Shudder is the one-stop shop for everything horror, with an assortment of classics and the streamer’s originals alike. There are arguably more deep cuts than mainstream pieces of iconic cinema, but the good thing about deep cuts is that plenty of them are quite worthy of discovery. The streaming platform offers horror fans a near-unrivaled collection that caters to all tastes, with some great genre releases that can be viewed with the click of a button (and a subscription).
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What binds these movies is that they have a certain macro-scale appeal. So, while they’re either above average or excellent, no niche fare like Audition, Basket Case, Cannibal Holocaust, Cemetery Man, Color Out of Space, Demons, Ginger Snaps, Hell Night, In a Violent Nature, Intruder, Nightbreed, Nosferatu (1922), Piranha, Possession, Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale, Rawhead Rex, or The Toxic Avenger. Also, comedies in general didn’t apply, so apologies to Werewolves Within. But, if you haven’t already, give these movies a shot.
10) Alligator
Alligator functions as both a fantastically fun creature feature and a movie that can actually be taken seriously (though not too seriously). It’s unfortunate that it didn’t set the box office on fire because it ends with an opening for more, yet nothing ever came of it.
For those who love Crawl or Jaws, this is a movie to watch. And, while it is rated R, there’s nothing too rough in it that makes it a non-starter for family movie night, provided the family is down for a monster movie. If looking at the poster or even just hearing the title makes you think “Oh great another dumb monster movie” think again, because this was written by John Sayles, who went on to direct some quite serious fare and, even so early in his career, shows an ability to balance a tongue-in-cheek analysis of greed with the gnashing teeth the title promises.
9) Arcadian
Shudder has a few recent Nicolas Cage movies. And, considering Cage is one of the more universally liked actors, they’re worthy of a mention. However, Color Out of Space, Mandy, and Prisoners of the Ghostland are all pretty niche, and Ghostland isn’t quite worth a watch anyway.
Arcadian, however, has a pretty wide appeal. This 2024 film is a post-apocalyptic horror thriller with a tone not entirely unlike Bird Box, which was something that attracted many viewers for Netflix. And, boiled down to its most basic part, it’s the story of a father just trying to keep his two sons alive, which is the type of plot that alienates no one. As for the Cage factor, it’s one of his best performances in recent years, even if his work in Mandy is way more entertaining.
8) Black Christmas
Released in 1974, four years before the debut of John Carpenter’s Halloween, Black Christmas was one of the integral sections of the slasher subgenre’s foundation. It’s a genuinely terrifying movie and, like with Jaws, it accomplishes its frights by showing very little. All it requires is its mid-’70s ominous visual palette, some startling POV shots, and the most terrifying phone calls in cinematic history.
For the most part, Black Christmas is a serious film, but it also came from Bob Clark, director of A Christmas Story, Porky’s, and Baby Geniuses, so it does have comedic beats, helping to keep it from being too overwhelming. Furthermore, unlike Porky’s, it’s aged well. And, unlike Baby Geniuses, it’s intentionally scary. For those who have seen either of its awful remakes (Black X-Mas in 2006 and Black Christmas in 2019) and passed on watching the original, be aware that neither of them is remotely similar in tone, narrative, or adeptness in construction to this film.
7) Day of the Dead
One of the more thought-provoking horror films of the ’80s, Day of the Dead was once seen as a disappointing conclusion to George A. Romero’s iconic zombie trilogy (which later had three middling to outright poor films follow it). But it deserves to be rediscovered, because it’s arguably as solid as the more famous and beloved Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead.
What’s great about the “Dead trilogy,” as it were, is that none of its three entries relegate themselves solely to zombie carnage. They all have something on their minds. In the case of Day of the Dead it’s how people react in a crisis after they have been facing that crisis for a while. Spoiler alert: they’re humans, so they turn on each other like sharks who sense one another’s blood in the water.
6) Dog Soldiers
An underrated horror film that should have started a franchise, Dog Soldiers is the 2000s’ best werewolf film. Werewolves are still a horror movie staple, and the internal conflict faced by their lupine (or lupines) is typically quite intriguing.
Dog Soldiers flips the script a little bit. It’s essentially a military action movie with a bunch of werewolves in it. At this point, it’s mostly known in the horror aficionado community, but it has the type of appeal that could easily expand out of that group and make it a hit on streaming. It also has Liam Cunningham in a prominent role, and considering he became a recognizable talent on a worldwide scale courtesy of Game of Thrones, the average viewer would see at least one face they recognize.
5) Halloween
A film that essentially kicked off an entire subgenre of copycat films, some of them quite good, Halloween was nothing short of a box office juggernaut and a cultural touchstone. And, of all the movies on Shudder, it’s likely the one that the most people have seen.
And, for the few who haven’t, get on it, because it’s as great as its sterling preceding reputation would seem to indicate. And, if you want more Michael Myers afterwards, Shudder also has Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers. Just know that, while Halloween 4 is excellent (though nothing compared to the original), Halloween 5 is about as forgettable as a movie can get. And if you want more Jamie Lee Curtis-starring scares, the streamer also has Prom Night.
4) House on Haunted Hill
In the late ’90s and early aughts, Back to the Future director Robert Zemeckis produced a pair of remakes of films by horror legend William Castle: House on Haunted Hill and Thirteen Ghosts (while Ghost Ship and Gothika kept with the spirit of those but were originals). They can be avoided. The original House on Haunted Hill, however, is still creepy even over 65 years later.
What makes House on Haunted Hill a must-watch, however, is that it’s arguably the most iconic Vincent Price film. At this point in time, viewers are most likely to know Price as Edward Scissorhands’ creator in the film of the same name. And, considering that the movie came out over 30 years ago, audiences today might not even know him from that. That’s a shame, because like Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff, he’s one of the most important actors in horror history. There’s a reason Michael Jackson enlisted him to provide a monologue for “Thriller.”
3) Hush
Mike Flanagan is now established as quite possibly the preeminent adapter of Stephen King material, and there are few authors as beloved and respected on a macro-scale as King. Therefore, it would do just about every film fan well to watch one of his earliest and best efforts.
That would be Hush, which he made three years after Oculus became a minor hit in theaters. Hush, however, seems to have mostly gone under the radar, save for fans of the horror genre. But it’s a wonderfully tense single-location chiller, and the vast majority of viewers would find merit in it on movie night.
2) The Babadook
One of the 2010s’ most important horror films, The Babadook is a masterclass in tension built through minimalism. It’s also, at its core, the tale of a single mother trying to protect her child. So, like with Arcadian, its core narrative is something that appeals to most viewers.
When watching The Babadook you’ll feel as though you’re watching something wholly original, even when there are plot developments or scare techniques that have been seen elsewhere. It’s a movie with a fantastic performance by Essie Davis, and, for those who avoid low-budget movies, this is one well worth your time and attention. It’s extremely well-crafted, doesn’t rely on jump scares, and has a compelling mother-son dynamic at the center.
1) The Others
The Others was one of the early aughts’ best ghost stories, with at least one scene that was just born to play in trailers. Not to mention, Nicole Kidman (who has expressed interest in revisiting this project) is fantastic here.
On top of the visual tone and effective twist, what makes this film so great is it can be shown to younger budding horror fans. It’s very much a PG-13 film, with nothing that will make parents feel as though they have to turn off the television quickly.
