Curated by GRACE DETWILER
Welcome back to Vile VOD, Rue Morgue‘s exclusive monthly list of select titles streaming on VOD in the coming weeks. It’s shaping up to be a great year for Holiday-themed horror, with both CHRISTMAS BLOODY CHRISTMAS and Arrow’s THE LEECH on the way. Check out those titles and more below!
THE APOLOGY
Available on Shudder and AMC+ on December 6, 2022
Starring Anna Gunn, Linus Roache, Janeane Garofalo
Written and Directed by Alison Star Locke
RLJE Films/Shudder
Genre & Synopsis: Thriller. Twenty years after the disappearance of her daughter, recovering alcoholic Darlene Hagen (Anna Gunn) is preparing to host her family’s Christmas celebration with her best friend Gretchen (Janeane Garofalo). Late Christmas Eve, Darlene’s estranged ex-brother-in-law, Jack (Linus Roache) arrives unannounced, bearing nostalgic gifts and a heavy secret. Soon, Darlene finds herself caught between reason and ruthless instinct. Trapped together by a dangerous storm, a battle of wits escalates to a violent game of revenge.
CHRISTMAS BLOODY CHRISTMAS
Available on Shudder on December 9, 2022
Starring Riley Dandy, Sam Delich, Jonah Ray Rodrigues, Dora Madison, Jeremy Gardner, with Jeff Daniel Phillips, and Abraham Benrubi
Written and Directed by Joe Begos
RLJE Films/Shudder
Genre & Synopsis: Horror. It’s Christmas Eve and fiery record store owner Tori Tooms just wants to get drunk and party, until the robotic Santa Claus at a nearby toy store goes haywire and makes her night more than a little complicated. Santa Claus begins a rampant killing spree through the neon-drenched snowscape against a backdrop of drugs, sex, metal, and violence, ultimately forcing Tori into a blood-splattered battle for survival against the ruthless heavy metal Saint Nick himself.
DEINFLUENCER
Available on Digital and VOD on December 6, 2022
Starring Marie Luciani-Grimaldi, Caylin Turner, Anne-Carolyne Binette and Simon Phillips
Written and Directed by Jamie Bailey
Dystopian Films
Genre & Synopsis: Horror/Thriller. A young cheerleader and influencer is imprisoned and forced to take part in social media challenges at the behest of her seemingly motivated kidnapper. She soon finds that she’s fighting for her life, as well as the lives of other young women.
THE LEECH
Available on Arrow on December 5, 2022
Starring Graham Skipper, Jeremy Gardner, Taylor Gardner
Written and Directed by Eric Pennycoff
Arrow Films
Genre & Synopsis: Horror/Comedy. Father David, a catholic priest struggling to grow his congregation, encounters a stranger by the name of Terry asleep one morning after Mass. Terry is without a home after a fight with his girlfriend Lexi and with Christmas less than a week away; David offers him a place to stay for the night. What begins as a simple act of kindness quickly turns complicated as Lexi arrives shortly after with news of being evicted from her house. Unable to turn away this helpless young woman, David allows both her and Terry to stay with him through the holidays on the condition that they open themselves to the healing power of God’s love. Yet the harder David tries to reform the lives of these seemingly innocent strangers, the more he himself falls victim to their toxic ways, leading to the belief that their arrival is in fact, a test from God. Will David pass the test and accept his new houseguests as they are? Or will he set aside the ways of Christ and resort to blood-soaked, Old Testament justice?
