Shudder streams so many great horror movies that choosing one can be overwhelming. We are here to help you with our list of top ten horror finds on Shudder!
Now that streaming movies is so incredibly easy to do, viewers have multiple options to watch their favorite films anytime and (almost) anywhere. But if you are a fan of horror movies, it’s not always so easy to find your favorite films outside of the month of October…unless you subscribe to streaming service Shudder.
AMC-owned Shudder began as an invitation-only service in 2015, but is now available to anyone with a streaming device. Best of all, it specializes in horror, with a side of sci-fi and supernatural thrillers.
As with other streaming services (such as Netflix), Shudder updates their offerings monthly, adding and removing films from their available library. They have a wide selection of well-known and more obscure horror movies and they offer curated collections. For example, an August addition was the Nightmare on Elm Street collection, featuring the first six films in the franchise, along with the documentary Never Sleep Again.
I am here to recommend the ten essential “must see” horror movies currently available on Shudder. Included on this list are some familiar titles, along with others you may have never heard of. If you’re not currently a subscriber, I’d highly recommend checking it out. They usually offer a free trial period, and you get a discount if you pay for a year, rather than going month-to-month.
Now that you know how to access Shudder, let’s get crackin’!
10. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
After the abysmal box office performance of A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (which Wes Craven was not involved with), a third installment of the franchise was looking doubtful. However, Craven came back on board as co-writer for The Dream Warriors, believing it would be the final sequel.
The Dream Warriors opened in February 1987 and immediately became the #1 box office draw. It ended the year as the highest grossing film for New Line Studios.
In addition to the return of Heather Langenkamp as Nancy, NOES3 featured Patricia Arquette and Jennifer Rubin in their feature film debuts, “Larry” Fishburne, and a cameo appearance by Zsa Zsa Gabor.
The plot was simple, but effective. The children of the parents responsible for torching Fred Krueger years earlier are now committed to Westin Hospital, and are all suffering at the hands…er, knives of Freddy.
Luckily for them, our old friend Nancy is a therapist there. They learn that they can utilize “dream powers” that more or less render them superheroes. After two of the teens are killed in their dreams, the remaining dream warriors go after Freddy to end him once and for all.
While Dream Warriors more or less kept the scary component of the Elm Street movies intact, it also started the franchise on its road towards high camp.
9. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Marketed with the tagline “Who will survive and what will be left of them?”, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre gave us the story of a homicidal, cannibalistic family and the unfortunate young people who encounter them.
Tobe Hooper’s plot was inspired by notorious murderer Ed Gein, who also inspired the plots of Psycho and The Silence of the Lambs. The film was produced at an estimated cost of $140,000, and consisted of mostly unknown actors.
It’s a gritty movie full of hair-raising moments, such as a young woman being hung on a meat hook and a weak and decrepit grandfather feeding from a cut on Sally’s finger. For that particular scene, the fake blood tube was not working properly, and actress Marilyn Burns’s finger was actually cut; so, the blood was real.
Burns was a real trooper, filming in the extreme heat, screaming hysterically and constantly being doused in fake blood. By the end of filming, her costume was so saturated, it could practically stand up on its own.
45 years after its release, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is about as well-known as a horror film can be. Entertainment Weekly magazine listed it as number six on its list of Top 50 Cult Films.
It continues to be a must-see horror movie, and since it’s currently streaming on Shudder, now would be the perfect time to check it out!
8. A Nightmare on Elm Street
This is the movie that inspired seven sequels and a documentary (Never Sleep Again), and cast Johnny Depp in his first film role. Unknown actress Heather Langenkamp plays Nancy Thompson, who starts to dream about a man with knives for fingers.
Her friend Tina has the same dream, and is killed one night when Nancy and her boyfriend are sleeping over. At first, it’s presumed that Tina’s bad-boy boyfriend Rod is responsible, but Nancy’s dreams get worse, and she eventually finds out who Freddy Krueger is.
In one particularly creepy scene, Nancy nods off in class, and sees Tina, standing and encased in a bloody body bag, her hand pawing at the plastic. As she steps into the hallway, she sees the bag lying on the floor with Tina inside, and as she watches, Tina’s legs are lifted by an unseen being, and the bag is dragged down the hall. Brrr…that scene gives me chills every time I watch it!
When Wes Craven wrote Fred Krueger, he decided that he wanted him to wear a mask as so many onscreen killers did, but he also wanted him to be able to talk to his victims, thus the burn scars. Krueger’s name came courtesy of a boy who had bullied Craven as a child.
A remake was released in 2010, but despite its opening weekend gross of $35 million, it dropped 72% on its second weekend. Ultimately, it was unsuccessful.
7. The Changeling
This 1980 film is possibly the best ghost story you have never seen. It stars George C. Scott as John Russell, a composer who moves to Seattle from New York City after the tragic deaths of his wife and young daughter.
He rents a large historical mansion, and almost immediately begins to have strange experiences. They are the typical haunted-house type events: banging noises, the apparition of a boy drowning in a bathtub, and the discovery of a hidden room in the attic, complete with creepy child-size wheelchair.
By the time this scary, suspenseful movie is over, we’ve been introduced to the ghost of a grievously wronged six-year-old boy, who both evokes pity from us and terrifies us with his relentless seeking of revenge.
The Changeling was #54 on Bravo’s 100 Scariest Moments list, for a scene involving a red rubber ball. I won’t describe it to you, since that would deprive you of the pleasure of watching it for yourself. There’s also a hair-raising séance scene that is absolutely terrifying, asking the questions “How did you die, Joseph? Did you die in this house? Why do you remain?”
If you like haunted house horror movies, The Changeling is a must-see film, but don’t just take my word for it. Martin Scorsese put it on his list of the 11 scariest horror movies of all time, and Stephen King cites it as one of the scariest horror movies out there.
6. Eli Roth’s History of Horror (series)
This 8-episode series ran on AMC last October, and I highly recommend it for anyone who has affection for horror films. Producer / director / occasional actor Eli Roth (Cabin Fever, Hostel) has loved horror since he was a child, and his passion comes through every time he talks about the genre.
In this docu-series, a different sub-genre is explored in each episode, focusing on zombies, slashers, vampires, demons, ghosts and the like. Roth also interviews such horror notables as Stephen King, Rob Zombie, Quentin Tarantino and Greg Nicotero.
While Eli Roth’s History of Horror is essential for the well-rounded horror fan, it also serves as a great introduction for anyone who is just dipping their toe into the genre. There are many great recommendations here if you want to know which horror movies have set the bar the highest over the years.
Most of the classics are covered here: Nosforatu, Night of the Living Dead, The Birds, Dracula, American Werewolf in London. But, you’ll probably also learn about horror movies you weren’t familiar with.
Shudder also offers the podcast Eli Roth’s History of Horror Uncut, which consists of the full, uncut interviews from the television series. Featured are interviews with super-stars such as Bruce Campbell, Tippi Hedren, Tony Todd and Edgar Wright (as well as the legends listed in the second paragraph). The Stephen King interview is amazing, and it’s fun to hear Eli and the King of Horror completely geek out over their favorite horror movies.
5. Summer of ’84
This 2018 Canadian film is part Goonies, part Silence of the Lambs. It’s a movie that starts out as one type of film, and ends up as something entirely different.
Esquire named it one of the scariest movies of 2018, and it was Shudder’s #2 biggest premiere last year, with only Mandy beating it. It deserves the accolades, it’s a movie that throws a few unexpected fast balls right at your face.
Fifteen-year-old Davey and his three best buds are enjoying a typical summer. When the local paper receives an anonymous letter from someone claiming to be responsible for the disappearances of thirteen boys in nearby Cape May, Davey starts to suspect his neighbor Mr. Mackey. Even his friends don’t take him seriously, especially since Mackey is not only popular, but also a police officer.
His friends finally start to believe him when Davey sees a boy in Mackey’s kitchen whose face later shows up on a milk carton, and the boys start their own investigation. They go through Mackey’s trash, dig in his back garden and follow him around, trying to prove that he is the kidnapper, while also navigating their own teenage lives.
Davey and his former babysitter Nikki have a little flirtation going on, Woody takes care of his alcoholic mother, Eats is dealing with parents who fight constantly. It’s easy to get lulled into the coming-of-age side of this film, but then things take a sudden, very nasty turn.
Suffice it to say, we don’t recommend watching this one when you are home alone.
4. Black Christmas
Without 1974’s Black Christmas (AKA Silent Night, Evil Night), John Carpenter’s Halloween may never have happened; Carpenter has cited it as the inspiration for his own holiday-themed slasher flick. Both films are also similar in that there is very little blood present, despite the brutal murders.
Another interesting fact: Black Christmas was produced and directed by Bob Clark, who wrote and directed the beloved holiday classic A Christmas Story.
Black Christmas opens during a Christmas party in a sorority house, where most of the girls are getting ready to depart for the holiday. What they don’t know is that a strange man is hiding in their attic.
The girls have been receiving some disturbing and phone calls, but pretty much laugh them off. After drunk Barb (Margot Kidder) mouths off to the caller, he threatens to kill her, upsetting Claire, who leaves the party in a huff. When she goes to her room to pack, she is attacked and suffocated with a plastic bag.
In the most chilling scene, we see Claire’s body in a rocking chair in front of the attic window. The plastic bag is still on her face, her mouth open in a silent scream, as the chair rocks. Brrrr….
Nothing good comes from a killer hiding in a house full of young women, so you can guess what happens next. Though the plot may sound familiar, Black Christmas is special, so you owe it to yourself to watch it at least once in your life. Who knows? Maybe it will become your new Christmas tradition!
3. Halloween
It’s only fitting that we follow up Black Christmas with its sister in crime, the original Halloween. Though followed by numerous sequels and a remake, there is nothing quite like John Carpenter’s autumnal slasher flick.
Carpenter wrote, scored and directed the film for a whopping $10,000, and the screenplay was written in about ten days with the assistance of then-girlfriend Debra Hill.
Unknown actress Jamie Lee Curtis played Laurie Strode, and veteran actor Donald Pleasence played Dr. Sam Loomis, who was bound and determined to catch Michael.
What set Halloween apart from other slasher flicks? For one thing, these were characters you actually cared about, not just disposable, slutty teenage girls. And then there was Michael Myers. We first see him as a small boy in a clown costume, and when he returns to Haddonfield years later, he is a grown, very relentless man wearing a mask.
Halloween is often cited as the first slasher to have a “final girl” – a trope that is now present in nearly every horror movie involving females. And, despite the many murders committed by Michael Myers, little blood is splattered on-screen.
Whatever the draw, Halloween was a huge success, and 40 years later, it is still THE movie to watch on Halloween night.
2. Revenge
Buckle up and take a good stiff drink before watching this Shudder Exclusive. It’s a bumpy, bloody, action-packed ride, and it’s not for the weak of heart (or stomach…did we mention it’s bloody?).
Beautiful Jen and married boyfriend Richard take a helicopter to his home in the desert for a little weekend getaway before Richard goes on a hunting trip with his two friends. The two friends show up early, however, and they all party by the pool that evening.
The next morning, while Richard is out on an errand, one of his friends rapes Jen, and when her boyfriend returns, he tries to buy her off so she won’t report it. Jen runs off, the men pursue her, and things escalate to the point where she is left for dead.
Unluckily for the men, Jen’s not dead, just seriously injured and very, very pissed. When the three men return for her body, they are surprised to find it missing, and they set out to find her.
Jen’s transformation is a sight to behold, she goes from vapid Barbie doll to relentless, revenge-seeking warrior, her hair so saturated with blood that it’s not even blond anymore. It probably goes without saying that not all of the characters make it out alive, and you should be prepared to see some graphic violence and lots of gore along the way.
1. Hell House LLC
Independent horror movies can be a real crap shoot, since they are prone to bad special effects and acting performances, but when they are good, they are great. Hell House LLC is one of the great ones; all you have to do is Google reviews to see how much people in the know love it.
A found-footage film, HHLLC was released straight to streaming platforms in November of 2016. As of now, it has never been shown on the big screen, although there are plans to show it on a limited number of screens in select cities next month.
The staff of Hell House LLC produces an annual Halloween haunted attraction each year, but in October of 2009, things went horribly wrong. That’s the year the haunt was held in the abandoned Abaddon Hotel. On opening night, what’s described as “an unknown malfunction” occurred, leaving 15 staff members and tour-goers dead.
Five years later, a documentary crew gets a huge break when the last surviving staff member turns up with previously unseen footage. It seems a lot of the Hell House preparations were recorded, and may just tell us what actually happened on that fateful night.
This is one creepy movie, and some of the footage is just plain scary, particularly scenes involving a life-sized terrifying clown figure. I recommend watching Hell House LLC with friends, rather than alone!
A sequel was released as a Shudder Exclusive last year, and a third installment is expected to release on Shudder before the end of the year.
What horror movies available on Shudder round out your Top 10? Keep the conversation going in the comments section below!