20 Movies to Watch on Shudder

Like a lot of horror fans Shudder is one of my favourite streaming services, and while I’ve been stuck inside during this pandemic I’ve been using it a lot.
So today I wanted to tell you all about some of the great films I’ve been watching, and some of the ones on my list that I can’t wait to get to.

Lets jump right in…

10. SOCIETY (1989)

Directed by Brian Yuzna.
Cast: Billy Warlock, Devin DeVasquez, Charles Lucia, Patrice Jennings.
(Available on UK & US)

A teenager suspects his family are part of a cabal of monstrous socialites who literally prey on the lower classes. Bill’s enjoying life’s privileges when he hears a recording of a family party that suggests it was actually a murderous, incestuous orgy. But that couldn’t be so, could it?

This movie is a wild ride. Society is a darkly comedic and sometimes disturbing horror, the plot is crazy and they seem to enjoy constantly shocking the audience, especially with the brilliant and gross practical effects they use. It’s a story you’ll never forget.

09. HOUSEBOUND (2014)

Directed by Gerard Johnstone.
Cast: Morgana O’Reilly, Rima Te Wiata, Glem-Paul Waru.
(Available on UK only)

Kylie Bucknell is forced to return to the house she grew up in when the court places her on home detention. Her punishment is made all the more unbearable by the fact she has to live there with her mother Miriam — a well-intentioned blabbermouth who’s convinced that the house is haunted. Kylie dismisses Miriam’s superstitions as nothing more than a distraction from a life occupied by boiled vegetables & small-town gossip. However, when she too becomes privy to unsettling whispers & strange bumps in the night, she begins to wonder whether she’s inherited her overactive imagination, or if the house is in fact possessed by a hostile spirit who’s not particularly thrilled about her return.

Housebound is a New Zealand horror comedy and was Gerard Johnstone’s directorial debut. It delivers on both the horror and the comedy, remaining creepy all the way through and slowly building in intensity, with characters that feel real and relatable. The humour is dry and deadpan, which is my favourite kind, and doesn’t detract from the very suspensful scenes that kept me on the edge of my seat.

08. LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (2008)

Directed by Tomas Alfredson.
Cast: KÃ¥re Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar.
(Available on UK only)

A bullied boy befriends, then falls for a vampire girl in this recent horror hit from Sweden. When 12-year-old Oskar meets Eli he feels his wish for a friend has come true. But why can’t Eli come out to play during the day? And why’s her dad running a down-low blood drive in the woods? Once Oskar figures it out, a subtle romance begins. But murders soon begin to attract attention, and Eli knows she has to hit the road.

Let the Right One In is a Swedish romantic horror based on the book of the same name by John Ajvide Lindqvist. It is a slow burn with beautiful visuals, a great soundtrack, and one of my favourite vampire stories ever told.

07. THE CHANGELING (1980)

Directed by Peter Medak.
Cast: George C. Scott, Trish Van Devere, Melvyn Douglas.
(Available on UK & US)

After a tragic event happens, composer John Russell moves to Seattle to try to overcome it and build a new and peaceful life in a lonely big house that has been uninhabited for many years. But, soon after, the obscure history of such an old mansion and his own past begin to haunt him.

The Changeling definitely lived up to it’s legendary reputation and has become one of my favourite haunted house films. It’s combines mystery and horror in my favourite way, with some truly creepy moments and a story that had me both emotionally invested and interested from the beginning. And obviously, since the story is about a composer, you can expect some great music to show up in the score.

06. THE QUIET ROOM (2019)

Directed by Sam Wineman.
Cast: Jamal Douglas, Kit Williamson, Alaska Thunderfuck, Lisa Wilcox, Brian McCook.
(Available on UK & US)

After a failed suicide attempt, Michael believes that he’s awakened Hattie, a demon who — according to urban legend — haunts his hospital’s “quiet room”. Now, he must find a way to stop her before her rampage claims everyone Michael connects with.

This is an excellent horror short with an incredible cast and some beautiful visuals, it builds in intensity and has some great scares that really made me jump. I loved the story and only wish it had been longer so I’d gotten to spend more time with these great characters.

Sam Wineman is also directing the upcoming documentary about queer horror, which I can’t wait to see, and I’d also recommend checking out the Shudder: ‘Horror is Queer’ Comic-Con@Home 2020 panel, which can be found here;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRGOmWwYu0U&feature=youtu.be

05. MAYHEM (2017)

Directed by Joe Lynch.
Cast: Steven Yeun, Samara Weaving, Steven Brand.
(Available on UK & US)
A SHUDDER EXCLUSIVE.

Derek Cho (Steven Yeun) is having a really bad day. After being unjustly fired from his job, he discovers that the law firm’s building is under quarantine for a mysterious and dangerous virus. Chaos erupts throughout the office as the victims of the disease begin acting out their wildest impulses. Joining forces with a former client (Samara Weaving) who has a grudge of her own, Derek savagely fights tooth and nail to get to the executives on the top floor and settle the score once and for all.

Mayhem is an incredibly fun watch, with lots of action and gore, it’s energetic and moves at a fast pace. No one will be surprised to learn that Samara Weaving and Steven Yeun deliver amazing performances as our main characters, they had great chemistry with one another and kept me entertained from beginning to end.

The exclusive feature commentary is also available to stream on both the US and UK Shudder.

04. THE BEACH HOUSE (2020)

Directed by Jeffrey A. Brown.
Cast: Liana Liberato, Noah Le Gros, Jake Weber, Maryann Nagel.
(Available on UK & US)
A SHUDDER ORIGINAL.

Escaping to his family’s beach house to reconnect, Emily and Randall find their off-season trip interrupted by Mitch and Jane Turner, an older couple acquainted with Randall’s estranged father. Unexpected bonds form as the couples let loose and enjoy the isolation, but it all takes an ominous turn as increasingly strange environmental phenomena begin to warp their peaceful evening. As the effects of an infection become evident, Emily struggles to make sense of the contagion before it’s too late.

The Beach House is a very slow burn, for the first half anyway, when it plays out as more of a drama focused around these two characters and their dysfunctional relationship. But in the second half it takes off, and once it does it doesn’t stop until the credits are rolling, it’s fast paced and constantly building in its intensity.

You can find my full review here.

03. IMPETIGORE (2020)

Directed by Joko Anwar.
Cast: Tara Basro, Ario Bayu, Marissa Anita, Christine Hakim, Asmara Abigail.
(Available on UK & US)
A SHUDDER ORIGINAL.

Down on her luck, Maya learns that she may inherit a house in her ancestral village. But when Maya returns to the village with her loyal best-friend, Dini, she’s unaware that the community has been trying to kill her to remove the curse that’s plagued them for years. As she unravels the complicated truth of her past, Maya finds herself in a fight for her life.

In short this is a beautiful Indonesian horror that combines horror and mystery in the best way to explore the ways that we pay for the sins of our ancestors and how the past can come back to haunt us.

You can find my full review here.

02. REVENGE (2018)

Directed by Coralie Fargeat.
Cast: Matilda Lutz, Kevin Janssens, Vincent Colombe, Guillaume Bouchede, Jean-Louis Tribes.
(Available on UK & US)
A SHUDDER ORIGINAL.

Jen is enjoying a romantic getaway with her wealthy boyfriend, which is suddenly disrupted when his sleazy friends arrive for an unannounced hunting trip. Tension mounts until the situation abruptly — and viciously — intensifies, culminating in a shocking act that leaves Jen left for dead. Unfortunately for her assailants, Jen survives and reemerges with a relentless, wrathful intent: revenge.

This is a rape-revenge thriller and was Coralie Fargeats directorial debut, and it was stunning. Revenge was one of the most beautiful movies I’ve ever seen, and at the same time one of the hardest to watch.
The cinematography is amazing, the colour palettes are glorious, and the gore is absolutely brutal. This is an intense tale of vengeance and survival that’s definitely not for the faint of heart.

01. HORROR NOIRE: A HISTORY OF BLACK HORROR (2019)

Directed by Xavier Burgin.
Cast: Jordan Peele, Tananarive Due, Tony Todd, Ken Foree.
(Available on UK & US)
A SHUDDER ORIGINAL.

Delving into a century of genre films that utilized, caricatured, exploited, sidelined, and finally embraced them, Horror Noire traces the untold history of Black Americans in Hollywood through their connection to the horror genre.
Adapting Robin Means Coleman’s seminal book, HORROR NOIRE will present the living and the dead, using new and archival interviews from scholars and creators; the voices who survived the genre’s past trends, to those shaping its future.

I would consider this documentary to be required watching for all horror fans, it’s so important and eye opening, and if you do I recommend taking notes because you’ll most likely come away with an entire list of films you want to watch.
I really can’t recommend it enough.

Now, some movies I haven’t seen yet but I’m excited to watch;

01. HOST (2020)

Directed by Rob Savage.
Cast: Haley Bishop, Radina Drandova, Jemma Moore, Caroline Ward, Emma Webb, Edward Linard.
(Available on UK & US)
A SHUDDER ORIGINAL.

Six friends get together during lockdown for their weekly zoom call. It’s Haley’s turn to organise an activity and instead of a quiz, she’s arranged for a Medium to conduct a séance. Bored and feeling mischievous, Jemma decides to have some fun and invents a story about a boy in her school who hanged himself. However, her prank gives license for a demonic presence to cross over, taking on the guise of the boy in Jemma’s made-up story. The friends begin noticing strange occurrences in their homes as the evil presence begins to make itself known, and they soon realise that they might not survive the night.

02. SATAN’S SLAVES (2017)

Directed by Joko Anwar.
Cast: Tara Basro, Bront Palarae, Dimas Aditya, Endy Arfian, Nasar Anuz
(Available on UK & US)
A SHUDDER ORIGINAL.

When a famous singer dies from a mysterious illness, her family feels her presence linger, and a horrifying saga begins. Rini and her siblings care for their sick mother in the countryside, but after the matriarch passes away, evil entities terrorize and even possess the family. To protect her little brothers, Rini traces back the roots of the evil and learns the horrifying truth.

03. TIGERS ARE NOT AFRAID (2019)

Directed by Issa López
Cast: Paola Lara, Hanssel Casillas, Rodrigo Cortes, Ianis Guerrero, Tenoch Huerta
(Available on UK &US)
A SHUDDER EXCLUSIVE

A haunting horror fairytale set against the backdrop of Mexico’s devastating drug wars,​ TIGERS ARE NOT AFRAID follows a group of orphaned children armed with three magical wishes, running from the ghosts that haunt them and the cartel that murdered their parents. Filmmaker Issa López creates a world that recalls the early films of Guillermo del Toro, imbued with her own gritty urban spin on magical realism to conjure a wholly unique experience that audiences will not soon forget.

04. NOROI THE CURSE (2005)

Directed by Koji Shiraishi.
Cast: Jin Muraki, Rio Kanno, Tomono Kuga
(Available on UK & US)
A SHUDDER EXCLUSIVE.

SADAKO VS. KAYAKO director Kôji Shiraishi helms this highly praised, riveting found-footage horror must-see. NOROI takes the form of a documentary by a prominent paranormal journalist named Kobayashi, who went missing shortly after completing it. What begins as an investigation into strange noises soon evolves into the chilling mystery of a demonic entity named Kagutaba, as suspense and terror build steadily to a heart-stopping finale.

05. ALICE SWEET ALICE (1976)

Directed by Alfred Sole.
Cast: Linda Miller, Mildred Clinton, Paula E. Sheppard
(Available on UK only)

A young girl is brutally murdered in a Catholic church before her first communion — all clues point to her sister, Alice. But nothing is what it seems in this shocking horror film.

06. OLDBOY (2003)

Directed byPark Chan-Wook.
Cast: Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae, Kang Hye-jung
(Available on UK & US)

After a drunken night on the town, Oh Dae-su is locked up in a strange, private prison for 15 years. When freed, the once-ordinary businessman is on a quest for answers and a vicious journey of vengeance in Park Chan-wook’s acclaimed, shocking modern revenge classic.

07. M.F.A (2017)

Directed byNatalia Leite.
Cast: Francesca Eastwood, Clifton Collins Jr., Leah McKendrick
(Available on UK only)

An art student taps into a rich source of creative inspiration after the accidental slaughter of her rapist. An unlikely vigalante emerges, set out to avenge college girls whose attackers walked free.

08. PREVENGE (2016)

Directed by Alice Lowe.
Cast: Alice Lowe, Gemma Whelan, Kate Dickie, Jo Hartley
(Available on UK & US)

A pitch black, wryly British comedy from the mind of Alice Lowe, PREVENGE follows Ruth, a pregnant woman on a killing spree that’s as funny as it is vicious. It’s her misanthropic unborn baby dictating Ruth’s actions, holding society responsible for the absence of a father. The child speaks to Ruth from the womb, coaching her to lure and ultimately kill her unsuspecting victims. Struggling with her conscience, loneliness, and a strange strain of prepartum madness, Ruth must ultimately choose between redemption and destruction at the moment of motherhood. PREVENGE marks the directorial debut from Lowe, who is a true triple threat, writing, directing, and acting in the film during her own real-life pregnancy.

09. MONSTRUM (2018)

Directed by Jong-ho Huh.
Cast: Myung-Min Kim, In-kwon Kim, Hyeri Lee, Woo-sik Choi
(Available on UK & US)
A SHUDDER ORIGINAL.

It’s the 16th Century. The plague has taken over and fear runs rampant in the streets. When rumors of a vicious beast roaming Mount Inwangsan — called “Monstrum” by terrified masses — begin to spread, fear turns into panic. In order to quell the rising panic, King Jungjong brings his most trusted general, Yoon-gyeom, out of retirement. Is the creature, Monstrum, real? Or a figment of mass imagination?

10. THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL (2010)

Directed by Ti West.
Cast: Jocelin Donahue, Tom Noonan, Mary Woronov, Greta Gerwig, AJ Bowen
(Available on UK & US)

A stranger lures a babysitter to a house with an unusually large sum of money. But when she arrives, Samantha doesn’t find any kids. Just a large and very creepy house, that may not be as empty as it seems. Indie horror director Ti West (THE INNKEEPERS) made his mark with this terrifying ’80s throwback, featuring cult horror legends like Dee Wallace (THE HOWLING), Mary Woronov (NIGHT OF THE COMET), plus Greta Gerwig — before she hit it big. You’ll never bop around listening to headphones in an empty house again after watching what happens to Samantha.

If you haven’t tried Shudder before I highly recommend giving their 7 day free trial a go.