FanSided celebrates 15 years: 15 best picks on Shudder
By Carla Davis
Cursed Films (docu-series) – This Shudder series just began its second season, but you can still catch the first five-episode season. Cursed Films explores the legends, truths and myths behind so-called cursed films, including The Exorcist, The Omen, Poltergeist, The Crow and Twilight Zone: The Movie. Go into the series prepared to get all the feels as you hear the stories behind the deaths of Brandon Lee and Heather O’Rourke. Then prepare for the impact of watching Victor Morrow and two child actors as a stunt helicopter slams into them during the filming of Twilight Zone: The Movie.
The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula (series)- As of April 18, you will be able to watch all four seasons of this drag-competition-with-a-horror-twist, plus the Resurrection special. Join Dracmorda and Swanthula as they guide a group of “uglies” through the most entertaining and terrifying drag competition ever. At the end of each episode, two competitors are forced to undergo an extermination challenge, and the loser doesn’t just get sent home – they are killed off in inventive ways.
Color Out of Space – Fans of cosmic and body horror should get a thrill out of this creepy, trippy flick, which stars Nicolas Cage as Nathan Gardner, in one of his trademark bonkers performances. When the Gardner family moves to Nathan’s father’s farm, strange things start happening. After a meteor lands on the property, the water develops an odd appearance, youngest son Jack (Julian Hilliard) starts seeing and hearing things in the well, and something horrible happens to the alpacas.
One Cut of the Dead – One of the most creative zombie comedies ever, this Japanese film was made on a budget of around $25,000, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. To date, it has earned over a thousand times its original budget. It starts with the filming of a zombie film, and then it takes an unexpected twist. And just when you think you know what’s happening, there’s another twist. I refuse to give anything away, but this is what I always tell people about this film: I watched the entire thing with a huge smile on my face. It’s that good.
A 2020 issue of Time magazine named Shudder original Host as one of the “17 Great Movies You May Have Missed This Summer.”
Host – Filmed (and set) during the beginning stages of the pandemic via Zoom, this is another incredibly creative film. A group of friends, bored during lockdown, decide to hold a virtual seance. Unfortunately, they don’t heed the warning given to them by Seylan, the medium who is guiding them through it, and each of the participants feels the effects in horrifying ways. Writer/director Rob Savage recommends watching Host on your computer while wearing headphones. Having done so, I can say that it definitely increases the scare factor.