Shudder is easily the most popular horror streaming app out there right now and thus has the most robust horror library when it comes to streaming services in general. In recent years, Shudder has started acquiring more popular films and is currently home to many you might have overlooked.
While they might not get the flashy Blumhouse releases or Warner Bros. movies immediately, they are quite good at curating an excellent collection of movies we might not otherwise get the chance to watch. If you're looking for something to watch and aren't sure where to start, the following list will help you choose!
Red Rooms (2023)
Pascal Plante skewers the true crime community and makes you think twice about being voyeuristic about real-life murders in this smart and scathing psychological thriller. Kelly-Anne (Juliette Gariépy) is an intelligent young woman who has become obsessive about an ongoing trial for a man accused of torturing and murdering three teen girls.
Because of his trial being open to the public, Kelly-Anne is happy to attend every day in court. There's something downright chilling about her perverse delight in the trial and her digital rabbit holing to find the killer's snuff films on the dark web. It's not hard to think of real-life parallels to be drawn from this film and Kelly-Anne's obsession.
The Rule of Jenny Pen (2024)
John Lithgow and Geoffrey Rush star in this nursing home-set thriller about a deranged man who enjoys terrorizing the patients. After suffering from a stroke, Judge Stefan Mortensen (Rush) is rushed to the nursing home where he meets a long-term resident named Dave Crealy (Lithgow).
Dave pretends to be a sweet and sometimes confused older man, but by night he relishes in tormenting the others, like Stefan, and most of his torment comes from a creepy hand puppet he carries around named Jenny Pen.
The Ugly Stepsister (2025)
With the success of body horror films like The Substance, expect to see a surge in these gory and smart movies. The Ugly Stepsister is the latest in the trend to tackle unrealistic beauty standards and the industry at large, this time through a medieval veil and fairy tale retelling.
Elvira (Lea Myren) is considered "ugly" by her mother, and therefore unlikely to attract the attention of the wealthy prince. Seeking security for her family, Elivra's mom hires someone to help her become beautiful through all manner of barbaric practices like sewn-in eyelashes and eating tapeworms.
Exhuma (2024)
If you're an American with access only to United States streaming services, there is a good chance you missed out on one of last year's best horror movies—the South Korean film Exhuma from writer and director Jang Jae-hyun. Most horror fans know that South Korea is home to several of the genre's best, with The Wailing being a personal favorite.
Exhuma shares some DNA with The Wailing, though the story branches off in a different direction that you might anticipate. The central story centers on the excavation of a mysterious gravesite to appease a real estate developer. With permission from the family, the excavation begins and results in disturbing consequences for those who disturb the grave.
Prom Night (1980)
One of Jamie Lee Curtis's earliest horror movie roles apart from Halloween was playing prom queen Kim Hammond. Struggling with the loss of her sister, who died from a cruel prank, Kim and her friends begin receiving creepy phone calls and a killer starts stalking them.
With Fear Street: Prom Queen now on Netflix and the fact that it is prom season in real life right now, it's an opportune time to revisit this classic slasher.