Waiting for Tales from the Crypt to come to Shudder? Here are 5 Shudder series to watch now
- Carla Davis
- Apr 27
- 4 min read
It’s getting closer, horror fans! Beloved horror series Tales From the Crypt will begin streaming on Shudder May 1, and we are all impatiently waiting for it. You know what would be a great way to kill time while waiting? Watching other great series on Shudder.
The Spooky Series Collection on Shudder includes more than 30 horror series, many of which include multiple seasons. While there is probably no way you could watch every single one of them in less than a week, I’ve pared down the list to five of my own recommendations.
Don’t feel insulted if your own favorites aren’t included on my list. The truth is, I haven’t seen them all, and while others are definitely good (I’m looking at you, Chucky), these were just my favorites.
Creepshow – This Shudder Original anthology series was a continuation of the Creepshow movie, and debuted in 2019. It ultimately ran for four seasons, and each episode featured two different stories. There was also a holiday special and an animated special.
The series played perfect homage to the movie version, and kept to the EC comics style that made that film so special. The infamous Creep even returned to “host” the series. Greg Nicotero (The Walking Dead) was a producer.
Many of the featured tales were based on stories by well-known horror authors such as Stephen King, Joe Hill, Joe R. Lansdale, and J. A. Konrath, and the cast list was pretty impressive as well. Look for appearances by Adrienne Barbeau, Giancarlo Esposito, Tobin Bell, David Arquette, Jeffrey Combs, Anna Camp, Josh McDermitt, Keith David, Ryan Kwanten, Barbara Crampton…I could go on, but I need to leave room for the other 4 series.
The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula – Seasons four through six of this iconic drag/horror competition mashup reality series are available on Shudder, as well as the two-hour Resurrection episode, which was recorded during the COVI crisis.
In Dragula, the contestants compete in challenges, incorporating the four core principles of Drag, Filth, Horror, and Glamour. At the end of each episode, the two lowest-scoring queens have to compete in a extermination challenge that might involve bungee jumping off a bridge, being buried alive, mild electrocution…you get the idea.
High profile guest judges are featured in each episode, with most being well known in the horror community…think Mike Flanagan, Jennifer Tilly, people like that.
Dragula is entertaining, frustrating, thought-provoking, and it’s one of my favorite shows on Shudder.
Some Shudder series began on AMC
The Terror – My husband talked me into watching the first season of The Terror, which originally aired on AMC. On the surface, it looked more historical than horrific – it’s a re-telling of a true story, that of the Royal Navy’s ships HMS Erebus and HMS Terror. The two ships set out in search of the Northwest Passage in 1845.
In reality, both ships were lost at sea, with the remains of Erebus found in 2014, and Terror in 2016. In the series (and in Dan Simmons’s novel, which it was based on), the two ships become trapped at sea in the ice created by a harsh winter. And this series was anything but a boring historical account.
It goes into great detail studying what the men onboard the ships had to endure – starvation, food poisoning, a brutal murderer amongst them, and, most terrifying of all, a huge, violent bear-like creature.
Season two (The Terror: Infamy) is an entirely different story, that of a group of Japanese people forced to stay at an internment camp in Southern California during World War II. While there, they encounter a mythical ghost-like being known as bakemono.
Both seasons of The Terror perfectly blend real-life history with supernatural and paranormal activity, and the upcoming third season (Titled The Terror: Devil in Silver) looks as if it will do the same.
The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs – This is the series that pretty much made Shudder, and it all began with Joe Bob’s 24-hour marathon of “drive-in” movies. The original marathon featured 13 classic horror films such as Sleepaway Camp, Tourist Trap, Sorority Girls in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama, and Basket Case, and so many viewers tuned in that the Shudder servers couldn’t handle the load.
Joe Bob was asked to come back for a series called The Last Drive-In, with each episode presenting two featured films. The films would run for 15-20 minutes, then Joe Bob, Darcy the Mail Girl, and the rest of the motley crew would take over to give viewers trivia, hilarious commentary, and general hijinks.
Shudder recently made the decision to cancel the series after seven seasons, but many episodes are still available to watch. Due to licensing agreements, the episodes come and go, but I recommend che
Guts & Glory – The horror nerds amongst us seem to enjoy behind-the-scenes looks at what it takes to create horror effects, and this series combines that with a reality contest. It’s created by Greg Nicotero, who is of course, the horror special effects and makeup genius behind The Walking Dead.
The players are taken deep into the woods in Alabama and made to compete in challenges, all of which relate to ooey gooey, bloody horror. A player is eliminated after each challenge, and some of the players are not what they seem.
Nicotero himself participates, explaining the challenges to the players and announcing who is leaving each episode. It’s a lot of good fun, and an easy binge at only six episodes.
Whether or not you make the decision to check out my recommendations, you should absolutely explore Shudder’s Spooky Series collection!
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