Horror streaming service Shudder is celebrating “Halfway to Halloween Month” in April, and bringing back two popular series: Creepshow and The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs.
Fans know that Shudder offers a Halloween Hotline during October, but now we are getting the Halfway to Halloween Hotline in April, with Shudder Director of Programming Samuel Zimmerman giving us personalized movie recommendations.
There’s a lot to cover for Shudder in April, so let’s jump right into it!
April 1:
Creepshow Season 2 (Also available on Shudder CA, UKI and ANZ) – The second season of Shudder’s original series, based on the beloved Stephen King/George Romero film, is something fans have been looking forward to for quite some time. The series would have aired sooner were it not for COVID-19, but now we can look forward to appearances by the likes of Kevin Dillon, Josh McDermitt, Keith David, Justin Long, Barbara Crampton and Molly Ringwald. The first episode airs on April 1, with new episodes airing each Thursday thereafter.
Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula (Shudder Exclusive, also available on Shudder CA) – If you haven’t seen the South Korean zombie film Train to Busan, you will now have the chance to redeem yourself, while also seeing the two additional films in the trilogy. As of April 1, all three films (including the animated second film, Seoul Station) will be available to stream. Peninsula introduces us to Jung-seok, a soldier who comes upon survivors of the zombie apocalypse. If this third installment is anything like the first, be prepared for emotional devastation.
Night of the Lepus – A 1972 cult classic, Night of the Lepus is…well, it’s about mutated killer rabbits, there’s no other way to state it. Night of the Lepus features Janet Leigh, Rory Calhoun, Deforest Kelley and Stuart Whitman, and it seems its main claim to fame is the laughable special effects. This sounds like a perfect film for the new season of The Last Drive-in, right?
The Haunting of Julia – Julia Lofting (Mia Farrow) splits from her husband and moves to London after her daughter’s death. She finds a great, fully-furnished house that just happens to have a room full of children’s items, and soon discovers that her new home is haunted by the ghost of a little girl.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (Also available on Shudder CA) – A look at the poster for this sequel lets you know right away that this is a parody film (it’s a horror-centric homage to the poster for The Breakfast Club). Leatherface and his family return, hoping to dine on a sexy disc jockey. TCM2 features several genre favorites, such as Caroline Williams, Bill Moseley, Dennis Hopper, and there’s even a cameo appearance by Joe Bob Briggs.
April 2:
The Val Lewton Collection – This collection includes films from legendary writer and producer Val Lewton: Cat People, Curse of the Cat People, The Leopard Man, I Walked With a Zombie, The Seventh Victim, Isle of the Dead and The Body Snatcher.
Halfway to Halloween Hotline – Beginning April 2, and continuing each Friday during the month from 3:00 p, – 4:00 pm ET, Shudder subscribers are invited to call Shudder’s director of programming, Samuel Zimmerman. After a conversation about horror, Sam will give customized recommendations for which films to watch. A new phone number will be announced each week on Shudder’s social media platforms. Shudder adds this note: **While recommendations are provided for free, please note that normal phone and long-distance charges may apply. Call volume is expected to be high, so please keep trying if a busy signal is received. There are no guarantees that every call will be answered, but Sam will get through as many as he can within the hour.**
April 5:
Don’t Panic (Also available in CA) – Michael gets an awesome gift from his best friend on his seventeenth birthday: a Ouija board! Nothing says “you’re my best friend and I want to give you a gift that will summon the demons of hell” like a Ouija board, right? It’s the gift that keeps on giving, as Michael soon finds out.
Zombie for Sale (Also available in CA and UKI) – A Korean pharmaceutical company is performing human experiments that go horribly wrong, as a test subject escapes. The undead subject ends up at a gas station, and the family that owns the station must come up with a plan.
April 8:
The Power (Shudder Exclusive, also available in CA, UKI and ANZ) – A training nurse reports for her first day at the East London Royal Infirmary, where nearly all patients and staff have been evacuated. Val not only has to work the overnight shift in the nearly empty hospital, she also must fight off the evil forces she encounters.
April 12:
The McPherson Tape (Also available on Shudder CA, UKI and ANZ) – This 1989 found footage piece is set in 1983, as a man videotapes a child’s birthday party. This being found footage, the tape keeps rolling, even after a UFO is found, and one of the space ship inhabitants gets into the house.
Alex de la Iglesia Double Feature (Also available in CA) – This addition features two films from the Spanish master of horror, who you may know as the co-writer of HBO Max’s 30 Coins. In The Day of the Beast, a priest, a Death Metal record store clerk and a tv psychic must work together to defeat Satan and stop the coming Apocalypse. In Dance with the Devil, Rosie Perez and Javier Barden are a couple who deal in human sacrifice and kidnapping.
April 15:
The Banishing (Shudder Original, also available in CA, UKI and ANZ) – When a reverend and his family move into a manor in England, they find themselves battling a vengeful spirit. In order to save their daughter, the reverend and his wife must rely on black magic. The Banishing comes to us from director Chris Smith (Creep, Severance, Triangle).
April 16:
The Last Drive-in with Joe Bob Briggs (Shudder Original Series) – Joe Bob and Darcy are back for their third season, bringing more double features, along with trivia, games and hijinx. Fun fact: the hashtag #TheLastDriveIn trends in the top 10 on Twitter during the premieres of each episode and special, sometimes even reaching the number 1 spot. If you’ve never watched this 100% fun series, this is the perfect time to start.
April 18:
2021 FANGORIA Chainsaw Awards (Also available in CA, UKI and ANZ) – Legendary horror magazine FANGORIA brings us the Chainsaw Awards each year, and for 2021, Shudder will join in on the gory fun. Hosted by actor/writer David Dastmalchian, this year’s nominated films include the likes of Freaky, Relic, Color Out of Space and The Invisible Man.
April 19:
The Stepfather (Also available on Shudder CA) – When Susan (Shelley Hack) marries Jerry (Terry O’Quinn), she thinks she has found happiness. But, her teenage daughter Stephanie dislikes her stepfather, and it turns out that she has the right idea. Jerry has a violent past, and Susan and Stephanie will have to fight to prevent history from repeating itself.
Thale – While Elvis and Leo are cleaning up a horrific crime scene, the two find a secret passage. Better yet, within that passage, they find a beautiful woman named Thale, who cannot speak, but sings instead. When Thale’s captors come after her, Elvis and Leo must do their best to protect her, and themselves.
The Conspiracy (Also available on Shudder CA) – In this Canadian found footage film, two filmmakers are working on a documentary about Terrance G, a conspiracy theorist. When Terrance disappears, the two decide to investigate and solve the mystery.
Housebound (Also available in CA) – A young woman on house arrest must remain in her childhood home, while being tormented by something evil.
April 22:
Boys From County Hell (Shudder Exclusive, also available in Canada) – Local legend has it that Bram Stoker spent a night in a pub in the Irish town of Six Mile Hill, and that it is also home to the gravesite of a vampire known as Abhartach. Eugene and his fellow workers on a construction crew demolish a cairn that most believe to belong to Abhartach, and find themselves fighting an evil presence.
April 26:
In Search of Darkness: Part II (Shudder Exclusive Documentary) – This continuation of 2019’s In Search of Darkness digs even deeper into 1980s horror movies. At over four hours long, the second installment includes interviews with Robert Englund, Linnea Quigley (The Return of the Living Dead), Tom Savini and Nancy Allen (Dressed to Kill).
The Similiars (Also available in CA) – In 1968, severe weather has temporarily halted all transit, and a group of eight people are stuck waiting at a remote depot. Among the group are a pregnant woman who has left her abusive husband, a man trying to get to his wife (who is giving birth), the stationmaster, a restroom attendant and an elderly woman.
The Diabolical – This sci-fi/horror film stars Ali Larter as a single mom, trying to protect her two children from a strange apparition. Is the apparition a ghost, or might it be something extraterrestrial?
Attack of the Demons (Also available on Shudder CA) – This one sounds intriguing, it’s an animated film is set in a small town in Colorado, where mutating demons have attacked during a film festival. Three friends band together to stop the upcoming demon apocalypse.
April 29:
Deadhouse Dark (Shudder Original Series, also available in CA, UKI and ANZ) – Deadhouse Dark is an anthology film consists of six interconnected stories. A woman gets a “mystery box” from the dark web, and each item within it tells a chilling tale inspired by modern technology trends, including vloggers and dash cam footage.
Horror Express (Also available in CA, UKI and ANZ) – Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing star in this 1972 film. It’s 1906, and an anthropologist is travelling on the Trans-Siberian Express to Moscow, bringing with him the frozen remains of a primitive ape-like creature. Oops, the creature thaws and wreaks havoc.
I don’t know about you, dear readers, but I am putting several of these films on my must-watch list!
Excited about some of Shudder’s additions for April? Tell us which films you are most eager to watch in the comments section.