It’s possible you may not have heard about any of these video-on-demand movies releasing this month because SAG/AFTRA actors are currently on strike and cannot promote them. It’s also possible they are just so bad their studios wanted them ghost-dropped. But it is hard to argue the latter because these look like quality films.

The following movies will release this month on VOD so keep an eye out and let us know if there are any other above-par surprise releases that we missed!

River Wild

Remember the Meryl Streep/Kevin Bacon thriller called The River Wild back in 1990? This is the remake of that movie. It’s now available on Netflix and if is as good as the original you’re in for a tense and suspenseful experience. (Stream on Netflix August 1, 2023)

Synopsis:

Follows a pair of siblings who love but distrust each other as they embark on a white-water rafting trip with a small group. One of their friends from childhood turns out to be more dangerous than he appears.

Island Escape

We haven’t had a good time-loop movie since Triangle or Time Crimes. Does Happy Death Day count? This one looks incredibly bloody with lots of action. Time travel movies can be interesting if done right, and this one might look above average based on the trailer. We’ll see when it hits VOD on August 8, 2023.

Synopsis:

After a mysterious accident at a research camp on the Isle of Gran Manan, a CEO hires a team of blue-collar mercenaries to extract his daughter, a scientist working at the camp. Upon arrival, the team soon learns that not only is the island surrounded by a wormhole that causes time to reset every three days, but it’s also crawling with hideous monsters. As they learn more about the nature of time, space, and the creatures on the island, they quickly realize that death may be the easiest way to escape the island.

Elevator Game

A viral Tik Tok paranormal game gets its movie. This one involves an elevator and sequence of floor numbers that must be done in order or else. Of course, we have seen this curse before in different titles, but at least this is a spin that hasn’t been done before. The doors will open on VOD on August 11, 2023.

Synopsis:

Supernatural horror, based on the eponymous online phenomenon, is a ritual conducted in an elevator, in which players attempt to travel to another dimension using a set of rules that can be found online.

The Dive

This one feels oddly like a 47 Meters Down clone but with an earthquake instead of sharks. The underwater photography looks amazing and anything with a countdown timer, in this case a depleting oxygen tank, can get our pulses pounding.

Synopsis:

Two sisters go diving at a beautiful, remote location. One of the sisters is struck by a rock, leaving her trapped 28 meters below. With dangerously low levels of oxygen and cold temperatures, it is up to her sister to fight for her life. This title will swim to the surface on VOD on August 25, 2023.

Dark Windows

Slashers have become as formulaic as shark movies. But this one caught our eye because even though it’s derivative of its ancestors, it still looks like an upscale entry into the genre. This movie gets a VOD release on August 18, 2023.

Synopsis:

A group of teenagers take a trip to an isolated summerhouse in the countryside. What starts as a peaceful getaway turns into a horrific nightmare when a masked man begins to terrorize them in the most gruesome ways.