10 more Shudder Originals/Exclusives you should watch

As soon as my first article recommending lesser-known Shudder Originals was published, I started remembering others that I have loved over the seven years I have been a subscriber. I felt so bad about leaving them out that I decided to pull together another list, and suddenly I had ten more!

I personally get really frustrated when people start haphazardly trashing Shudder for anything original that they create. There is a distressingly large number of folks out there who proclaim they will cancel their subscription if The Last Drive-In ever gets cancelled. And look – I LOVE Joe Bob Briggs and his Shudder Original Series…but I have found so many great films since I first subscribed. So I just urge everyone to take a chance on the originals. And don’t give up if you don’t like the first one or two you check out. Some are definitely better than others, but refer to my first article and to this one if you want to know what I recommend as a horror fan who enjoys all of the sub-genres.

Tried and true horror movies are good, but it’s also good to discover new horror, especially if it brings something different to the table. And many Shudder originals and exclusives do just that.

Anything For Jackson – Audrey and Henry are deeply grieving the sudden loss of their grandchild Jackson, and are willing to do anything to get him back…including becoming Satanists and casting a spell to place Jackson into a new womb to be reborn. Tod do so, they kidnap a young pregnant woman, holding her hostage in their home. This film contains plenty of horror, but also a good deal of dark humor and some pretty shocking moments you won’t see coming.

One Cut of the Dead – I absolutely adore this 2017 Japanese movie, made on a very low budget. A crew filming a low budget zombie horror film is suddenly invaded by “real” zombies. I hesitate to say much more, because One Cut of the Dead is best experienced by going in blind. Suffice it to say, as soon as you think you know what’s going on, everything changes – in the best possible way. I recommend watching it as it was presented on The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs, because JB imparts us with delightful trivia AND gives a fantastic speech at the end. And let me just say this: I watched One Cut of the Dead with a giant smile on my face throughout. It’s a lighter but still fantastic option for those who don’t want to watch something dark.

Superhost – Bradon Christensen (Z, Night of the Reaper, The Puppet Man) wrote and directed this bloody horror/comedy, which sees Claire and Teddy, two travel vloggers, struggling to raise their subscriber numbers. They rent a vacation property from “bettylou52”, who turns out to be a little – let’s just say off kilter. Her over-the-top level of energy and her apparent need to get a high rating leads the couple to believe that she will be great material for their vlog. While they are right about that, they have no idea what she is really capable of. Sara Canning and Osric Chau are solid, but it’s Gracie Gillam who completely steals this film with her unsettling maniacal smile and crazy persona.

Terrified – Not to be confused with Art the Clown’s popular film, Terrified is an Argentine film that is dark, brutal and shocking. It contains one of the most genuinely scary scenes I can ever recall seeing onscreen, wherein the corpse of a child is sitting at a table with a bowl of cereal. The film takes us to a neighborhood in Buenos Aires, where multiple homes are experiencing deadly haunting activity. A police detective and some paranormal experts try to find the cause, but whatever is going on is relentless. Be prepared for some bloody paranormal violence.

The Dark and the Wicked – This grim and very dark tale is one of my favorite Shudder Originals, and really deserved a theatrical release (which didn’t happen because of COVID). Michael Abbot, Jr. and the fantastic Marin Ireland (Birth/rebirth, The Boogeyman) are adult siblings who are concerned about their mother and their dying father. When they return to their parents’ farm in Texas, their mother urges them to leave shortly before some shocking and terrifying events come about. Take this film’s title as a warning, and don’t expect a warm and fuzzy ending.

The Mortuary Collection – A horror anthology film, The Mortuary Collection includes four tales and a frame story. It begins at the Raven’s End Mortuary, where a young woman questions the mortician (Clancy Brown) about a small coffin. He begins to tell the woman some tales of death, ranging from the 1950s to the 1980s (which is the time setting of the frame story). There’s a gross-out story of frat boys, the tale of a man who is desperate to end his dying wife’s suffering, karma is enacted on a woman who steals from people at a restaurant, and finally, the story of The Babysitter Murders.

The Sacrifice Game – Jenn Wexler (The Ranger) co-wrote this film with Sean Redlitz. It’s a Christmas horror story involving an all girls’ school called Blackvale Academy, which is nearly empty because of the holidays. The only students remaining are Clara and Samantha, who are overseen by their teacher Rose and her boyfriend. A group of four killers show up to terrorize the small group, set on summoning a demon. But the demon worshippers are in for a big surprise.

Tigers Are Not Afraid – As I said, I love many different horror sub-genres, but if I had to pick a favorite, I would probably select emotional horror. That’s where Tigers Are Not Afraid would fit in. In a Mexican city that has been greatly effected by the drug war, a group of street orphans get into hot water when on of them, Shine, steals a gun and iPhone belonging to a criminal. One of the orphans is Estrella, who is haunted by the ghost of her mother, who was a victim of human trafficking, and another is Morro, who has a stuffed tiger. If you like your horror to have a deep, heart wrenching storyline, this is the film for you.

Vicious Fun – Joel has an unrequited crush on his roommate Sarah, and follows her new boyfriend Bob into a bar. Joel ends up passing out drunk in a supply closet, and when he wakes up, he stumbles out and ends up in the midst of a self help group meeting for serial killers. Once he grasps that he is in mortal danger, he plays along, claiming to be a cab driver who kills passengers. Violent, funny, and self aware, Vicious Fun is – well – viciously fun!

When Evil Lurks – Demian Rugna (who also wrote and directed Terrified) created this one, which is another pitch black horror film. When a man possessed by a demon manages to escape the two brothers attempting to remove him, the possession becomes an epidemic, affecting both people and animals. Pedro and Jaime realize the danger they and their families are in, and plan an escape, but it may be too late. This is another very dark film, so make sure you are prepared before watching.