What's new on VOD this week?

This is it; the last big week for VOD releases in October. Yes, we still have next week to go, but the "big" releases have all been pushed out already, to give people time to watch them before the busy Halloween week begins.

Of this week's releases, we've seen four of them: Deliver Us From Evil and The Purge: Anarchy were both enjoyable; V/H/S Viral was half alright, half bad; and Wrong Turn 6 was just full-on bad.

As for the rest... well we're just going to have to rent them and find out.

Deliver Us From Evil: New York police officer Ralph Sarchie investigates a series of crimes. He joins forces with an unconventional priest, schooled in the rites of exorcism, to combat the possessions that are terrorizing their city.

Deliver Us From Evil didn't do well at all at the Summer Box Office, and like many other people, we waited until now to give it a watch. We're glad we finally saw it, because it was a really smart, creepy movie that is nowhere near as bad as many critics made it out to be. The exorcism scene at the end of the movie was probably our favorite bit.

Too bad it did so poorly at the Box Office, because we'd love to see more of Ralph Sarchie's paranormal adventures... a story like this would make for a great cable TV Series.

Exists: For five friends, it was a chance for a summer getaway- a weekend of camping in the Texas Big Thicket. But visions of a carefree vacation are shattered with an accident on a dark and desolate country road. In the wake of the accident, a bloodcurdling force of nature is unleashed-something not exactly human, but not completely animal- an urban legend come to terrifying life and seeking murderous revenge.

This looks like it could be one hell of a Found Footage movie, and given that Eduardo Sanchez has a pretty good track record for making effective Horror flicks (Blair Witch, Lovely Molly), our expectations are high for this one. 

This really seems to be the year for Found Footage flicks involving Bigfoot. Who would have thought.

The Purge: Anarchy: A young couple works to survive on the streets after their car breaks down right as the annual purge commences.

We really disliked the first Purge movie, and so we had zero interest in seeing this follow-up effort. Turns out that we not only ended up liking The Purge: Anarchy (read our review HERE), but it's also one of our favorite movies of the year. We won't be renting this one, because we bought it on Blu-ray, but for those of you who passed on it in theaters this Summer, you could do far worse with your rental $$$ than to spend it on this superior sequel.

Stonehearst Asylum: When young doctor Edward Newgate arrives at Stonehearst Asylum in search of an apprenticeship, he is warmly welcomed by superintendent Dr. Lamb and a mesmerizing woman by the name of Eliza Graves. Newgate is intrigued by Lamb's modern methods of treating the insane until a series of unusual events leads him to make a horrifying discovery, exposing Lamb's utopia and pushing Newgate to the limits of his conscience.

If anyone can make a PG-13 Thriller work, it's Brad Anderson; his Session 9 is one of the creepiest, most effective Haunted House flicks that we've ever seen, and there was barely any blood spilled in that one. The trailer for this one is intriguing, and the movie boasts one hell of a cast, and so we'll keep our fingers crossed that it will be a solid watch.

The Taking of Deborah Logan: Mia has finally found the perfect subject for her PhD thesis film on Alzheimer's Disease. For the next several months, cameras will record the everyday life of mother Deborah Logan, and her daughter Sarah. But as the days progress, strange things begin to happen around Deborah that are not consistent with any findings about Alzheimer's. It becomes apparent that there's something besides Alzheimer's that has taken control of Deborah's life. It's an evil that is far worse than the debilitating disease with which she was first diagnosed.

This one looks like it could end up being right up our alley. The premise is compelling, and the trailer makes it look like it's subtly creepy, and to be honest with you, we can always use a more "mature" scarefest every now and then.

Deborah Logan, along with Exists, are first on our list for this weekend.

V/H/S Viral: A police chase after a deranged ice cream truck has captivated the attention of the greater Los Angeles area. Dozens of fame---obsessed teens flock to the streets with their video cameras and camera phones, hell---bent on capturing the next viral video. But there is something far more sinister occurring in the streets of L.A. than a simple police chase. A resounding effect is created onto all those obsessed with capturing salacious footage for no other purpose than to amuse or titillate. Soon the discovery becomes that they themselves are the stars of the next video, one where they face their own death.

V/H/S Viral is a mixture of good and bad: "Dante the Great" was decent enough; "Parallel Monsters" was really good, and was the standout segment here; "Bonestorm" was annoying as hell; and the wrap-around segment... The wrap-around segment, "Vicious Circles" was nothing but nonsensical bullshit.

So basically, V/H/S Viral is just like the previous two V/H/S films; one great segment, one shitty wraparound, and a bunch of filler that is varying degrees of quality. Meh.

Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort: The unrelenting terror starts when an emotionally troubled young man, Danny (Anthony Ilott) inherits an isolated backwoods hotel that may hold the key to his secret past. A trip to the peaceful resort quickly transforms into a blood-soaked killing spree as Danny’s friends are brutally murdered one by one.

We've already seen Wrong Turn 6, and if you're smart, you'll just pretend that the series ended with part 5, and skip it altogether. Where the previous four sequels in the Wrong Turn series at least made for fun, exploitative watches, this latest effort feels like they're not even trying anymore. It's a mess.

It's easily the worst in the series, and should be your Last Resort, as far as renting a movie goes.