With February being a short month, genre fans only have a handful of horror and sci-fi arriving on VOD to look forward to over the next few weeks. One of my own most anticipated movies for 2016, the horror anthology Southbound, makes its VOD debut on February 9th, courtesy of The Orchard. For those of curious about two of the more buzzed-about remakes in some time – Martyrs and Cabin Fever – both films arrive on VOD on February 2nd and February 12th respectively.

Other notable titles hitting VOD this February include All Hallow’s Eve 2, Convergence, The Veil, Uncaged and Riddle Room.

All Hallows' Eve 2 (RLJ Entertainment) – February 2nd

Alone on Halloween, a youngwoman finds a mysterious VHS tape on her doorstep—a tapethat shows a series ofgruesome and ghastly tales that appear to be all too real. But theseterrifyingglimpses of damned souls are not the only horrors that stalk her. A sinister,pumpkin-faced killer is using the videotape as a portal into our reality; andif he makes it through, thistwisted trickster seeks only one “treat”: Blood. 

Martyrs (2016) (Anchor Bay Entertainment) – February 2nd

Ten-year-old Lucie flees from the isolated warehouse where she has been held prisoner. Deeply traumatized, she is plagued by awful night terrors at the orphanage that takes her in. Her only comfort comes from Anna, a girl her own age. Nearly a decade later and still haunted by demons, Lucie finally tracks down the family that tortured her. As she and Anna move closer to the agonizing truth, they find themselves trapped in a nightmare – if they cannot escape, a martyr’s fate awaits them…

Uncaged (RLJ Entertainment) – February 2nd

Orphaned as a child in the wake of a grisly tragedy, Jack was raised alongside his cousin and best friend, Brandon. At age 18, however, Jack’s otherwise uneventful life takes a sinister turn when he’s suddenly plagued by a series of bizarre sleepwalking episodes. After repeatedly waking up in the woods naked with no memory of the night before, Jack straps a camera to himself to document his behavior—and discovers a shocking truth: He is the unwitting heir to a monstrous family legacy of savagery, slaughter, and unrelenting horror from which death may be the only escape!

The Veil (Universal Studios/Blumhouse) – February 2nd

Directed by Phil Joanou (The Punisher: Dirty Laundry) and written by Robert Ben Garant (Jessabelle), the story takes place 25 years after a mass suicide conducted by a charismatic cult leader (Thomas Jane) and follows the lone survivor (Lily Rabe) who goes with a director (Jessica Alba) and her documentary crew to find out what really happened that day. What they discover goes beyond cult behavior and delves into the supernatural.

Convergence (Dark Sky Films) – February 9th

Detective Ben Walls (Clayne Crawford, Rectify, A Walk to Remember) lives a quiet life with his wife and newborn daughter. But he's called into action after an explosion at a local women's health clinic - and explosion that may be the work of a terrorist bomber Ben has been tracking. While investigating the scene, another shocking event lands Ben himself in the hospital. When he awakens he is surprisingly uninjured and ready to go back into the field. But at the behest of his captain (Mykelti Williamson, Forrest Gump, Con Air) and the hospital's few but eerily incongruous patients and staff, Ben is forced to remain inside the building.

As Ben navigates the hospital's alarmingly empty hallways, he soon finds himself hunted by a self-proclaimed avenging angel (Ethan Embry, Eagle Eye, Vacancy), who may be the terrorist he has been looking for, and haunted by apparitions whose deadly motives remain a mystery. As Ben's sense of reality begins to spiral out of control and the demons that surround him close in, he must find a way to both stop the supernatural forces that want him dead and catch the bomber before he strikes again.

A modern-day myth about redemption that's equal parts crime thriller, supernatural horror and action spectacle, CONVERGENCE will keep you guessing at every turn of its twisting plot right up until the last shocking frame.

Southbound (The Orchard) – February 9th

Weary travellers confront their worst nightmares — and darkest secrets — over one long night on a desolate stretch of desert highway in this spooky anthology that merges five tales of death and mayhem on the open road.

Mitch and Jack are on the run from their past when they turn up, blood-splattered, at a lonely roadside diner; an all-girl rock group called Siren must rely on the kindness of strangers when their tour van breaks down at the side of the road; a harried business-man is desperate for help from an unusual 911 operator in the aftermath of a car accident; a frantic gunman bursts into a bar demanding to know the whereabouts of a girl in a photograph; all hell breaks loose when masked men interrupt a family vacation.

Southbound was produced by anthology veteran Roxanne Benjamin (V/H/S, V/H/S/ 2), who also makes her own assured directorial debut here alongside directors Patrick Horvath (The Pact 2) and V/H/S collaborators Radio Silence and David Bruckner. Although filmmakers tend to work separately on most anthology films, Benjamin's team of directors worked together to form a larger story, and even pitched in on the production of each others' segments.

These interlocking tales of terror and remorse are rooted firmly in the logic of Twilight Zone and EC Comics morality plays, each one winding seamlessly into the next. The result is original, cohesive, and consistently fun — a Möbius strip of ghoulish frights on an endless road.

To watch or learn more about Southbound, visit: http://radi.al/Southbound

Cabin Fever (2016) (IFC Midnight) – February 12th

Executive producer Eli Roth presents this reboot of his instant classic gorefest, which features all new characters and all new kills. This story is familiar: fresh out of college, a group of five friends retreat to a remote cabin in the woods for one last week of partying – only to become snacks for a gruesome, flesh-eating virus. What’s surprising are the ingenious new deaths, which offer a fresh spin on a horror-comedy milestone. 

Riddle Room (Breaking Glass Pictures) – February 16th

Dr. Emily Burns is being held captive in a room with no idea as to how she got there. Determined to escape and return to her daughter and husband, Emily uncovers clues in the room that help explain what she's doing there. As Emily aims to solve the riddles, she begins to realize the room may not be what it seems.

  • 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.