With the halfway to Halloween mark coming up, horror fans are probably expecting Shudder to roll out a killer lineup in April. But, surprisingly, the March schedule looks really solid, and it’s packed with a lot of exciting new content.
There’s a lot to love in the March schedule, but we are here to break down the five most exciting titles that we have noted. Let’s unpack it and take a look!
Bloody Axe Wound – Wow, everything about this one makes me think it’s going to be a success. It’s produced by Jeffrey Dean Morgan and his wife Hilarie Burton Morgan (The Walking Dead), it features Billy Burke (Outbreak) and Molly Brown (Dexter: Original Sin), and the comedy-horror plotline sounds really entertaining and bloody. Heck, Jeffrey Dean Morgan even puts in an onscreen performance.
Abbie Bladecut’s dad (Burke) wants her to carry on the family business…but this isn’t an ordinary business. Dear old Dad has made a lucrative living filming murders and then selling the tapes. Abbie is all set to prove herself to her Dad, but then she gets sidetracked when she falls hard for Sam.
The trailer for Bloody Axe Wound looks like this is going to be a fun ride, with plenty of kill scenes and loads of gore. It will be available to watch on Shudder March 21.
The Evil Dead and Evil Dead (2013) - This will be one heck of a double feature! Both the original 1981 The Evil Dead and the 2013 remake will be on Shudder in March. In The Evil Dead, Ash (Bruce Campbell) and his friends take an ill-fated trip to a cabin in the woods, where they discover a Necronomicon in the cellar. When they play a tape, it summons up a demonic force, and the group is in for one helluva night.
The remake stars Jane Levy (Don’t Breathe) as Mia, a young woman determined to fight her heroin addiction. Her brother David, his girlfriend and two friends join Mia in – you guessed it – a cabin in the woods, where she plans to kick her habit cold turkey. Of course, they find the Book of the Dead in the cellar, and read an incantation aloud, which calls forth the demonic force.
Both films are over-the-top gory (in the reboot, it literally rains blood), but the original is heavier on the camp. Each has its merits, and Evil Dead is the rare remake/reboot that it is just as strong in its own way as the original. If you care to make it a trilogy, Army of Darkness will also be streaming on Shudder in March.
Both films will be available to watch on March 15.
The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs season 7 – Joe Bob Briggs is one of the reasons I originally subscribed to Shudder, and I have been a fan since the original marathon. Through six seasons, Joe Bob, Darcy and TLDI crew have brought fans all types of drive-in horror films – Hard-core (Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer), campy (Troma’s War), classy (The Changeling), delightful (One Cut of the Dead), and even non-horror (Angel). Each film is given the full JB treatment, with trivia and fun facts, special guests and always Joe Bob’s entertaining rants.
This season is a bit different, with only one episode per month, but we are back to double features (season six was weekly, but only film was shown per episode), and the season will run all year long.
I already have TLDI penciled in for its premiere episode on March 7. I can’t wait to see which two films will be featured!
The Rule of Jenny Pen – This may be the best film debuting on Shudder in March. It stars two powerhouse actors, John Lithgow and Geoffrey Rush, and the trailer looks super-creepy, so I am in!
Stefan (Rush) suffers a stroke that leaves him paralyzed, and ends up in a nursing home. He soons finds out about longtime resident Dave Crealy (Lithgow), who enjoys tormenting the other residents with his creepy doll Jenny Pen. Stefan is determined to stop Crealy, and the two head for a violent showdown.
The Rule of Jenny Pen hit big on the film festival circuit, and Lithgow and Rush were each given the best actor award at Sitges.
The Rule of Jenny Pen will hit Shudder on March 28.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle (March 1) – Fans of writer Shirley Jackson (The Haunting of Hill House) are probably familiar with the novel We Have Always Lived in the Castle, and this film adaptation is very faithful to the book.
Taissa Farmiga (American Horror Story) is Merricat Blackwood, a quiet, timid young woman who lives in the family home with her older sister Constance and their ailing Uncle Julian. They have shared the home for the past six years, after the rest of the family died by poisoning. Constance was originally blamed for the deaths, but she was acquitted, and has not left the house in the years since.
Merricat is content with their secluded life, but all of that chances with the appearance of their charming cousin Charles, who sets out to woo Constance (and acquire the family fortune). As shocking truths begin to emerge, the Blackwoods have to contend with angry townspeople, who have always thought Constance was guilty.
We Have Always Live in the Castle will be available to stream on March 1.