It’s the last month of the year (and what a year it has been), so December brings with it some heavy-hitters with the release of one of the year’s most anticipated holiday horror films, Netflix’s answer to A Quiet Place and one of the most polarizing genre films of the year from Lars von Trier. In other words: this month has a lot to offer horror fans and it’s a perfect ending to another great year of horror. But before we get started, here’s what I watched in November:

The Clovehitch Killer (review): Duncan Skiles’ suburban thriller is an intimate examination of the monsters that hide in plain sight, and while it’s a poignant example of how a dark secret can tear a family apart, it struggles to put any power behind the story it’s trying to tell.

---

December 4

Snowflake (VOD)

Director: Adolfo J. Kolmerer, William James

Cast:  Reza Brojerdi, Erkan Acar, Alexander Wolf

Hunting down the murderer of their families in an anarchic Berlin of the near future, the outlaws Tan and Javid find themselves trapped in the wicked fairytale of a mysterious screenplay that entangles them in a vicious circle of revenge – apparently all written by a clueless dentist.

All the Creatures Were Stirring (VOD)

Director: David Ian McKendry, Rebekah McKendry

Cast: Constance Wu, Jonathan Kite, Jocelin Donahue

When an awkward date on Christmas Eve leads a couple into a strange theater, they’re treated to a bizarre and frightening collection of Christmas stories, featuring a wide ensemble of characters doing their best to avoid the horrors of the holidays. From boring office parties and last-minute shopping, to vengeful stalkers and immortal demons, there’s plenty out there to fear this holiday season.

The Cabin (VOD)

Director: Johan Bodell

Cast: Christopher Lee Page, Caitlin Crommett, Erik Kammerland

When a couple visits a remote cabin and cross paths with a compulsive liar, their vacation takes a dramatic turn for the worse.

---

December 7

Anna and the Apocalypse (Theaters)

Director: John McPhail

Cast: Ella Hunt, Malcolm Cumming, Sarah Swire

A zombie apocalypse threatens the sleepy town of Little Haven – at Christmas – forcing Anna and her friends to fight, slash and sing their way to survival, facing the undead in a desperate race to reach their loved ones. But they soon discover that no one is safe in this new world, and with civilization falling apart around them, the only people they can truly rely on are each other.

Clara’s Ghost (VOD)

Director: Bridey Elliott

Cast: Paula Niedert Elliott, Chris Elliott, Abby Elliott

Set over the course of a single evening in the Reynolds family home in suburban Connecticut, Clara’s Ghost tells the story of Clara Reynolds who, fed up with constant ribbing from her self-absorbed showbiz family, finds solace in and guidance from the supernatural force she believes is haunting her.

The Appearance (VOD)

Director: Kurt Knight

Cast: Jake Stormoen, Kristian Nairn, Adam Johnson

When a medieval monk unexpectedly dies in a horrific way, the Church sends Mateho the Inquisitor, a rational man of science, to investigate the alleged ‘witch’. When Mateho himself becomes implicated as more monks die mysteriously, he must learn that science cannot explain the horrors around him, before he is seduced by the evil that haunts this monastery.

---

December 11

Leprechaun Returns (VOD)

Director: Steven Kostanski

Cast: Taylor Spreitler, Pepi Sonuga, Sai Bennett

The Leprechaun returns once again, when a group of girls unwillingly awaken him, when they tear down a cabin so that they can build a new sorority house.

Lizzie (VOD)

Director: Craig William Macneill

Cast: Chloë Sevigny, Kristen Stewart, Denis O’Hare

A psychological thriller based on the infamous 1892 murders of the Borden family.

Scarecrows (VOD)

Director: Stuart Stone

Cast: Hannah Gordon, Mike Taylor, Umed Amin

Teenagers are kidnapped and made into scarecrows that are left to die in the crop fields.

---

December 14

The House that Jack Built (Theaters & VOD)

Director: Lars von Trier

Cast: Matt Dillon, Bruno Ganz, Uma Thurma

The story follows Jack, a highly intelligent serial killer, over the course of twelve years, and depicts the murders that really develop his inner madman.

---

December 21

Between Worlds (VOD)

Director: Maria Pulera

Cast: Nicolas Cage, Franka Potente, Penelope Mitchell

Joe meets a mother who can contact spirits when suffocating. Her daughter is dying when Joe helps the mother spiritually contact the daughter and save her. Unfortunately, the spirit in the daughter’s body is now that of Joe’s dead wife.

Bird Box (Netflix)

Director: Susanne Bier

Cast: Rosa Salazar, Sandra Bullock, Sarah Paulson

A woman and a pair of children are blindfolded and make their way through a dystopian setting along a river.

---

December Highlights