Movies
The Best Horror You Can Stream on Shudder in February 2024
Shudder keeps it creepy all year, so it’s always fun to see what they add to the roster while other streamers take their foot off the gas pedal. This February line-up feels like I curated it. I’m excited to make people watch my comfort film, a movie I loved that’s finally off the festival circuit, and some titles I need to cross off my own watch list. Let’s get into all the gifts the app is giving to any horror fan with a subscription.
Shudder keeps it creepy all year, so it’s always fun to see what they add to the roster while other streamers take their foot off the gas pedal. This February line-up feels like I curated it. I’m excited to make people watch my comfort film, a movie I loved that’s finally off the festival circuit, and some titles I need to cross off my own watch list. Let’s get into all the gifts the app is giving to any horror fan with a subscription.
The Best Movies to Stream on Shudder This Month
Werewolves Within (2021)
A new forest ranger must protect a small group of townsfolk from a creature trying to snack on them during a snowstorm. This werewolf-horror-comedy-whodunnit-video game adaptation had no business being this damn good. It’s one of my favorite comfort watches, and I have lost count of how many times I have watched it. I own a digital copy, but I will always hit play when it hits a new streamer because of tradition. I also love this film because Sam Richardson is the leading man after years of us all begging to move him from the funniest supporting actor to front and center. Although, the entire ensemble is stacked and includes Milana Vayntrub, Harvey Guillén, and Michaela Watkins. Get into it now!
You can watch Werewolves Within on February 1st.
Body Bags (1993)
Three short scary stories that involve a serial killer, a bad hair transplant, and a baseball player are tied together. John Carpenter and Tobe Hooper direct this horror anthology. If that doesn’t get you excited, then you might be broken. I love anthologies and John Carpenter’s work, so it’s embarrassing that I haven’t seen this yet. Thanks to Shudder, I have no excuse not to cross it off my bucket list this month. I’m ready to see if it wrecks my current rankings of horror anthologies and makes me sleep with a light on.
You can watch Body Bags on February 1st.
Bad Girl Boogey (2022)
Sixteen years after their mother was murdered by a masked killer, Angel’s friend meets the same fate at the hands of someone wearing the same mask. I was late to the Alice Maio Mackay fan club, but I’m loud now that I have arrived. I caught Alice’s T Blockers last year, and it gave me hope that the new horror kids will be okay. Because I’m a fan of slashers, I’m excited to see what that subgenre looks like with Mackay’s aesthetic. I missed Bad Girl Boogey at festivals last year, so I am grateful Shudder is allowing me to finally see it.
You can watch Bad Girl Boogey on February 12th.
The Psychic (1977)
A woman has a vision of her death. I’m trying to give myself a crash course in Giallo because it’s one of my weaker areas. So, I love that Shudder is giving me another Lucio Fulci film to inject directly into my eyeballs. This one is giving me Eyes of Laura Mars vibes, so I feel a double feature coming. A contest to determine who saw it better if you will.
You can watch The Psychic on February 12th.
Moon Garden (2022)
A 5-year-old girl in a coma must travel through a dangerous land to wake up. I have been waiting forever for this movie to hit a streamer. I saw it in a fest years ago and was blown away by its steampunk nightmare vibes. This movie is about three moods in a trench coat. I will aggressively appear in inboxes to make the squad check it out. The design team fully snapped, and Teeth (played by Morgana Ignis) is one of my new favorite monsters. Do yourself a favor and throw this on when you need to hug your inner moppet and look at some cool pictures.
You can watch Moon Garden on February 26th.
Whenever I think I can’t love Shudder anymore, they give me a few of my favorite things. I’m excited to ignore people and snuggle up to these titles this February.
Movies
The Best Horror You Can Stream on Shudder in November 2024
Shudder knows the holiday season is hard, so they are coming out of the gates swinging. Who has time to fight with their family when there are days of new creepy content to watch this winter? Whether you are finishing the latest season of The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula, or checking out the five new Shudder Originals and Exclusives, that is just the tip of the iceberg for this beloved streamer. They are adding tons of throwback films, deep cuts, and international horror that I need in front of my eyeballs posthaste. Check out my top five picks below and know there is way more where they come from.
Shudder knows the holiday season is hard, so they are coming out of the gates swinging. Who has time to fight with their family when there are days of new creepy content to watch this winter? Whether you are finishing the latest season of The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula, or checking out the five new Shudder Originals and Exclusives, that is just the tip of the iceberg for this beloved streamer. They are adding tons of throwback films, deep cuts, and international horror that I need in front of my eyeballs posthaste. Check out my top five picks below and know there is way more where they come from.
The Best Movies to Stream on Shudder This Month
The Creep Tapes (Shudder Original Series)
The Creep Tapes will continue giving us glimpses into the mind of a serial killer who lures videographers to their doom with the promise of a paid job. Creep is one of the few found-footage franchises that I am obsessed with. Like many people, I had hoped Mark Duplass and Patrick Brice would give us another movie. So, I was pleasantly surprised they decided to make a series instead. Not only will we have the honor of seeing Duplass get weird weekly, but I also recently discovered that Josh Ruben will be in the building for at least one episode. My expectations are through the roof, but I think these weirdos (complimentary) will meet and surpass them.
You can watch The Creep Tapes starting on November 15th. New episodes will stream every Friday until the December 13th season finale.
Doc of Chucky (Shudder Original Film)
This Shudder Original is marketed as the ultimate account of the Child’s Play franchise. It charts the journey from humble beginnings to becoming the world’s most beloved killer doll. I am a Chucky stan account. So, I will run toward any documentary about Charles Lee Ray. However, this one is well-timed because Chucky was recently unjustly canceled after three killer seasons. Shudder is also adding all but the first film in the Child’s Play /Chucky franchise this month to mark the occasion. The streamer also has all three seasons of the show, which was the best horror series of the millennium. So, when we finish watching the documentary, we still have days of Chucky content in one place.
You can watch Doc of Chucky on November 1st.
Rita (Shudder Original Film)
13-year-old Rita flees a neglectful home and lands in a state-run orphanage. Her appearance gives the other girls hope as they believe it is a sign of a prophecy coming true, and they begin to plan their escape from their oppressive environment. This Shudder original is a fantasy film based on a tragic true story of brave orphans whose fight for survival led to a nationwide outcry for justice and reform. I expect to cry a lot while watching Rita. The holiday season is the appropriate time to do that, so the timing is immaculate. I also expect to fall into a research rabbit hole after watching because I am unfamiliar with this story.
You can watch Rita on November 22nd.
Tokyo Gore Police (2008)
A young woman in a privatized police force searched for her father’s killer while combating mutants. This movie came out in 2008, and I still have not seen it. So, I am grateful Shudder is allowing me to fix this oversight. It feels like Tokyo Gore Police will change my life and become my new personality. I am already rooting for this woman who is about to kick mutant ass in a futuristic Tokyo. Also, the fact that the trailer flags it as inappropriate and forces you to consent to watching it confirms this is about to be a moment. I cannot wait to check it out and stop being left out of the conversations.
You can watch Tokyo Gore Police on November 4th.
Tragedy Girls (2017)
Two death-obsessed teens decide to drum up content for their online show by murdering people and sending their small town into a frenzy. Tragedy Girls is one of the best horror comedies that has ever happened to me. What other movie has Alexandra Shipp, Brianna Hildebrand, Josh Hutcherson, Craig Robinson, Kevin Durand, and Jack Quaid on the cast list? I am still upset the rumored series fell through because I needed more time with the girls. This movie is one of the funniest, coolest, and most delightful slashers I have ever seen. It also holds a special place in my heart because I am forever begging for more Black girl slashers!
You can watch Tragedy Girls on November 4th.
Shoutout to Shudder for giving us a reason to be thankful this November! I plan to live on the streamer this month and soak up all the deadly fun. If my top five picks are not enough proof that you need to park it on the app, open Shudder and see the horrific wonderland for yourself.
Movies
The Paranormal Activity Franchise, Ranked
The iconic Paranormal Activity franchise began as a low-budget exploration of the Very Bad Thing that happened to Katie (Katie Featherston) and her asshole boyfriend Micah (Micah Sloat) over the course of a couple nights in their San Diego home, where they are being haunted by a demonic presence. However, after setting the world on fire both in terms of its reputation as a terrifying motion picture and a return on investment, the original 2007 found footage movie quickly expanded into a sprawling franchise that now includes multiple members of Katie’s extended family, more than half a dozen movies of varying quality, and a timeline that even Christopher Nolan would say was too complicated.
The iconic Paranormal Activity franchise began as a low-budget exploration of the Very Bad Thing that happened to Katie (Katie Featherston) and her asshole boyfriend Micah (Micah Sloat) over the course of a couple nights in their San Diego home, where they are being haunted by a demonic presence. However, after setting the world on fire both in terms of its reputation as a terrifying motion picture and a return on investment, the original 2007 found footage movie quickly expanded into a sprawling franchise that now includes multiple members of Katie’s extended family, more than half a dozen movies of varying quality, and a timeline that even Christopher Nolan would say was too complicated.
Need a primer on the lore behind the Paranormal Activity franchise? Check out our HORROR 101 article here!
The Entire Paranormal Activity Franchise Ranked
How varying is that quality, you ask? Well I’m glad you spoke up, because I happen to have the ultimate, definitive ranking of the franchise prepared for you right here, so why don’t we take a look…
#7 Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin (2021)
It’s hard enough for an installment to be a six-years-later, direct-to-streaming, continuity-light movie in a deeply interconnected franchise that used to have entries hit theaters like clockwork. Unfortunately, this movie made it even harder on itself by spitting on its own found footage conceit at every turn, haphazardly cutting to different, impossible camera angles and frequently incorporating non-diegetic music that breaks the reality of the franchise at every possible turn.
#6 Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (2015)
For six years, The Ghost Dimension stood as the purest example of how to misunderstand what to do with the Paranormal Activity franchise before Next of Kin came and ate its lunch. It largely ignores the franchise’s established characters and storylines in favor of nonsensical world-building slathered in a 3D gimmick that doesn’t work even a bit. However, it is set at Christmas, which does give it a little bump over Next of Kin, because one thing that almost every horror fan seems to be hard-wired to appreciate is a movie that can be used as subversive seasonal viewing.
#5 Paranormal Activity 4 (2012)
Paranormal Activity 4 is goofy. The front-and-center use of an XBOX Kinect camera dates the movie something fierce, even more than the installments that are explicit period pieces. While it is the last of the “pure” Paranormal Activity movies, it ultimately suffers from severely diminishing returns and doesn’t seem to have an idea of how to continue the ongoing story of the franchise in a satisfying way, or one that makes all that much sense.
#4 Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)
While this is hardly an issue more than a decade after the fact, Paranormal Activity 3 is a case study in how disappointing a movie can be when all the good parts from the trailer end up on the cutting room floor before the finished product actually hits theaters. This installment is the hardest to objectively rank. The oscillating fan camera provides one of the best scare sequences in the franchise, certainly. However, the fact that the movie has so many conspicuously pulled punches should still count against it, and the finale sets up a narrative throughline that, while promising, never really pans out in a satisfying way in future installments.
#3 Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (2014)
The Marked Ones is proof positive that focusing on characters who aren’t related to Katie can indeed work out, if you can actually find something unique to do with them. It has a similar structure to the franchise outing Curse of Chucky, actively eschewing continuity until it reveals that it is very much in continuity, to the delight of many fans. However, with or without the franchise connections, the movie is a jack-in-the-box thrill ride filled with engaging characters that puts a unique spin on the franchise’s core premise and shakes some of the doldrums out of a series that was already showing its age at that point in its run.
#2 Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)
Paranormal Activity 2 is the platonic ideal of a Paranormal Activity sequel. It ups the ante considerably. More people in the house, more cameras, higher stakes (there’s a baby in peril). However, it still takes its time and utilizes the original movie’s patented slow, slow burn, not overindulging the audience with whiz-bang effects. It still primarily lets your imagination fill in the gaps of what’s going on in the lurking shadows of this suburban home.
#1 Paranormal Activity (2007)
Look, there’s a reason this movie made more money than a gym membership office on New Year’s Day. It’s extraordinarily effective at every single thing that it’s doing, from the small stuff, like presenting you with a believable suburban couple, to the big stuff, like setting Ouija boards aflame and chucking bodies through the air as you watch a series of seemingly minor unsettling happenings rip that couple apart before your very eyes. The movie is the ultimate home invasion, not only violating the ways we are supposed to feel safe in our own homes, but causing the very laws of physics, logic, and human behavior that govern that safe space to betray us.