Shudder in May: Summer is scary with Eli Roth, The Ranger and more

Good news, horror movie streaming service Shudder will continue to bring us Joe Bob Briggs throughout the month of May. They also have more movies, exclusives and originals on the schedule, so let’s take a look, shall we?

Fridays 9:00 p.m.: The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs (series) –  Every Friday evening on Shudder, Joe Bob and Darcy the Mail Girl present a live-streaming double feature. In April, they presented C.H.U.D., Castle Freak, Deathgasm, Society, Madman and The Changeling (to name a few), what might May bring? Just a personal note here, I had a huge grin plastered on my face when Joe Bob sang the theme song to Madman IN ITS ENTIRETY live, it was a priceless few moments.

May 1:

Bad Dreams – Produced by The Walking Dead’s Gale Ann Hurd, this 1988 film stars Jennifer Rubin (A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors) as Cynthia, a young woman who awakens after being in a coma for the past 13 years. As a child, she was part of a cult that committed mass suicide by fire, and she was the only survivor. After regaining consciousness, she suffers from horrible flashbacks, and patients at the psychiatric hospital where she is being held start dying under mysterious circumstances.

Doomsday – A deadly virus erupts in Scotland, and a wall is built to quarantine it. When the virus creeps into London, a special forces team is sent into Scotland to find Dr. Kane, who may hold the key to a cure. The team has only 48 hours to find Kane, and must deal with marauders and cannibals to do so.

Fear – Reese Witherspoon stars as 16-year-old Nicole, who is swept off her feet by the charming David (Mark Wahlberg). When David’s affection becomes obsession, the relationship becomes dangerous. CSI’s William Peterson is Nicole’s protective father, who is determined to fight for his daughter.

Shudder May – Fear – Courtesy Imagine Entertainment

The Other – Based on the novel by Thomas Tryon, this 1972 psychological thriller tells the story of 10-year-old identical twins Niles and Holland. When townspeople start dying left and right, their Grandmother Ada begins to suspect there’s evil afoot.

Predestination – Ethan Hawke is a “Temporal Agent”, a time traveler sent to stop catastrophic events before they happen. His final assignment is to track down the one criminal who has continued to evade him.

May 3:

Eli Roth’s History of Horror Uncut (podcast) – This podcast was set to debut in March, but was abruptly taken down after the first episode aired. I was fortunate enough to hear the episode (the full interview with Stephen King, taken from Roth’s AMC series), and I am really excited that I can now listen to the entire series. The King interview was fantastic.

Shudder May – Eli Roth’s History of Horror – Courtesy AMC

May 6:

Bloody Birthday – Three children are born in a hospital at the same time during a solar eclipse. On their tenth birthday, they begin murdering people, including their own families.

May 9:

The Ranger (Shudder Original) – Some punk teens run into the woods to hide from police, only to be terrorized by a crazed park ranger. The Ranger debuted at Fright Fest, and word is that it is comparable to 80’s and 90’s slasher flicks.

Shudder May – The Ranger – Courtesy Hood River Entertainment

May 13:

V/H/S/2 – A mashup of found footage and anthology, this above-average sequel consists of five different stories. The best of these is the terrifying Safe Haven, set in an Indonesian cult.

V/H/S: Viral – I haven’t seen the third V/H/S film yet, but it consists of four stories. This time around, we meet a deranged magician, travel through a portal into a parallel world, and see the tale of teenage skateboarders who become embroiled in a Mexican cult.

May 15:

White God – This Hungarian film premiered at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. A dog named Hagen, much-loved by 13-year-old Lili, is abandoned on the side of the road by Lili’s father. Hagen becomes part of a dog fighting ring, and ends up in a pound, where he leads the other dogs in a revenge-fueled plot to get back at the humans who have harmed them.

Shudder May – White God – Courtesy Proton Cinema

May 16:

Stan Lee’s Lucky Man Season 3 – Harry Clayton is a cop who possesses the ability to control luck, thanks to a bracelet he owns. In this season, Harry travels to Hong Kong, where he meets his strongest nemesis yet.

100 Bloody Acres – This Australian horror/comedy has been compared to Shaun of the Dead, and stars Angus Sampson (Insidious) and Damon Herriman (who played Dewey Crowe on Justified). Reg and Lindsay are brothers who own a fertilizer business. They use a special ingredient when manufacturing their fertilizer: human bodies.

Effects – Filmed in 1979, Effects was only placed in limited theatrical release due to problems with the distributor. Crew members filming a low-budget slasher flick begin to think they may actually be filming a snuff film when accidents start happening. Horror movie geek alert: The legendary Tom Savini created the make up effects, AND he appears in the movie!

May 23:

The Night Shifter (Shudder Original) – If you are able to communicate with the dead, is a morgue really the best place for you to be employed? It seems to work for Stenio, who covers the aptly named graveyard shift. But when the dead start to reveal secrets about Stenio himself, he releases a  curse.

Once again, Shudder brings on the horror that most streaming services are lacking, and I intend to “Shudder and chill” throughout the month of May.

What about you, are you a Shudder subscriber? Which of the May offerings are you most excited about? Let me know in the comments section.