Ten Best: DTV Movies of 2022
2022 has been, yet again, another fantastic year for DTV (or more accurately “direct to market”) movies. There have been some great films on VOD, streaming (yes I’m including streaming premieres this year too) and on digital so, as per previous years here on Nerdly, I’ve compiled a list of MY personal top 10 of the best direct-to-market titles of the year, be they VOD, streaming or digital downloads. The only criteria is that we’ve covered the film here on Nerdly AND I’ve seen the film myself. This list takes in all the films that never made it to cinemas with the list in order of release date not preference, with the month of release listed alongside each film. And man was this list HARD to cut down to just ten films… as it is each and every year!
Nightshade (Jan 2022)
Homicide Detective Ben Hays (Lou Ferrigno Jr.) has tried everything to cure his insomnia, but nothing works. To make matters worse, Ben and his partner, Detective Beckett (B.J. Britt), are hitting dead ends while investigating the murder of Randy Bell (Jason Patric). Ben reluctantly agrees to see psychiatrist Dr. Collins (Dina Meyer), who convinces him to try hypnotherapy. But as Ben’s sessions continue, so do the murders, and he begins sleepwalking and having haunting nightmares that reveal disturbing parallels to the crimes. Ben struggles to explain himself to his wife, Lucy (Kenzie Dalton), and Beckett, who knows something is wrong with his troubled partner. Sleep-deprived and desperate for answers, Ben must race against the clock to discover the cause of his afflictions, the identity of the killer, and above all, his shocking connection to the victims…
Aileen Wournos: American Boogeywoman (Feb 2022)
If you’re a “true crime” buff then your enjoyment of Aileen Wournos: American Boogeyman may vary (well, I say vary but you’ll probably spend all your time screaming at the screen about the inaccuracies). However, for those out there who just want to see a film about a psychopathic killer, who don’t want to subject themselves to the kind of ridiculous, saccharine nature of a Lifetime TV movie – for that’s what this film shares a lot in common with – then this movie is well worth your time. Not as horror-orientated as Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman but still another great entry into Daniel Farrands’ oeuvre of “American psychos” cinema.
Bad Girls (Feb 2022)
Bad Girls follows three “troubled” women – Val (Morgan Shaley Renew), Mitzi (Senethia Dresch), and Carolyn (Shelby Lois Guinn) – who, after spending their youth in and out of detention halls and jail, work together at a strip club. However the trio have higher aspirations than shaking their arse for money and so they rob their sleazebag employer of all his cash and drugs and hit the road, leaving a trail of mayhem in their wake…
Win a Trip to Browntown (April 2022)
Win a Trip to Browntown is the kind of film that is explained perfectly by its title. If you’re a filthy-minded person who knows what that means then congratulations, you’ve figured out the plot of this film, which follows Frank Tsigas, a middle-aged family man who can only see his life’s shortcomings. To distract him, his soft-spoken wife Laura offers a unique anniversary gift: she offers him the titular trip to brown town if he can lose 50 pounds in three months…
Vendetta (May 2022)
Who doesn’t love a good revenge/vigilante movie? Death Wish, Rolling Thunder, The Exterminator, Vigilante, Walking the Edge... All classics of the genre made in a period some would call the “peak” of the genre in the late 70s/early 80s and all set a high standard for any film that followed. And there have been a LOT of similar films over the years. A lot. Including a remake of Death Wish from director Eli Roth that featured Bruce Willis in the headline role and it’s Willis’ name that used to sell Vendetta too. Though like a lot of his latter-day films prior to the shocking news of his illness and his retirement from acting, his appearance is more of an extended cameo than a meaty leading role. That’s left to British actor Clive Standen (who played Bryan Mills in the TV iteration of the Liam Neeson film Taken – another example of the revenge/vigilante movie).
The Spy Who Never Dies (June 2022)
Written and directed by Corey Pearson, The Spy Who Never Dies is a quirky action rom-com about an international spy named Brad (Paul O’Brien), who’s sick of saving the world and is looking for more from life, in fact just a “normal” life. A life with no guns, no villains, no recovering plutonium. A serendipitous event (as in Brad stealing a dog post-assassination) has Brad meeting a seemingly normal girl named Veronica (Georgia Walters) a smart, cute, vet. Veronica has a congenital heart condition, any excessive elevation in her adrenaline and heart rate could end her life. On top of that, she is allergic to bees, so a recipe for disaster… probably.
Deadstream (October 2022)
Deadstream sees co-director Joseph Winter star as disgraced YouTube celebrity Shawn Ruddy, who will do anything to reclaim his influencer infamy. So he locks himself inside the reportedly haunted Death Manor that once belonged to lovesick 1800s poet Mildred Pratt. As Shawn breaks every horror movie rule for follower spikes, he accidentally angers a vengeful spirit and his big comeback event becomes a real-time fight for his life.
The Murder Podcast (October 2022)
Chad Thadwick (Andrew McDermott) lives in his sister’s basement and whiles away the days creating a ramen review podcast with his best friend Eddie (Cooper Bucha). When they peak at just over a hundred listeners Chad realises his goal of fame and fortune coming from podcasting is not going to happen, especially with a podcast about Japanese noodles – no matter how passionate he is about the subject! So, desperate to get more listeners, Chad decides he needs a new topic…But what subject to focus on? After a murder in his hometown, the answer is clear: a true crime podcast! After all, everyone’s listening to true crime podcasts these days thanks to the pandemic; plus having a murder to investigate on his doorstep means Chad can still be the slacker he always has been, whilst trying to make it big. Unfortunately for Chad and Eddie though the hometown murder they’re investigating isn’t JUST a murder, it is in fact connected to a mysterious gold coin that brings with it something more… supernatural.
Accident Man: Hitman’s Holiday (October 2022)
Once again co-written by Scott Adkins and Stu Small, who also penned other Adkins’ films such as Avengement and the two Debt Collector movies, Accident Man: Hitman’s Holiday see Mike Fallon laying low in Malta, staging the odd “accident” and being constantly fought with Siu-ling – who he pays to surprise him and keep him not only on his toes but also fighting fi. And he’s going to need it! You see someone has paid to get Dante (George Fouracres) the spoiled-brat son of mafia boss Mrs. Zuuzer (Flaminia Cinque) killed… Why does this matter to Fallon? Well it turns out Big Ray (a returning Ray Stevenson), who Fallon screwed over in the first film, tries his hand a the hit, making it LOOK like one of Fallon’s accidents!
Christmas Bloody Christmas (November 2022)
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.
