New Movies August 21: American Ultra and Sinister 2

This week's new movies include a horror sequel, a video game franchise adaptation and a stoner secret agent action flick.

Sinister 2 is a sequel to 2012's Sinister, in which Ethan Hawke played a true-crime writer who moves into a haunted house and triggers predictably creepy consequences. This sequel doesn't offer Hawke's star power, but it does include a scary child-possessing demon named Bughuul. The film is directed by Ciaran Foy, who previously helmed the Irish horror film Citadel.

Also new this week is American Ultra, an action comedy starring Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart. Eisenberg plays a shaggy-haired stoner who is dumbfounded to discover that he's actually a well-trained and deadly secret agent. Unfortunately, he's run afoul of his handlers and is now a target marked for elimination. Stewart, as Eisenberg's girlfriend, is along for the ride. The film also features John Leguizamo, Topher Grace and Bill Pullman.

The week's third major new release, Hitman: Agent 47, is based on the Hitman video game series. Its central character is a genetically modified assassin who, in this story, is intent on stopping an evil corporation from creating more genetically engineered killing machines. The film is notable in that the late Paul Walker was originally slated to play the title character; following Walker's death in a car crash in 2013, Rupert Friend took over the role.