By-bye, 2020: Start the new year with Shudder

Every new movie and show coming to Shudder in January 2021

Shudder has just the thing to chase away those residual 2020 blues, with their first monthly schedule of 2021.

If there was ever a year that fully represented horror, it was 2020, right? Shudder feels your pain, so they have rolled out some great picks for the new year.

January 4:

Super Dark Times – Take the title at its word – this is a dark tale. Four teenage boys, including best friends Zach and Josh, are hanging out at Josh’s house one afternoon. While snooping through his Marine brother’s room, the boys find a katana and decide to play around with it, which results in a horrific accidental death. Super Dark Times is set in the 90s and focuses on how differently Zach and Josh handle the aftermath of the incident. This is a really good film but definitely be prepared for its seriousness. Also available in Canada, UK and ANZ.

Fingers –  Amanda is obsessed with physical imperfections in herself, as well as in others. When one of her subordinates shows up at work missing a finger, she goes off the deep end. Also available on Shudder Canada, UK and ANZ.

January 9:

A Discovery of Witches Season 2 (Shudder Original series) – Matthew and Diana must hide back in time in Elizabethan London. In search of a witch to instruct Diana in the art of magic, they must still evade the enemies searching for them. Also available in Canada.

January 11:

Before the Fire – When a global pandemic hits, Ava Boone must flee LA, where she is starting to make it big as an actor. She returns to the rural town she grew up in, but soon finds herself and her family threatened by someone from her past. Also available in Canada, UK and ANZ.

CUB – In this 2014 Belgian film, 12-year-old Sam is regularly bullied by the other boys in his Cub Scout troop. When the scouts camp out, Sam senses there is something bad in the woods, but of course, no one believes him. Spoiler alert: Sam is correct, and the others are idiots.

The Pit – Another bullied child film, The Pit introduces us to Jamie, whose only friend is his evil teddy bear, Teddy. Commanded by Teddy, Jamie traps his bullies in a pit filled with man-eating troglodytes.

Celia – This 1989 Australian horror film tells the story of a young girl in rural Australia. Celia is prone to violent fantasies during the Red Scare of the 1950s. Also available on Shudder Canada and Shudder UK.

 January 14:

Hunted (Shudder Original) – This film debuted in October at the Nightstream Film Festival, a virtual festival that combined a handful of existing horror fests, including Overlook and Popcorn Frights; festivals that were canceled this year due to COVID-19. A mild flirtation at a bar leads to Eve literally fighting for her life, as she tries to escape two men chasing her through the forest. Described as a brutal take on the tale of Little Red Riding Hood, the events in Hunted lead to Eve not just wanting to escape, but to seek revenge as well. Also available in Canada, UK and ANZ.

January 18:

Collection: Starring Peter Cushing – Shudder celebrates the great Peter Cushing, whose screen career began in 1939 with his appearance in The Man in the Iron Mask. Although he played Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars, he is best known for the numerous Hammer horror films he appeared in.

This collection includes And Now the Screaming Starts, Asylum, The Beast Must Die and The Flesh and the Fiends (also available on Shudder Canada).

January 19:

The Wolf House – In this animated film, Maria escapes from a cult by hiding out in a house in Chile. There are two pigs at the house, and they slowly begin to become human as the house transforms. Are these magical events brought about by the leader of the cult? Also available in Canada.

January 21:

The Walking Dead: World Beyond (all episodes) – The newest series in The Walking Dead universe follows young people who were raised during The Zombie Apocalypse. Two sisters and their friends set out on their own, believing they know what dangers await them.

January 25:

Nightbreed – Aaron regularly has visions of horrific monsters, and his shady therapist tells him he may be a serial killer. When he goes to Midian to hide out, he finds that it is inhabited by undead monsters known as the Nightbreed. Also available on Shudder Canada.

Rawhead Rex – A demon has been hanging out in hell, just waiting to be released. When some unsuspecting farmers remove a stone column, they disturb the seal, allowing Rawhead Rex to be unleashed. Also available in Canada.

January 26:

The Untold Story – When a bag of decomposing limbs washes up on the beach in Macau, police are able to identify one as belonging to Cheng Lam’s mother-in-law. Lam owns the Eight Immortals Restaurant, known for its delicious pork buns. See where this is headed? Also available in Canada.

The Woman – This 2011 horror film has some big names behind it; it’s adapted from Jack Ketchum’s novel and directed by Lucky McKee (May). A man imprisons a woman in his cellar, forcing his wife and kids to torment her. Unluckily for the family, the woman has some cannibalistic traits. Also available on Shudder Canada and UK.

January 28:

The Queen of Black Magic – Director Kimo Stamoel (Headshot) and writer Joko Anwar (Impetigore) bring us this Indonesian horror film. When a man brings his family to the orphanage where he was raised, he and his old friends find themselves threatened by someone using black magic to seek revenge. This is described as a “reimagining” of an earlier film with the same title. Also available in Canada, UK and ANZ.

Are you happy to start off the new year with Shudder’s January schedule? Which additions are you most looking forward to? We want to hear all about it in the comments section.