Happy Friday, everyone! With Thanksgiving officially over, that means we can look forward towards December now, and a brand new batch of genre films hitting various digital and VOD platforms over the next few weeks. RLJE Films is keeping busy on December 3rd and 10th, as they’re releasing a bunch of Shudder exclusives to mainstream audiences. And speaking of Shudder, the fine fiends over there have a few new exclusive films hitting their service in December, as well as Joe Bob’s Red Christmas special on Friday the 13th.
Ad Astra comes home on December 3rd and just a few days later, Adam Egypt Mortimer’s Daniel Isn’t Real arrives on December 6th, along with Little Joe and Knives and Skin. Peter Strickland’s In Fabric makes its digital debut on the 10th, and The Soska Sisters’ Rabid debuts on the 13th as well.
Blumhouse’s Into the Dark series on Hulu will be premiering two brand new episodes this month—A Nasty Piece of Work on the 6th and Midnight Kiss on the 27th—and if action movies are your bag, be sure to catch Netflix’s 6 Underground on December 13th.
Ad Astra (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment) – December 3rd
Brad Pitt gives a powerful performance in this “absolutely enthralling” (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone), sci-fi thriller set in space. When a mysterious life-threatening event strikes Earth, astronaut Roy McBride (Pitt) goes on a dangerous mission across an unforgiving solar system to uncover the truth about his missing father (Tommy Lee Jones) and his doomed expedition that now, 30 years later, threatens the universe.
Automation (Epic Pictures) – December 3rd
A workplace robot, AUTO, transforms into a killing machine when he discovers he will be replaced by a more efficient model. AUTO fears being terminated and will stop at nothing to prevent his own destruction. The human employees must band together to stop him before it’s too late.
Blood Bags (High Octane Pictures) – December 3rd
A creature stalks the corridors of an abandoned mansion. Two friends break in and discover that all exits have been sealed off and the creature that hunts them is growing hungry for their blood; there is no escape.
Boar (RLJE Films) – December 3rd
In the harsh Australian outback lives a beast with a ruthless, driving need for blood and destruction. It’s brutal, it’s bloodthirsty, it’s boar.
Christmas Presence (RLJE Films) – December 3rd
When someone suddenly disappears from their holiday celebration, a group of friends soon discover that a sinister evil is coming for them all.
Red Handed (High Octane Pictures) – December 3rd
When their father is murdered, three brothers descend upon an Oregon mountain river to spread his ashes. After they arrive, one of their children goes missing. One of the brothers was himself abducted 30 years ago when they visited this same river, but he has blocked the incident out of his mind. Only by unlocking the mysteries inside his subconscious, will they be able find the child and return him to safety.
The Shasta Triangle (Giant Pictures) – December 3rd
The Shasta Triangle explores mystical and unsettling phenomena and touches on themes of love, loss, friendship, and sacrifice. The movie is also deeply rooted in unexplained occurrences, conspiracy theories, and fringe science. The five main characters are drawn back together for an adventure that tests the strength of their bonds, and their understanding of the world.
This is Our Home (Uncork’d Entertainment) – December 3rd
Jeff Ayars and Simone Policano star in the chilling account of a struggling couple who, during a weekend getaway, are greeted in the middle of the night by a child claiming to be their son.
Tigers Are Not Afraid (RLJE Films) – December 3rd
A haunting horror fairytale, TIGERS ARE NOT AFRAID follows a group of orphaned children who are unexpectedly given three magical wishes.
The Tokoloshe (Uncork’d Entertainment) – December 3rd
Busi, a young destitute woman with dangerously repressed emotions, lands a job as a cleaner at a rundown hospital in the heart of Johannesburg. Desperate for the money so she can bring her younger sister to Johannesburg, she must cope despite the predatory and corrupt hospital manager. When Busi discovers an abandoned young girl in the hospital, who believes she is tormented by a supernatural force, Busi must face her own demons from her past in order to save the child from the abusive monster that pursues them both relentlessly.
The Head Hunter (Shudder) – Exclusively on Shudder December 5th
On the outskirts of a kingdom, a quiet but fierce medieval warrior protects the realm from monsters and the occult. His gruesome collection of heads is missing only one — the monster that killed his daughter years ago. Driven by revenge, he travels wild expanses on horseback looking for the monster. When his second chance arrives, it’s in a way far more horrifying than he ever imagined.
Daniel Isn’t Real (Samuel Goldwyn Films) – December 6th
Troubled college freshman Luke (Miles Robbins) suffers a violent family trauma and resurrects his childhood imaginary friend Daniel (Patrick Schwarzenegger) to help him cope. Charismatic and full of manic energy, Daniel helps Luke to achieve his dreams, before pushing him to the very edge of sanity and into a desperate struggle for control of his mind -- and his soul.
Into the Dark: A Nasty Piece of Work (Blumhouse) – Exclusively on Hulu December 6th
A mid-level employee at a large company finds out he's not getting the Christmas bonus or promotion he was expecting. But then his boss invites him over for dinner with a proposal for how he can climb the corporate ladder... by beating his professional rival in a violent competition.
Knives and Skin (IFC Midnight) – December 6th
What happened to Carolyn Harper? Part suburban nightmare, part neon-soaked teenage fever dream, this tantalizing mystery traces the wave of fear and distrust that spreads across a small Midwestern town in the wake of a high school girl’s mysterious disappearance. As the loneliness and darkness lurking beneath the veneer of everyday life gradually comes to light, a collective awakening seems to overcome the town’s teenage girls—gathering in force until it can no longer be contained. Unfolding in a hallucinatory haze of lushly surreal images, Knives and Skin is a one-of-a-kind coming-of-age noir that haunts like a half-remembered dream.
Little Joe (Magnolia Pictures) – December 6th
LITTLE JOE follows Alice (Emily Beecham), a single mother and dedicated senior plant breeder at a corporation engaged in developing new species. She has engineered a special crimson flower, remarkable not only for its beauty but also for its therapeutic value: if kept at the ideal temperature, fed properly and spoken to regularly, this plant makes its owner happy. Against company policy, Alice takes one home as a gift for her teenage son, Joe. They christen it ‘Little Joe.’ But as their plant grows, so too does Alice’s suspicion that her new creation may not be as harmless as its nickname suggests.
Iskander: Shadow of the River (Shudder) – Exclusively on Shudder December 9th
In French Guiana, a couple have been slaughtered on their boat and their young son is missing. The case falls to a pair of cops who don't exactly get along: Chloe—a rookie on her first day, newly arrived from France—and Dialo, her Guianese partner, a local cop who knows the territory and its secrets all too well. The clues lead them on a feverish journey through the city and deep into the rainforest, where ancient rituals connect the crime with a disturbing and unsettled past. This four-episode French miniseries is an intense, tropical thriller that's perfect for binging.
Trivisa (Shudder) – Exclusively on Shudder December 9th
Three notorious gangsters (“kings of thieves”) who have never crossed paths find themselves in the same restaurant at the same time, and their fates are changed forever. This fictionalized story about three real-life criminals was showered with awards and nominations, including Best Film at the Hong Kong Film Awards.
5 Galaxies (Uncork’d Entertainment) – December 10th
An assemblage of futuristic, high concept stories about artificial intelligence, 5 Galaxies features Pom Klementieff (Guardians of the Galaxy), Eric Roberts (The Dark Knight, “Suits”) and Neil Jackson (“Sleepy Hollow”) in in a powerful profusion of science-fiction, featuring segments from such visionary filmmakers as Nelson Lee, Kristen Hilkert, Amir Reichart, Vitaly Verlov and Marc-Henri Boulier.
In Fabric (A24) – December 10th
A lonely divorcée visits a bewitching London department store to find a dress to transform her life. She finds a perfect, artery-red gown that unleashes a malevolent, unstoppable curse in this frightening, seductive, and darkly funny tale.
The League of Legend Keepers: Shadows (Uncork’d Entertainment) – December 10th
A family of archaeologists find the fifth pendant that has been missing for centuries. Unfortunately, a spirit has also been searching for this pendant. Once all pendants are brought together the shadows from the past are released. Will Sophie be able to save her town from the shadows?
Mon Mon Mon Monsters! (RLJE Films) – December 10th
A bullied boy and his tormentors discover a creature while doing school-mandated community service.
One Cut of the Dead (RLJE Films) – December 10th
While shooting a zombie film in an old warehouse, the crew find themselves in an actual zombie invasion with a mad director who won’t stop rolling.
The Wrath (RLJE Films) – December 10th
A young woman must uncover the mystery of the evil spirit that has cursed her family before it takes her unborn child.
6 Underground (Netflix) – Exclusively on Netflix December 13th
What's the best part of being dead? It isn't escaping your boss, your ex, or even erasing your criminal record. The best part about being dead...is the freedom. The freedom to fight the injustice and evil that lurk in our world without anyone or anything to slow you down or tell you “no.”
6 Underground introduces a new kind of action hero. Six individuals from all around the globe, each the very best at what they do, have been chosen not only for their skill, but for a unique desire to delete their pasts to change the future. The team is brought together by an enigmatic leader (Ryan Reynolds), whose sole mission in life is to ensure that, while he and his fellow operatives will never be remembered, their actions damn sure will.
Joe Bob’s Red Christmas (Shudder) – Exclusively on Shudder December 13th
It’s Friday the 13th and Joe Bob Briggs, America’s foremost drive-in movie critic, is back for an all-night triple feature of hand-picked holiday horrors, running the gamut from the cult to the classic to the truly bizarre. Stock up on Lone Stars and make plans to stay up late with Joe Bob and Darcy the Mail Girl on this special, eggnog-fueled edition of The Last Drive-In, streaming live on Shudder TV beginning at 9pm ET/6pm PT.
Rabid (Shout! Studios) – December 13th
In the gripping horror film Rabid, aspiring fashion designer Rose Miller has her dreams turned into a nightmarish reality when a freak accident leaves her horribly disfigured. After receiving a miracle procedure involving an experimental skin graft from the mysterious Burroughs Clinic, Rose is transformed into the beauty of her dreams. But nothing comes without a cost and Rose begins to feel terrifying side effects that tear at her last threads of sanity. What price will Rose have to pay to have everything she ever wanted? It may just cost her her humanity.
A Feast of a Man (IndiePix Films) – December 17th
When Gallagher (Laurence Joseph Bond), a wealthy and eccentric New York playboy prone to mischief dies unexpectedly, his closest socialite friends -- Dickie (Jesse Rudoy), Wolf (Chris Shields), Judy (Katey Parker), and Judy's fiancé, Ted (Frank Mosley) -- are summoned to the late aristocrat's country home overlooking the Hudson for a viewing of his video will. Only things don't go quite as Wolf, the executor of the estate, had planned - Gallagher's posthumous wish is to put his dearly beloved to the test: each one will become a millionaire overnight if they can unanimously agree to consume his dead body and the group, has until the end of the weekend to reach a decision. Hilarity, of course, ensues.
Crypsis (Uncork’d Entertainment) – December 17th
A group of friends make a bet to survive on an island. Unbeknownst to them, a mysterious old creature begins hunting them throughout the night. What began as an innocent bet quickly turns into a fight for survival. As night falls, this becomes a fight to the death that no one had anticipated.
Into the Dark: Midnight Kiss (Blumhouse) – Exclusively on Hulu December 27th
A group of longtime gay best friends and their resident fruit fly head to a beautiful desert home to celebrate New Year's Eve. One of their annual traditions is to play MIDNIGHT KISS, a sexy but ultimately dangerous challenge to find that special someone to help you ring in the New Year. As friendships have grown strained with secrets, jealousy and resentment, the group faces another challenge when a sadistic killer wants in. Relationships are put to the test and truths are revealed as the night turns into a fight for survival.
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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