FanSided celebrates 15 years: 15 best picks on Shudder

The Power – In 1974 London, there were regularly scheduled blackouts due to a coalminers’ strike, and its during this time that we meet Val, a young nurse in training. Val is reporting for her first day at a huge old hospital, and ends up working a double shift, meaning she has to work overnight during the blackout. After most of the staff is gone for the night, things get all supernatural. To quote my own review: “It’s chock-full of creaking doors, long, dark hallways, disjointed whispers and all of the other things that make a ghost story scary.”

The Boy Behind the Door – Young filmmakers David Charbonier and Justin Powell (The Djinn) wrote and directed this tense horror thriller, about two best buds who are kidnapped and locked in a car trunk. Kevin is taken inside a big house, and  Bobby manages to escape the trunk, but instead of running to safety, he decides to save his best friend, risking his own life in the process.

In Search of Darkness: A Journey into Iconic 80s Horror (parts I and II) – This incredibly thorough and comprehensive deep dive into horror films of the 1980s is a must-see for fans of the time period. It’s fast paced, only spending a few minutes on each selection, and includes commentary from horror legends such as John Bloom (AKA Joe Bob Briggs), Tom Atkins, Doug Bradley and Barbara Crampton.

Slaxx – If you’ve been watching too many dark, disturbing horror films, this is honestly the perfect movie to wash that depressing taste out of your mouth. I mean, it’s about a possessed pair of jeans in a super-trendy, high-end store, just the description makes you smile, right? A group of employees are locked in the store overnight in order to prepare for the release of the company’s newest product: jeans that conform to the wearer’s body shape. Bloody mayhem ensues.

The Cleansing Hour – A unique and original take on the possession film tropes, The Cleansing Hour stars Ryan Guzman as Father Max, who performs exorcisms regularly on the livestream show he created with friend Drew. When the actress they hired for their most recent exorcism doesn’t show up, Drew’s girlfriend Lane is persuaded to step in. It soon becomes clear to both men that Lane is not acting, she has actually been possessed by a demon. As the demon forces the two men to confess the horrible deeds they have committed, a more sinister truth emerges.

So, there you go, friends, some good Shudder horror for you to watch! It was very difficult to narrow the list down to only 15, and I have no doubt that I will spend the next few days thinking of films and series I should have included.

We want to know which Shudder films and series are your favorites, tell us about them in the comments section.