WTF, America?
Established as Armistice Day in 1918, then renamed in 1954, Veterans Day was established to honor military veterans in the United States. That means, by my count, that you've had 107 fucking years to produce a Veterans Day horror film. It makes me mad enough to get out my Ouija board to summon Grandpa back from the dead so he can haunt your ass and give you inspiration as you type out your little screenplay.
Veterans carry a lot of weight. Some volunteered, others were drafted, but all were compelled to fight in the name of their country. Untold numbers of soldiers have died in the process, but those who come home often come back haunted. Horror is a perfect medium for exploring the fate of these folks who put their lives on the line. After all, what horror is greater than war?
Since we're lacking any holiday-based horror, we're stuck with some Apocalypse shit from Asylum that has the distinction of taking place on Veterans Day without ever mentioning it. Now, that's not a quality judgement on these 11/11/11 movies (I have yet to watch either of them), but, again, a judgement on lazy filmmakers.
For accuracy, here are the two that explicitly take place on Veterans Day back in 2011:
11-11-11 (2011)
Director: Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II–IV, Repo! The Genetic Opera)
Studio: Epic Pictures
Tagline: “The end is now.”
Plot: American novelist Joseph Crone travels to Barcelona after the death of his wife and child, only to find his priest brother consumed by a prophecy centered on 11:11 on 11/11/11 — a moment believed to open a portal for evil to enter our world.
Why it fits November 11: The entire countdown revolves around the date and time — 11:11 on 11/11/11 — reimagining the Veterans Day calendar marker as an omen of apocalypse.
Vibe: Brooding Euro-horror with numerology dread and religious paranoia; The Omen meets The Seventh Sign.
Watch if you like: Doomsday cults, fallen angels, cryptic symbolism, and Bousman’s gothic style.
Notable for: Its theatrical release deliberately timed to coincide with the real-life date 11/11/11.
11/11/11 (2011)
Director: Keith Allan (Zombie Night, Snakes on a Train)
Studio: The Asylum
Tagline: “The prophecy is true.”
Plot: When twin boys are born on November 11, 2011, strange supernatural events follow. As their father investigates, he uncovers a dark prophecy suggesting that one of the twins may be the Antichrist — and that 11/11/11 marks the beginning of Hell on Earth.
Why it fits November 11: Uses the same date-as-prophecy conceit, but filters it through The Asylum’s trademark low-budget chaos — making it an unintentionally campy mirror to the Bousman film.
Vibe: Demonic possession meets bargain-bin apocalypse; so bad it’s good.
Watch if you like: The Omen knock-offs, SyFy-era schlock, and ironic holiday horror marathons.
Notable for: Released just days before Bousman’s version — one of The Asylum’s quickest turnaround mockbusters ever.
For those who want to see some real Veteran ass-kicking, though, here are the films I recommend watching instead:
VFW (2019)
Director: Joe Begos
Tagline: “These veterans are in for the fight of their lives.”
Plot: A gritty, neon-drenched siege horror about aging Vietnam vets defending their local VFW bar from a wave of violent, drug-crazed punks.
Why it fits Veterans Day: The entire film centers on veteran identity, loyalty, and moral duty — a brutal yet heartfelt ode to those who’ve served.
Vibe: Think Assault on Precinct 13 meets From Dusk Till Dawn with a heavy-metal pulse.
House (1985)
Director: Steve Miner
Tagline: “Ding dong. You’re dead.”
Plot: A horror writer and Vietnam veteran moves into his late aunt’s house, only to face supernatural manifestations of his war trauma.
Why it fits Veterans Day: Blends post-war PTSD, guilt, and surreal haunted-house terror — an under-appreciated allegory for how veterans carry their ghosts home.
Vibe: Equal parts campy ’80s fun and psychologically resonant.
Deathdream (1974)(aka Dead of Night)
Director: Bob Clark (Black Christmas)
Tagline: “The war has come home.”
Plot: A soldier killed in Vietnam returns to his family mysteriously alive — but changed.
Why it fits Veterans Day: One of the earliest horror films to explore the emotional and societal fallout of war through a zombie metaphor; grim, slow-burn, and tragic.
Vibe: A haunting, anti-war parable in the guise of ’70s horror.
P.S. I hope I'm wrong. Let me know if there's a Veterans Day horror movie I've missed.
P.P.S. Shape up, Hollywood!