Happy 2017, readers! With a new year upon us, that also means we’ve got a new batch of VOD releases to look forward to as we make our way through the month of January. For those who may have missed them earlier this year in theaters, both Adam Wingard’s Blair Witch and Mike Flanagan’s Ouija: Origin of Evil are making their way to digital platforms over the next few weeks, as well as the latest from Bryan Bertino, The Monster, which arrives on VOD on January 24th.
Other notable VOD releases for January 2017 include The Harrow, Bad Kids of Crestview Academy, Go North and Killer Piñata which is coming exclusively to Vimeo’s On Demand service.
Blair Witch (Lionsgate) – January 3rd
A group of college students venture into the Black Hills Forest in Maryland to uncover the mysteries surrounding the disappearance of their friend’s sister, who many believe is connected to the legend of the Blair Witch. At first the group is hopeful, especially when a pair of locals offer to act as guides through the dark and winding woods, but as the endless night wears on, the group is visited by a menacing presence. Slowly, they begin to realize the legend is all too real and more sinister than they could have imagined.
The Harrow (Breaking Glass Pictures) – January 10th
Miller, a southern drifter, lives in seclusion in an abandoned 100-year-old slaughterhouse - his only company is visions of Gale, his dead lover who was murdered a decade ago. When Gale’s daughter Ruth arrives, looking to dig up the past, she and Miller reassemble the shards of his shattered memory and are horrified at what they uncover.
Ouija: Origin of Evil (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment) – January 10th
In 1967 Los Angeles, Alice (Elizabeth Reaser, The Twilight Series, Young Adult), a widowed mother and her daughters Paulina (Annalise Basso, Captain Fantastic) and Doris (Lulu Wilson, "The Millers"), add a new stunt to bolster their séance scam business when Alice brings home a sinister Ouija board. Breaking a cardinal rule of the game while desiring to communicate with their deceased father, the family inadvertently conjures a malevolent force, unleashing a terror to be reckoned with. As the youngest daughter is overtaken by the merciless spirit, this small family confronts unthinkable fears with the help of a priest (Henry Thomas, E.T The Extraterrestrial) to save her and send her possessor back to the other side.
Go North (Gunpowder & Sky) – January 13th
In the aftermath of an unknown catastrophe, a community left with zero living adults has descended into a modern-day Lord of the Flies, run by a small cabal of what had been the jocks occupying the athletic and social upper crust of the local high school, headed by Caleb (Patrick Schwarzenegger).
Faced with the bleak despair of their situation, Josh (Jacob Lofland) and Jessie (Sophie Kennedy Clark) strike out on a dangerous journey into the unknown to find family and hope for the future, with Caleb and his vicious underling Gentry (James Bloor) in hot pursuit.
Bad Kids of Crestview Academy (Momentum Pictures) – January 13th
Based on the best-selling graphic novel series, a group of spoiled “bad kids” have been placed in Saturday detention at the prestigious Crestview Academy. After one of the kids locks away their teacher, they find themselves trapped in school with no way out, wondering who (or what) set them up. Their ranks quickly dwindle as each falls victim to a gruesome “accident” while trying to escape.
Pitchfork (Uncork’d Entertainment) – January 13th
Having recently shared a life-changing secret with his family, Hunter recruits his friends to come with him from New York to the farm where he grew up as he faces his parents for the first time. As the college students enjoy the fresh air of Michigan farm country, an older, more dangerous secret slowly emerges. While Hunter navigates a new place within his conservative family, a vicious creature from their past descends on the farm, putting the unsuspecting city kids in mortal danger.
Attack of the Lederhosen Zombies (Level 33 Entertainment) – January 13th
When a scientific experiment conducted by a local entrepreneur unleashes an epidemic of zombies and mutant wildlife in the Austrian alps, three young snowboarders find themselves in an epic battle for survival where they must use their killer snowboarding skills to defeat the raging aprés-ski undead once and for all.
Arise from Darkness (Indican Pictures) – January 16th
Based on the early events of psychic Lazaro Ruben Torres who was clinically declared dead five times. Lazaro, a neighborhood medium, inherits psychic abilities after a tragedy visits him and his daughter, leaving her dead. Lazaro is determined to develop his gift trying to reconnect with his daughter. In the process he discovers the man who killed her and now must decide what to do…
Killer Piñata (Vimeo on Demand Exclusive) – January 18th
A possessed piñata, seeking to avenge the savagery that humanity has inflicted on his kind, picks off a group of friends, one by one, in an unending night of terror.
The Monster (Lionsgate) – January 24th
Acclaimed horror filmmaker Bryan Bertino (The Strangers) wrote and directed this suspenseful and scary film, in which a divorced mother (Zoe Kazan) and her headstrong daughter must make an emergency late-night road trip to see the girl’s father. As they drive through deserted country roads on a stormy night, they suddenly have a startling collision that leaves them shaken but not seriously hurt. Their car, however, is dead, and as they try in vain to get help, they come to realize they are not alone on these desolate backroads — a terrifying evil is lurking in the surrounding woods, intent on never letting them leave.
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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