December 2016 VOD Releases Include BEYOND THE GATES, THE EYES OF MY MOTHER, TRAIN TO BUSAN

Even though the holidays are upon us, that doesn’t mean the horror and sci-fi genres are slowing down, especially on the VOD side of things. For December, we have 21 different titles arriving on digital platforms, including two films I absolutely adored this year: The Eyes of My Mother (hits VOD on December 2nd) and Beyond the Gates (arrives on December 9th). Several other indie films will be coming home to VOD over the next few weeks, too, including Pet, Abattoir, The Possession Experiment, and Blood Brothers, and for those of you who may have missed it in theaters, Train to Busan hits VOD on December 13th, and it is not to be missed.

Other VOD releases for December include Solace, Morgan, Good Tidings, It Watches, The Disappointments Room, and the V/H/S-based SiREN.

Killjoy's Psycho Circus (Full Moon Features) – December 1st

Killjoy, the demon clown and his gruesome crew - Batty Boop, Punchy and Freakshow have finally made it to Earth! Killjoy has settled in and is starring in his own web series called PSYCHO CIRCUS. But two years down the road, Killjoy discovers that life here on Earth is a drag - filled with inconveniences such as eating, breathing, taxes, immigration and mortal sex!

More problems arise as Killjoy’s love interest Batty Boop leaves after a bitter lover's quarrel, not to mention that Killjoy is now semi-mortal! But the challenges of being famous are nothing compared to the challenges of staying alive. After being tried for letting Killjoy escape, BEELZEBUB can only redeem himself by trapping Killjoy's spirit and bringing it back to Hell. Killjoy must find a way to unite his gang of clowns to defeat Beelzebub and his Six-Psychos!

It all comes together in an EPIC space-battle in KILLJOY'S PSYCHO CIRCUS!

Blood Brothers (Uncork’d Entertainment) – December 2nd

Blood Brothers follows two brothers that fulfill their murderous fantasies, but doing so derails their relationship with horrifying results. Rising star Hannah Levien, from TV’s The Magicians, genre favorite Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator), Ken Foree (The Devil’s Rejects), Graham Denman and Lynn Lowry (The Crazies) star.

The Eyes of My Mother (Magnet Releasing) – December 2nd

Francisca has been unfazed by death from an early age—her mother, formerly a surgeon in Portugal, imbued her with a thorough understanding of the human anatomy. When tragedy shatters her family’s idyllic life in the countryside, her deep trauma gradually awakens some unique curiosities. As she grows up, her desire to connect with the world around her takes a distinctly dark form.

Shot in crisp black and white, the haunting visual compositions of THE EYES OF MY MOTHER  evoke its protagonist’s isolation and illuminate her deeply unbalanced worldview. Genre-inflected but so strikingly unique as to defy categorization, writer/director Nicolas Pesce’s stunning feature debut allows us only an elliptical presence in Francisca’s world, guiding our imaginations to follow her into peculiar, secret places.

Morgan (20th Century Fox) – December 2nd

From Oscar®-Nominated producer Ridley Scott and director Luke Scott comes this visceral, edge-of-your-seat thriller with an all-star cast starring Kate Mara, Paul Giamatti, Toby Jones, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Rose Leslie. Inside a remote, top-secret lab, a group of scientists are working on an experiment that is leading the way for the next steps in human evolution. But when the experiment’s subject – a genetically designed “human” (Anya Taylor-Joy) – triggers a terrifying event, those involved must decide if the promise of infinite potential outweighs the incalculable danger.

Pet (Orion Pictures/Samuel Goldwyn Films) – December 2nd

Sweet but lonely Seth (Dominic Monaghan) spends his days working in an animal shelter. In a hopeless daze, he has a chance encounter with beautiful young waitress Holly (Ksenia Solo) who awakens something within him. Obsessed, he tries everything to win her over. Time and again, she rejects him, leading him to steal her journal and make a plan: to kidnap Holly.

SiREN (Chiller Films) – December 2nd

SiREN is a horror-thriller about Jonah, an apprehensive groom-to-be whose bachelor party turns into a nightmare when he frees a seemingly innocent victimized girl locked up in a supernatural sex club. Her ruthless handler and proprietor of the sex club will stop at nothing to re-capture his prize. Jonah struggles to rescue the girl only to discover it is he who needs to be rescued as he comes to the realization that she is a dangerous fabled predator who has chosen him as her mate.

Be My Cat: A Film for Anne (Artsploitation Films) – December 5th

Directed, produced, written by and starring Adrian Țofei, the movie features a young man in Romania who goes to shocking extremes to convince Hollywood actress Anne Hathaway to star in his film. Adrian Țofei also started an online petition to help the movie reach Anne Hathaway.

Curse of the Man Who Sees UFOs (Virgil Films) – December 6th

Christo Roppolo claims to have been videotaping and communicating with UFOs around Monterey, California, for several years. Intent on getting his stunning information out to a wide audience, he contacted director Justin Gaar in 2013 to begin creating a film about his sightings. Skeptical of the footage Christo had shot, but intrigued by his eccentricities and wild stories, Justin begins spending time with Christo hunting UFOs along California's beautiful Central Coast. 

When a crop circle appears in Monterey County and becomes international news, Christo is validated in his belief in alien contact. A shocked Justin begins investigating the source of the crop circle and how Christo knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that he's being contacted by his "brothers from space." The two travel up and down the Central Coast and through the Central Valley hunting for UFO activity.

Good Tidings (XLRator Media) – December 6th

A homeless war veteran with a checkered past must rely on a side of himself once thought buried when he and his companions are targeted on Christmas Day by three vicious psychopaths in Santa suits.

Hotel of the Damned (Uncork’d Entertainment) – December 6th

No use hanging up a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign here. After a car accident and stranded in the middle of nowhere, an ex-con and his daughter find themselves in an abandoned hotel, populated by sub-human cannibalistic creatures. Is it check-out time, already!?

It Watches (Uncork’d Entertainment) – December 6th

Andre, recovering from a recent accident, agrees to help his friend Robert by taking over a housesitting job at a creepy home nestled in the hills above Los Angeles. As night comes, the house reveals its insidious nature as Andre begins hearing ominous sounds and experiencing strange occurrences throughout the house that lead him to believe he is not alone and that someone, or something, is in the house with him.

Never Open the Door (Maltauro Entertainment and Baumant Entertainment) – December 6th

Three happy couples retreat to a cozy secluded cabin in the woods to enjoy Thanksgiving. A badly wounded stranger appears at the door, and when they let him in, he throws up blood and collapses on the floor. As he dies, he points towards the lovers and croaks his final words: "Never open the door". The dumbfounded group of friends start to panic as one of their own inexplicably disappears. Doubt rises by the minute and mistrust soaks through the cabin. As strange men surround the cabin, escape becomes paramount. Who will open the door?

The Possession Experiment (Momentum Pictures) – December 6th

THE POSSESSION EXPERIMENT tells the story of Brandon, who has always been drawn to the supernatural.  So when asked to pick a topic to base his final world theology class project on, he decides to explore the dark world of exorcisms. Teamed up with three classmates, the group investigates a multiple homicide that they eventually discover was an exorcism gone horribly wrong. Brandon becomes obsessed with the event, and in a strange turn of events, decides the only way to research this topic is to undergo an exorcism himself.

Abattoir (Momentum Pictures) – December 9th

An investigative reporter works to solve the mystery behind a mysterious man who has been buying houses where tragedies have occurred. Set in a world where it always feels like night, even in daylight hours, real estate reporter Julia Talben’s life is turned upside down when her family is brutally murdered. It is believed to be an open and close case, but Julia quickly realizes there is much more to this story when she returns to the crime scene to find the murder room deconstructed and physically removed from her sister’s home.  

This ignites an investigative pursuit that eventually leads her and ex-lover Detective Declan Grady to the town of New English where they find the enigmatic Jebediah Crone and the Abattoir - a monstrous house stitched together with unending rooms of death and the damned.  Julia comes to realize that her sister’s soul is trapped inside, but the Abattoir isn’t just a house - it’s a door to something more evil than anyone could have ever imagined. Julia and Grady are ultimately faced with the question: How do you build a haunted house? One room at a time.

Beyond the Gates (IFC Midnight) – December 9th

A retro-cool blast from the Day-Glo 1980s past, Beyond the Gates zaps viewers back to a time when VHS ruled, video stores were meccas for horror fans, and shocks came with a healthy dose of schlock. In the wake of their father’s mysterious disappearance, two estranged brothers—responsible Gordon (Graham Skipper of ALMOST HUMAN) and reckless John (Chase Williamson of JOHN DIES AT THE END)—reunite to sift through the contents of his stubbornly anachronistic VHS rental store. Among the inventory, they discover an interactive VCR board game, which their father viewed just before he vanished. Intrigued, the boys pop in the tape, press play, and soon discover that, far from an ordinary game, the video is a portal to a nightmarish alternate reality overseen by a sinister hostess (cult horror icon Barbara Crampton) and that in order to save their father’s soul, they must play by her rules. Bursting with eye-popping practical effects, an unsettling synth score, and wicked black humor, Beyond the Gates puts a fresh spin on old-school terror.

The Devil Lives Here (Artsploitation Films) – December 13th

Three friends, Ale, Magu and Jorge, go on a trip to visit their friend Apolo at his family’s farm for a weekend of fun. At the same time, Sebastião and his younger brother Luciano are getting ready to perform the spiritual ritual their family has been tasked with every nine months, for centuries. On the night the two groups meet, they find out that what they thought were scary tales becomes more than real. It is now up to them to prevent evil to be born and take over the world.

The Disappointments Room (20th Century Fox) – December 13th

The door to heart-pounding terror swings wide open in this gripping psychological thriller based on true events! Looking for a fresh start, Dana (Kate Beckinsale), David (Mel Raido) and their five-year-old son move from the big city to a rural Southern mansion in need of restoration. But the young family’s dream home quickly becomes a chilling nightmare when Dana discovers a hidden room in the attic, unleashing unexplainable events that test her sanity and slowly reveal shocking secrets from the past.

Secret Santa (Wild Eye Releasing) – December 13th

Secret Santa tells the story of a group of eccentric college kids, struggling to get through the hectic exam period. A liquor-filled Christmas party is planned to ease the stress. They plan to toast the end of the semester with a Secret Santa exchange. Little do they know, a killer is in town and has a special present for all the girls and boys. Will they dare to open their presents?

Train to Busan (Well Go USA) – December 13th

TRAIN TO BUSAN is a harrowing zombie horror-thriller that follows a group of terrified passengers fighting their way through a countrywide viral outbreak, trapped on a suspicion-filled, blood-drenched bullet train ride to the Safe Zone…which may or may not still be there.

When the Bough Breaks (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment) – December 13th

John and Laura Taylor (Morris Chestnut and Regina Hall) are a young, professional couple who desperately want a baby. After exhausting all other options, they finally hire Anna (Jaz Sinclair), the perfect woman to be their surrogate – but as her pregnancy progresses, so too does her psychotic and dangerous fixation on John. The couple becomes caught up in Anna’s deadly game and must fight to regain control of their future before it’s too late.

Solace (Lionsgate Premiere) – December 16th

When FBI Special Agent Joe Merriwether (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is unable to solve a series of homicides, he decides to enlist the help of his former colleague Dr. John Clancy (Anthony Hopkins), a retired physician with psychic powers. The reclusive Clancy, who shuttered his practice and retreated from the world following the death of his daughter and subsequent break-up of his marriage, wants nothing to do with the case. He soon changes his mind after seeing disturbingly violent visions of Joe’s partner, FBI Special Agent Katherine Cowles’s (Abbie Cornish) ultimate demise. When Clancy’s exceptional intuitive powers put him on the trail of a suspect, Charles Ambrose (Colin Farrell), the doctor soon realizes his abilities are no match against the extraordinary powers of this vicious murderer on a mission.