With the month of September nearly upon us, that means two things: one, we have a new batch of titles headed to VOD and Digital platforms, and two, our beloved Halloween season is finally almost here. And when it comes to September’s digital releases, we have a lot of great films to get excited about that will be headed home over the next few weeks.

The month’s releases kick off with a double dose of clown-themed horror—Clownado and Gags the Clown­—as well as Jim Jarmusch’s The Dead Don’t Die and a Scooby Doo on Zombie Island sequel on September 3rd. Both Satanic Panic and The Fanatic hit various platforms on the 6th, and September 10th is playing host to a trio of terror as well: Artik, Hellmington, and Investigation 13. Haunt arrives on digital on the most perfect of days—September 13th—and look for both Annabelle Comes Home and Candy Corn on the 17th.

Hell House LLC III will be making its way exclusively to Shudder on September 19th, and then the very next day, Bloodline, one of my favorite films out of last year’s Fantastic Fest, is making its digital debut (slasher fans should definitely check this one out). September’s VOD and digital releases wrap up with Child’s Play (2019) and Midsommar on the 24th, Shudder’s brand new Creepshow series on the 26th, and then Bliss, Prey, and The Curse of Buckout Road all come out on the 27th.

Clownado (Wild Eye Releasing) – September 3rd

Cursed demonic circus clowns set out on a vengeful massacre using tornadoes. A stripper, Elvis impersonator, truck driver, teen runaway, and a dude get caught in the supernatural battle between femme fatal and the boss clown from hell.

Dark Phoenix (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment) – September 3rd

When Jean Grey is struck by a mysterious cosmic force that transforms her into the iconic DARK PHOENIX, the X-Men must unite to face their most devastating enemy yet — one of their own.

The Dead Don’t Die (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment) – September 3rd

A sleepy town finds itself under attack by zombies with the greatest zombie cast ever disassembled starring Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Tilda Swinton, and so many more!

Gags the Clown (Dopplegänger/Bloody Disgusting) – September 3rd

A small city in Wisconsin is terrorized by a mysterious clown who roams the streets late at night with nothing more than a handful of black balloons. The local news stations scramble to break the story on who he is and what he wants while a group of high schoolers see the clown’s arrival as an excuse to create a little trouble themselves. The police try to maintain order in a city that has gone clown crazy and a conservative podcast host vows to put a stop to the clown known as Gags while broadcasting his “clown hunt” on social media for the world to see.

Scooby-Doo! Return to Zombie Island (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment) – September 3rd

Trying to put their mystery-solving days behind them, the Scooby gang arrive at a mysterious tropical island where their vacation is cut short… by an army of marauding zombies!

The Wrath (Exclusively on Shudder) — Thursday, September 5

In this supernatural creeper set in 14th century Korea, a curse is killing the sons of the kingdom’s highest-ranking official.  When the final son dies, his pregnant widow, Ok-bun, must face vicious family politics and the vengeful spirit descending on the household. A remake of 1986 Korean horror essential, Woman’s Wail, The Wrath is elegant horror with funhouse chills. A SHUDDER ORIGINAL. (Also available on Shudder Canada and Shudder UK)

The Fanatic (Quiver Distribution) – September 6th

Moose is a rabid movie fan who is obsessed with his favorite celebrity action hero, Hunter Dunbar. When he is cheated out of his opportunity to finally meet Hunter, Moose gets a little help from his friend Leah, a well-connected paparazzi photographer, who knows how to find celebrity homes. Moose turns to stalking to get the celebrity interaction he feels he deserves, and while harmless at first, Moose's actions begin to take a dark turn as his obsession grows stronger. As the visits continue to escalate, Hunter Dunbar finds himself in increasing danger.

Satanic Panic (RLJE Films) – September 6th

Sam’s first day as a pizza delivery driver is not going according to plan. At the end of a long day and not enough tips, her last delivery turns out to be for a group of Satanists looking for someone to sacrifice. Now in a fight for her life, Sam must fend off witches, evil spells and demonic creatures, all while trying to keep her body – and soul – intact. Starring Hayley Griffith (“The Loudest Voice”), Ruby Modine (Happy Death Day franchise), Jerry O’Connell (“Billions”) and Rebecca Romijn (X-Men franchise).

Artik (Epic Pictures) – September 10th

A comic book obsessed serial killer teaches his son how to get away with a series of brutal murders until the boy befriends a mysterious man who threatens to expose everything. 

Hellmington (Uncork’d Entertainment) – September 10th

In 1999, outside the sleepy town of Hellmington, troubled high school senior Katie Owens mysteriously vanished. Nine years later, Detective Samantha Woodhouse, a former classmate of Katie’s, returns to Hellmington for the first time since graduation to deal with the unexpected death of her father. His passing just another tragedy in an already devastating year for Sam: her own daughter was murdered, resulting in a downward spiral of anguish and guilt that has slowly destroyed her marriage and career. 

Sam soon discovers that her father’s demise is one in a series of suspicious deaths over the last several years, and it appears that the grisly fatalities are becoming more frequent. Even more alarming, every victim circles back to the troubled Katie Owens.

Battling hallucinations, insomnia and her own personal demons, Sam struggles to uncover the disturbing truth of what really happened to Katie Owens; a mystery that will lead her to a secretive, centuries-old cult of revenge.

Investigation 13 (Uncork’d Entertainment) – September 10th

Incorporating traditional narrative story-telling, as well as numerous forms of pioneering technology, including found footage, hand-held cameras, surveillance cameras, and smart glasses, Investigation 13 is a new-age fright-fest chronicling the tale of a group of college science students investigating the urban legend of The Mole Man, an ex-patient said to still be residing within the walls of the Black Grove Asylum. When members of the group start missing, they soon learn that this myth is more real than they thought, making this 13th investigation one they will come to regret.  

Haunt (Momentum Pictures) – September 13th

On Halloween, a group of friends encounter an "extreme" haunted house that promises to feed on their darkest fears. The night turns deadly as they come to the horrifying realization that some monsters are real.

Annabelle Comes Home (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment) – September 17th

After being locked behind sacred glass in the Warren's artifacts room, Annabelle awakens the evil spirits in the room, who set their sights on the Warrens’ daughter and her friends.

Candy Corn (Epic Pictures) – September 17th

It’s Halloween weekend and a group of bullies are planning their annual hazing on local outcast, Jacob Atkins. When they take things too far, he’s resurrected to seek revenge against those that wronged him.

Hell House LLC III: Lake of Fire (Exclusively on Shudder) — September 19th

In the third installment of the hit found-footage franchise, It's been eight years since the opening night tragedy of Hell House LLC, and many unanswered questions remain. Thanks to an anonymous tip, investigative journalist Jessica Fox is convinced that key evidence is hidden inside the abandoned Abaddon Hotel—evidence that she thinks will shed light on the hotel's mysteries. She assembles a team equally hungry for answers with one goal in mind: break into the hotel and discover the frightening truth. A SHUDDER EXCLUSIVE. (Also available on Shudder Canada and Shudder UK)

Auggie (Samuel Goldwyn Films) – September 20th

In AUGGIE, Felix Greystone (Richard Kind) is forced into early retirement and falls in love with an augmented reality companion, to the detriment of his relationship with his wife and daughter. At his “early retirement” party, Felix Greystone is given a pre-release version of an AUGGIE, a pair of augmented reality smart glasses that project a perfectly human companion onto his world. When Felix’s wife Anne gets a promotion and his daughter Grace gets serious with her boyfriend, Felix suddenly feels very alone.

He opens up to his new companion, AUGGIE, and is recognized and appreciated by her. He feels the ache of loneliness dissipate. AUGGIE reawakens a passion in Felix, and to his own surprise, he begins to fall for her. In a world that feels too good to be true, it’s difficult for Felix to recognize his increasing addiction to the technology, losing sight of what truly matters.

Bloodline (Momentum Pictures) – September 20th

Evan (Seann William Scott) values family above all else, and anyone who gets between him, his wife, and newborn son learns that the hard way. But when it comes to violent tendencies, it seems the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

MOMO: The Missouri Monster (Small Town Monsters) – September 20th

MOMO: The Missouri Monster seeks to tell the true, and truly strange story of the Missouri Monster. The hair-covered, three-toed monstrosity was said to have prowled the forests of Star Hill, near Louisiana, Missouri during the summer of 1972 where it was spotted by terrified citizens for weeks. 

Child’s Play (2019) (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment) – September 24th

A contemporary re-imagining of the 1988 horror classic, "Child’s Play" follows Karen (Aubrey Plaza), a single mother who gifts her son Andy (Gabriel Bateman) a Buddi doll, unaware of its more sinister nature.

Empathy Inc. (Dark Star Pictures) – September 24th

Hotshot venture capitalist Joel has a multimillion-dollar deal go up in smoke, and he and his actress wife Jessica are forced to move in with her parents and start from scratch. At the lowest and most desperate moment in his life, Joel meets old friend Nicolaus and his business partner Lester, who are seeking investors in a new technology known as XVR—Xtreme Virtual Reality—from their company Empathy, Inc., which is said to offer the most realistic and moving experiences for users by placing them in the lives of the less fortunate. Joel gets the startup its funds but soon discovers that the tech's creators have far more sinister uses in store for their creation and that the reality it provides its customers isn't virtual.

Midsommar (A24) – September 24th

An American couple, their relationship foundering, travel to a fabled Swedish midsummer festival where they become trapped in a sinister nightmare.

Creepshow: A Shudder Original Series — September 26th 

The Most Fun You’ll Ever Have Being Scared! From showrunner Greg Nicotero (​The Walking Dead​) comes a new Shudder Original anthology horror series based on the iconic 1982 film written by Stephen King and directed by George A. Romero. 

Seeds (Dark Star Pictures/Uncork’d Entertainment) – September 24th

After a night of debauchery spirals out of control, Marcus retreats to his family home along the New England coast. Solitude is disturbed when his brother asks Marcus to look after his estranged nephew and niece. As days pass, solace escapes him; he feels baited by a dark force. Is he losing his mind or has something terrible burrowed deep within him? Incubating. Waiting until the climate is right. Haunted by his deepest fears, Marcus struggles not to succumb as he fights to protect Lily, his beloved niece from a monster that lies in wait.

Bliss (Dark Sky Films) – September 27th

Known for her dark and macabre artwork, painter Dezzy Donahue (Dora Madison) is in a professional rut. Unable to finish her newest commissioned work, Dezzy looks to reignite her creative juices by letting loose-as in, taking every drug in sight and tearing through raucous house parties and heavy metal bars. After a few nights spent with her debauchery-loving friends Courtney (Tru Collins) and Ronnie (Rhys Wakefield), though, Dezzy notices changes within herself. On the positive side, she's finally painting again, but she's also developing a strange desire for blood. As someone who has never been able to control her vices in the first place, Dezzy is quickly and violently consumed by this bloodlust.

The Curse of Buckout Road (Vertical/Trimuse Entertainment) – September 27th

Buckout Road might be known as the most haunted road in New York State, but nobody really believed it… until now.  A college class project on modern mythology turns deadly when a trio of students and an on-leave soldier discovers a series of horrific urban legends surrounding Buckout Road may actually be true. The deeper they dig into the road’s dark history, the more dangerous their quest becomes. From witches burning at the stake, to backwoods albino killers to a modern, unstoppable stalker, writer/director and horror-film aficionado Matthew Currie Holmes leaves no genre unexploited in this loving throwback to late-80’s midnight movies.

Prey (Cinedigm) – September 27th

This horror-thriller from Blumhouse & Hyde Park with Director Franck Khalfoun (Amityville: The Awakening) follows Toby Burns (Logan Miller), a millennial coldly floating through life and disconnected from his family. After his father is tragically killed in a carjacking, Toby is left stricken with guilt. He is begrudgingly enrolled in a “Lost and Found” program, in which he will spend three days and three nights on a remote jungle island. Toby soon finds that this “uninhabited” island is not so lonely when he meets a mysterious girl named Madeleine (Kristine Froseth). It soon becomes clear that neither of them are safe here and time is running out. Someone or SOMETHING bloodthirsty lurks in the jungle, and Toby must find a way off this island before becoming its PREY...

  • Heather Wixson
    About the Author - Heather Wixson

    Heather A. Wixson was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs, until she followed her dreams and moved to Los Angeles in 2009. A 14-year veteran in the world of horror entertainment journalism, Wixson fell in love with genre films at a very early age, and has spent more than a decade as a writer and supporter of preserving the history of horror and science fiction cinema. Throughout her career, Wixson has contributed to several notable websites, including Fangoria, Dread Central, Terror Tube, and FEARnet, and she currently serves as the Managing Editor for Daily Dead, which has been her home since 2013. She's also written for both Fangoria Magazine & ReMind Magazine, and her latest book project, Monsters, Makeup & Effects: Volume One will be released on October 20, 2021.