You can tell we’re getting close to Halloween as the month of September has a myriad of great films arriving on VOD platforms that should help get everyone in the ‘spirit’ for every horror fan’s favorite upcoming holiday. The highly anticipated horror comedy Cooties starring Rainn Wilson, Elijah Wood, Leigh Whannell and Alison Pill is finally getting released on September 18th and Scream Factory is kicking off the month with a horror comedy too, the hilarious Bloodsucking Bastards, which arrives on VOD on September 4th.
On September 1st, The Curse of Downers Grove is coming to VOD courtesy of Anchor Bay and on the very same day, Dark Sky Films is releasing the psychological thriller Para Elisa as well. Other notable films hitting VOD in September include Hellions, Contracted Phase II, Some Kind of Hate and Run, Hide, Die.
Blood Moon (Uncork’d Entertainment/Jinga Films)- September 1st
A stagecoach full of passengers and an enigmatic gunslinger are held hostage by two outlaws on the run from the law, but events take an unexpected turn when the travelers are stalked by a mythical beast that only appears on the night of a blood red moon.
Blood Punch (Bluff Road Productions/Midnight Releasing)- September 1st
Milton (Milo Cawthorne, Deathgasm), a brilliant chemistry student breaks out of court-mandated drug rehab with a mysterious bad girl, Skyler (Olivia Tennet, "When We Go to War"). Looking to recruit a cook for a one-day drug score, she lures him to an isolated cabin with her psychotic and trigger-happy boyfriend Russell (Ari Boyland, "Shortland Street").
Russell reveals that he plans to murder Milton as soon as he is finished cooking the drugs, and their simple love triangle quickly descends into a mind-blowing supernatural cycle of carnage and mayhem with no end...and no escape.
The Curse of Downers Grove (Anchor Bay Entertainment)- September 1st
In suburban Downers Grove, Illinois, people call it ‘The Curse’: Before the end of every school year, one high school senior will die in a gruesome accident. And with only one week left, Chrissie Swanson can’t shake the fear that she might be next. Can Chrissie survive the curse of Downers Grove or will she, like those seniors before her, fall prey to the town's deadly secret?
Inspired by true events and based on the novel by Michael Hornburg, THE CURSE OF DOWNERS GROVE is directed by Derick Martini (Lymelife) and co-written by Martini and author Bret Easton Ellis (American Psycho, The Rules of Attraction, Less Than Zero) and produced by Oren Segal, Chiara Trento and Jason Dubin.
Para Elisa (Dark Sky Films)- September 1st
Desperate for some post-graduation cash, party girl Ana (Ona Casamiquela, Eva) answers a babysitting ad. She arrives for an interview at the elegant home of Diamantina (Luisa Gavasa, Flesh Memories), a former child prodigy pianist who is now an eccentric old woman who collects antique toys and dolls. Ana is disturbed by Diamantina’s odd behavior and horrified to discover that her child, Elisa (Ana Turpin, Bandolero), is not a child but rather a deranged woman her own age. Before Ana really understands what’s happening, she finds herself trapped in the house and made to serve as Elisa’s new toy – a toy that like many others before it may well be broken.
Run, Hide, Die (RLJ Entertainment)- September 1st
A year after Addison Davenport’s husband was found murdered in their home, the emotional wounds are still raw and gaping. On this devastating anniversary, Addison’s in-laws generously offer her their summer cabin as a healing retreat. With her four best friends in tow, Addie sets off for this idyllic spot, deep in the woods, to find some peace and possibly even some fun. But it soon becomes clear that the girls are not alone, as each is savagely captured and terrorized. One of them is hiding a dark secret, for which their tormentor plans to exact a brutal revenge. Before the night is over, what began as a carefree road trip will descend into a shocking bloodbath of malice and butchery.
Bloodsucking Bastards (Scream Factory)- September 4th
Bloodsucking Bastards takes audiences on a hilarious, blood-spattered roller coaster ride in the most terrifying locale of all: the American workplace. The film stars Fran Kranz as Evan Sanders, a low-level, dutiful employee stuck in a boring job at a soul-killing every corporation. Evan’s the kind of guy who does all the work and gets none of the credit, but at least he gets to spend his days with his beautiful co-worker/girlfriend Amanda (Emma Fitzpatrick) and his slacker best friend Tim (Joey Kern), so he soldiers on in the hope of one day getting his coveted sales director position.
Unfortunately, it all falls apart in one fell swoop when Amanda breaks up with him and Evan’s boss Ted (Joel Murray) hands his promotion to his college nemesis Max (Pedro Pascal). And it isn’t just their sordid past Evan has to deal with. After his fellow officemates start going through disturbing changes (which, paradoxically, make them better employees) and bodies begin to pile up, Evan learns the horrible truth: Max is a vampire. And even worse… a vamp with a plan.
Evan must find a way to stop the evil brewing amidst the cubicles, expose Max as the bloodsucking bastard that he is, and save his pals before his life and career go from dead-end…to just dead. Directed by Brian James O’Connell and penned by the popular comedy troupe Dr. God and Ryan Mitts, Bloodsucking Bastards recently made its world premiere as the opening night film at the Slamdance Film Festival 2015.
Contracted Phase II (IFC Midnight)- September 4th
It’s spreading… After Contracted unleashed the world’s most horrifying virus, this sequel picks up the story as newly infected Riley (Matt Mercer) races against time to contain the outbreak, even as it ravages his own body. As he digs deeper into its origins, Riley attracts the attention of a Detective (Marianna Palka, Good Dick) who doubts his innocence, and BJ (Morgan Peter Brown, Absentia) himself, who holds the key to the virus – and perhaps the destruction of mankind as we know it, leading to a blood-soaked finale you have to see to believe. Hang on to your barf bags, buckle up, and get ready for the genre ride of the year.
Dollface (Breaking Glass Pictures/Vicious Circle Films)- September 15th
In 1996, nine college students headed off for a fun weekend at a lake house on Horse Creek. At the house they uncovered the horrific story of Dorchester Stewart, also known as Crinoline Head, and his doll-maker mother, who once lived in the house. That weekend six students were killed, two survived and one went missing.
Now twenty years later, one of the survivors, Paul Donner, is teaching at the college he once attended. When his students discover an old newspaper article about the tragedy, they decide to visit the old lake house to learn more about Crinoline Head. While looking for answers, they discover something much more terrifying.
Cooties (Lionsgate)- September 18th
From the twisted minds of Leigh Whannell (co-creator of Saw and Insidious) and Ian Brennan (co-creator of "Glee"), COOTIES is a horror comedy with unexpected laughs and unapologetic thrills. When a cafeteria food virus turns elementary school children into killer zombies, a group of misfit teachers must band together to escape the playground carnage. The film stars Elijah Wood (The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings), Rainn Wilson ("The Office"), and Alison Pill ("The Newsroom") as teachers who fight to survive the mayhem while hilariously bickering in an uncomfortable love triangle on the worst Monday of their lives.
Hellions (IFC Midnight)- September 18th
A teenager’s Halloween night turns into a terrifying fight to survive when trick-or-treaters from Hell show up at her doorstep. After getting the unwelcome news that she’s pregnant, seventeen-year-old Dora (Chloe Rose) just wants to stay in on Halloween. But then a knock at the door delivers a gaggle of pint-sized demons after one thing: Dora’s baby. Director Bruce McDonald unleashes a hallucinatory visual and auditory assault that propels Hellions to increasingly disturbing realms of terror. Robert Patrick (Terminator 2: Judgment Day) co-stars.
Some Kind of Hate (RLJ Entertainment)- September 18th
Relentless bullying has turned Lincoln’s life into a nightmare. But he soon learns the true meaning of terror when he is sent to a remote school for troubled teens and the harassments start all over again. Only this time, someone is watching – a teenage girl named Moira who was driven to suicide by vicious bullying years ago. When Lincoln accidentally summons Moira from the grave, he unleashes a vengeful and unstoppable force on a mission of blood-soaked revenge.
Uncle John (Filmbuff)- September 18th
Dutch, a small town bully turned born again Christian, has gone missing. John, a loved and well-respected member of the community, is not a suspect, but has everything to do with it. Rumors and theories about Dutch’s fate are main topics of discussion all around town. Dutch’s younger brother, Danny, who shares the family’s bad reputation, has his own theory about the mystery and it centers on John. Meanwhile, John’s nephew, Ben, leads a life replete with snarky jokes and gourmet coffee as a hip Chicago motion graphics designer. His confused and budding relationship with his coworker, Kate, eventually leads them on an impromptu adventure north to see the town he grew up in. They arrive just as John struggles to navigate the increasing threats and pressure from Danny’s suspicions.
Directed by Steven Piet, Uncle John stars John Ashton (Beverly Hills Cop, Midnight Run), Ronnie Gene Blevins (The Dark Knight Rises, Seven Psychopaths), Alex Moffat & Jenna Lyng.
Deadly Revisions (SGL Entertainment)- September 29th
In DEADLY REVISIONS, Bill Oberst, Jr., plays Grafton Torn—an amnesiac horror film writer for whom hypnotherapy and nightmares reveal terrifying images that just can’t be real. Or can they? It’s a twist-filled psychological thriller as well as a loving valentine to the horror genre with winks to horror greats, including Hitchcock, De Palma, Carpenter, and others.
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.
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