March VOD Releases Include Backcountry, Spring, Something Wicked

It looks like March is going to be a big month in VOD releases for genre fans, as there are a handful of great titles to keep an eye out for in the coming weeks. Several highly anticipated indie films are getting released, including It Follows, Spring, Faults and Backcountry, and there are also a handful of other fun films making their way onto digital platforms as well.

Here’s a rundown of what’s heading to VOD in March:

The Burning Dead (Uncork’d Entertainment)- 3/3

Written and produced by Jeff Miller and Jason Ancona (co-writers and producers of Axe Giant: The Wrath of Paul Bunyan), The Burning Dead pits a a horde of lava-filled zombies against a sheriff charged with the plight to rescue an estranged family from a volcano eruption. Trejo plays Night Wolf, a Native American warrior who knows way too much about the curse that unearthed the coffin dodgers.

The Burning Dead also features Tom Downey (Axe Giant, Sorority Party Massacre), Moniqua Plante (“Nashville”), Robert F. Lyons (Dark Night of the Scarecrow, 10 to Midnight), Nicole Cummins (Logan), Kevin Norman (“Melissa & Joey”), Kyle T. Heffner (Runaway Train, “Bizarro George” from “Seinfeld”), Julia Lehman (Cheerleader Massacre 2), Tom Nagel (Hillside Cannibals), Jenny Lin (Piranhaconda), Robert Amstler (Alien Showdown), and Morgan Lester (John Carter).

Avenged (Uncork’d Entertainment)- 3/6

While traveling across country, Zoe, a lovely deaf mute woman, stumbles on a horrific crime – a gang of rednecks slaughtering two Native American boys. Zoe’s brave attempt to save one of the boys seals her fate. She is captured, raped, and left for dead. When an Indian shaman finds her clinging to life in a shallow grave, he attempts to save her – but something goes horribly wrong. The spirit of an ancient Apache warrior takes host of Zoe’s dead body. So now she walks amongst the living, hell-bent on getting revenge. One by one she slaughters the men who brutalized her, while the clock ticks away on her quickly decomposing body.

Faults (Screen Media Films)- 3/6

Claire is under the grip of a mysterious cult called Faults. Desperate to be reunited with their daughter, Claire’s parents set out to recruit Ansel Roth, one of the world’s foremost authorities on cults and mind control. But Ansel’s specialty, deprogramming cult members and returning them to their families, is not an exact science, and a series of financial setbacks has left him in debt to his manager. Ansel warns Claire’s parents that his deprogramming methods are risky and expensive, but they agree to hire him to kidnap and deprogram their daughter. Claire quickly reveals herself to be a formidable challenge. Her belief is unshakeable and her logic is undeniable. A battle of wits develops between the two as they delve deeper and deeper into each other’s minds.

Teeth & Blood (RLJ Entertainment/UMC)- 3/10

A beautiful diva is murdered on the set of horror director Vincent Augustine’s latest film “Chapel Blood.” Somewhere between the crime scene and the coroner’s van, the body mysteriously disappears. Meanwhile, the city’s supply of donated blood is being dangerously depleted. Suspecting a connection between the events, detectives Mike Hung and Sasha Colfax go undercover at the studio to investigate. Their attempt to crack the case quickly turns into a desperate battle for survival when they uncover an age-old war between rival vampire covens that threatens to consume humanity in a final, grisly assault of Teeth & Blood!

A Cry From Within (Breaking Glass Pictures)- 3/17

After a devastating miscarriage, a family trades their city lifestyle for a quiet life in the country.  Jonathan (Eric Roberts), Cecile (Deborah Twiss) and their two children Ariel and Morgan settle into a rental home in Long Island that was vacated by a woman and her elderly mother. The family soon finds themselves at the mercy of a terrifying and violent manifestation that Ariel identifies as a young boy named Sebastien. In fear for their family, Jonathan and Cecile must unlock the secret that binds Sebastien's torment with the former occupants and the local priest.

Something Wicked (ARC Entertainment)- 3/17

Inspired by true events, a young couple seeks to re-build their lives after a disastrous car crash that kills her parents. But secrets from their past threaten to disrupt their budding relationship. Christine (Shantel VanSanten) is stalked by a creepy, masked stranger, while James (John Robinson) experiences freakish encounters that nearly kill him. Christine’s sister-in-law, Susan (Brittany Murphy), a psychiatrist who observes the couple's deteriorating relationship, sets out to determine what sinister forces are driving the madness. As she digs for answers, she finds out some things are best left unknown. 

Backcountry (IFC Midnight)- 3/20

Based on a true story, BACKCOUNTRY follows an urban couple who go camping in the Canadian wilderness - where unimaginable beauty sits alongside our most primal fears. Alex (Jeff Roop) is a seasoned outdoorsman while Jenn (Missy Peregrym), a corporate lawyer, is not. After much convincing, and against her better judgment, she agrees to let him take her deep into a Provincial Park to one of his favorite spots - the secluded Blackfoot Trail.

On their first night, deep in the forest, they have an unsettling encounter with Brad (Eric Balfour), a strange alpha male with eyes for Jenn who may or may not be following them. Alex's desire to quickly reach Blackfoot Trail only intensifies. They push further and further into the woods, Alex stubbornly insisting that he remembers the way. After three days their path disappears; they are hopelessly lost. Without food or water, they struggle to find their way back, the harsh conditions bringing out the best and worst in them, pushing their already fragile relationship to the breaking point. When they realize they have entered a bear's territory, being lost suddenly becomes the least of their problems. Terror, horror, will, and survival become paramount.

Spring (Drafthouse Films)- 3/20

Evan (Lou Taylor Pucci, Evil Dead, Thumbsucker) is a young American fleeing to Europe to escape his past. While backpacking along the Italian coast, everything changes during a stop at an idyllic Italian village, where he meets and instantly connects with the enchanting and mysterious Louise. A flirtatious romance begins to bloom between the two – however, Evan soon realizes that Louise has been harboring a monstrous, primordial secret that puts both their relationship and their lives in jeopardy.

A beautiful, fluid genre-bender from Benson and Moorhead, Spring is an unforgettable romance of mythical proportions.

Nightlight (Lionsgate Entertainment)- 3/27

For years, the Covington forest has been shrouded in mystery, with a dark past as a final destination for troubled youths. Undeterred by the news of a classmate who recently took his life in those woods, five teens journey into the forest for an evening of flashlight games and ghost stories. But their plans go awry when the friends awaken a demonic presence, an unseen evil that will seize upon their deepest fears—and plunge them into a nightmare of absolute terror.