As the vast majority of movie theaters around the country, for the most part, look to remain closed until at least July, studios are having to get creative with distribution plans. Case in point, IFC Films has revealed that their upcoming horror movie The Wretched will be arriving on VOD and digital as planned, but will also be arriving in several drive-ins that are still operating throughout the U.S. This makes for a remarkably unique release strategy, to say the very least of it.

AMC, Regal, Cinemark and every other major chain across the country have been closed since mid-March. While some states have opted to allow theaters to reopen, with Georgia being the first and Texas following suit soon, the big chains are still keeping their doors shut for now. That has left drive-ins as the only game in town. So, IFC decided to capitalize on that by having The Wretched open more like an old school midnight movie would have.

Brett and Drew Pierce (Deadheads) directed the movie. Thus far, it has been received quite well critically, as it currently holds an 82 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. So this could scratch an itch for horror fans who have been looking for something new to watch during the quarantine. Especially for those close enough to a participating drive-in movie theater. Here is the full list of locations taking part.

  • The Wretched Drive-In Theaters
  •  West Wind Glendale Drive-in, Glendale, AZ
  •  West Wind Sacramento Drive-in, Sacramento, CA
  •  Ocala Drive-In, Ocala, FL
  •  Sweet Onion Cinemas, Vidalia, GA
  •  Mission Tiki Drive In, Montclair, CA
  •  Starlight Drive-In Theatre, Atlanta, GA

The Wretched centers on a rebellious teenage boy named Ben who is sent to live with his father for the summer. Ben is forced to work at the local marina in this idyllic tourist town, which has little to offer him. As he contends with the privileged teens and his father's new girlfriend his problems become more disturbing when he makes a frightening discovery about the family next door. An evil spirit in the woods has taken a hold of the parents and begins playing a menacing game of house, preying on children and erasing all traces of their existence. Ben's suspicions of the supernatural horrors go ignored, leading him to launch a crusade to end this witch's reign of terror.

Drive-in theaters, up until a few weeks ago were, at best, a niche market that offered movie lovers a blast of nostalgia. However, given the situation at hand, they have become a true haven for the cinematic experience and may well become a bigger part of the industry's future as things unfold in the coming months and years. The movie business is facing a lot of uncertainty, but this could be just the first in a new era of midnight flicks best enjoyed at one's local drive-in. The Wretched arrives on May 1 via VOD, digital retailers and at participating drive-in theaters from IFC Films.

The Wretched Drive-In Movie Poster
The Wretched Poster