Shudder brings us a cool horror line-up for a hot August
By Carla Davis
Shudder has a jam-packed August in store for us, with a Last Drive-In sleepover, all three Japanese Ring movies and some Shudder originals.
July 30:
Host (Shudder Original) – Shot remotely during the COVID-19 shutdown, Host is about a group of friends who hold a séance via Zoom. Apparently, this film was even directed remotely by Rob Savage. (Also available on Shudder Canada and Shudder UK)
August 1:
Squirm – This 1976 horror classic brings us an invasion of carnivorous worms, created by the power surge from a downed electrical line. Trivia alert: The special effects were created by the great Rick Baker. (Also available on Shudder Canada)
Urban Legends: Final Cut – This 2000 sequel involves a killer in a fencing mask, who stalks and murders the cast and crew of a student thesis film. The subject of the film: a serial killer whose murders are fashioned after urban legends.
August 3:
Amityville 1992: It’s About Time – The sixth film in the Amityville franchise was released in – you guessed it – 1992, and went straight to video. An architect returns home from a visit to Amityville with a clock he found in an old house. Hmmm…wonder what house that might be? Soon after the clock is placed on the family’s mantel, strange things start to happen.
August 6:
La Llorona – Note that this is not The Curse of La Llorona, The Conjuring Universe film. La Llorona is about a Guatemalan General who is being charged with the massacre of thousands of Mayans several decades ago. When a group of protestors threaten to invade his home, his wife, daughter and granddaughter retreat within. Complicating matters, a ghostly presence seems to be punishing the General’s family for his crimes. (Also available on Shudder Canada and Shudder UK)
August 10:
Ring – Here it is, the 1998 Japanese horror film that led to the American remake The Ring in 2002. A reporter investigating a mysterious video tape said to result in the death of anyone who watches it is in a race against time as she tries to save herself and her little boy.
Ring 2 (Spiral) – This sequel to Ring was released in Japan at the same time as Ring, but each film had its own director and screenwriter. After finding a note in the abdomen of his dead rival, a pathologist is drawn into the world of the mysterious video tape that kills all who watch it.
Ring 0 (Birthday) – The third entry into the Japanese series of Ring films is actually a prequel set 30 years prior to Ring. We are introduced to Sadako as a teenager who was abandoned by her father after her mother’s suicide. She joins a theater company, but suffers frightening visions. When other members of the troupe begin dying, a young reporter begins to investigate. (All three Ring films will also be available on Shudder Canada)