportunity to make a connection with the robber, regardless of who gets hurt.

Tone-Deaf (Saban Films) – August 23rd

After losing her job and imploding her latest dysfunctional relationship, Olive (Amanda Crew) flees the city for the weekend, escaping to the countryside for some peace and self-reflection.  She rents an ornate country house from an eccentric widower named Harvey (Robert Patrick).  Soon two generations collide with terrifying results as Olive awakens Harvey’s homicidal tendencies and is plunged into a blood-soaked fight for her life.  More than your average slasher film, TONE-DEAF provides a dark critique of the bizarre cultural and political climate that currently exists.

Annabellum: The Curse of Salem – August 24th

Annabelle vs Annabellum you decide? The creepy doll flick directed by Craig Rees, who can be currently seen in “Whispers” alongside ‘Keeley Hazell’ and who also plays the bad guy in slasher “Lake Alice” with “Breaking Bad” boss Michael Shamus Wiles, makes his directorial debut, which hits VOD August 24! Written by Carl Rees, the film follows a family trapped in a historic museum with a cursed creepy doll that is from 1692 Salem. The film is set in the historic town of Warwick, U.K., which is famous for ghostly hauntings and sets a unique tone for the film.

Ladyworld (Cleopatra Entertainment) – August 27th

In LADYWORLD, eight teenage girls become trapped in an endless birthday party after a massive earthquake. The girls' sanity and psyches dissolve as they run out of food and water. Eventually, they regress to their basic instincts, exploiting each other's fears and insecurities.

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (The Jim Henson Company) – Exclusively on Netflix August 30th

Based on The Dark Crystal, Jim Henson’s groundbreaking 1982 feature film, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance tells a new story, set many years before the events of the movie, and realized using classic puppetry with cutting edge visual effects. The world of Thra is dying. The Crystal of Truth is at the heart of Thra, a source of untold power. But it is damaged, corrupted by the evil Skeksis, and a sickness spreads across the land. When three Gelfling uncover the horrific truth behind the power of the Skeksis, an adventure unfolds as the fires of rebellion are lit and an epic battle for the planet begins.

Itsy Bitsy (Shout! Studios) – August 30th

In Itsy Bitsy, Kara, a private nurse and single mother, moves from the big city to the quiet countryside with her two children, 13-year-old Jesse and 8-year-old Cambria, to live with and take care of an elderly man with multiple sclerosis. Things seem normal enough until Jesse discovers a mysterious old relic in the old man's house, leading to unexpected and horrifying things coming to life.