Shudder is like Netflix for horror fans: Here’s everything you need to know
We live in an age of ever-expanding choices for streaming movies and TV shows that make it easy to view content on our smartphones, tablets, PCs and big-screen televisions. While bigger services like Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime Video might get a lot of attention, there are plenty of niche streaming services too. A perfect example of such a service is Shudder.
For fans of the horror genre, Shudder is one of the best streaming services. It has a ton of classic, obscure, indie and more recent horror films and TV shows. It also has a small but growing list of exclusive movies and TV series as well. That includes the recently launched Creepshow, the new series based loosely on the 1982 anthology film that was written by Stephen King and directed by George Romero.
So, what is Shudder? Here’s everything you need to know about the service.
What is Shudder?
As we explained before, this premium streaming service is made for a horror fans. There are thousands of movies and TV episodes to check out, from horror, thriller, sci-fi, and other related genres. The service also has many of its movies curated into special collections by well known horror movie and TV show creators and fans. Shudder was first launched in 2015 by AMC Networks. It’s the same media company in charge of the cable TV networks AMC, IFC, SundanceTV and WeTV.
Where is the service available?
At the moment Shudder is available in the US, the UK, Ireland, and Canada.
How much does it cost to subscribe to Shudder?
In the US, it costs $5.99 a month, or you can sign up for an annual subscription for $56.99, or $4.75 a month. In Canada, it’s available for $4.99 a month. You can sign up directly on the official Shudder site. or you can sign up on your Amazon Prime Video, Roku or Google Play account.
Can you get Shudder for free?
New customers can try out the service free for seven days before their credit or debit card is charged. You can cancel before the trial period ends and pay nothing. In addition, you can sample a selection of Shudder’s content at any time on the Shudder.tv website, which constantly streams various movies and TV shows from the network.
What platforms and devices are supported?
You can watch content from the service on the official Shudder website if you are on a desktop or notebook PC. There are also Shudder apps available for Android and iOS mobile devices. Apps are also available on Amazon Fire TV sticks, set-top boxes and Fire OS TVs, along with Roku sticks, set-top boxes, and TVs. In addition, the service is available on the Apple TV set-top box, along with Chromecast dongles and TVs. Finally, you can sign up for the service on YouTube TV and on Microsoft’s Xbox One.
Does Shudder support 4K or 1080p streaming?
Unfortunately, Shudder does not currently support 4K streaming of movies and TV shows, in fact it doesn’t even support 1080p. The official Shudder support site claims that most movies are streamed at 720p resolution, with some at 480p.
What download speeds are recommended for the service?
Shudder recommends that your internet connection should have download speeds of at least 6Mbps for a smooth video streaming experience.
Does Shudder support downloads of TV shows and movies for offline viewing?
Unfortunately, there is no support for downloading movies or TV episodes from the service at this time.
How many devices can the service support for streaming on one account?
Technically, just one stream on one device is supported for Shudder customers on one account. However, if you sign up for the Shudder add-on on either YouTubeTV or on Amazon Prime Video, you can get around this limitation. Both services support streaming on three devices at once.
What movies and TV shows are available on Shudder?
Horror fans will find a ton of great horror and horror-related movies and TV shows to stream on Shudder. They include classics like the original Halloween, Hellraiser, and Phantasm. You can also check out more obscure older films like C.H.U.D., Chopping Mall and OldBoy. Finally, there are some great recent horror moves on the service that you might want to check out, like Found Footage 3D, Pod, and The Void. You will also find a few documentaries about great horror films and film makers on the service.
What original and exclusive movies and TV shows are on the service?
Shudder is slowly but surely growing its library of original and/or exclusive horror-themed movies and TV shows. Here are just a few examples:
- The Ranger – a movie about a psychotic killer who dresses as a park ranger to kill young people at a secluded park.
- Sequence Break – A film centered on a man who encounters a strange video arcade machine that is not what it first seems.
- Mandy – Nicolas Cage stars in this movie, which centers on a man who has to defend his wife against a cult who want to possess her.
- The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs – The former host of TNT’s Monstervision is back as an exclusive series on Shudder. Joe Bob hosts this series of great, and sometimes odd, horror movies and gives his always interesting and funny facts and observations.
What is Creepshow on Shudder?
Creepshow is perhaps the biggest and most ambitious exclusive original series on Shudder to date. As we said before, this is based (sort of) on the 1982 anthology movie of the same name. That movie came from two horror masters; writer Stephen King and director George Romero. The new series is being produced by Greg Nicotero, who visited the set of the first Creepshow movie when he was a teenager. Later he created makeup effects for Romero, including for its sequel Creepshow 2. Today Nicotero is best known for his makeup, producing and directing work on the hit zombie TV show The Walking Dead.
Nicotero keeps the spirit of the original Creepshow movie alive with this series. Each of the 12 short films are shown in 6 episodes. They are supposed to scare you, with some over-the-top horror tales that would not be out of place in the old 1950’s EC horror comics that inspired both the movies and the show. Some of the shorts themselves are based on stories from horror masters like Stephen King himself, along with his son Joe Hil, Joe R. Lansdale and more.
Cast members for the Creepshow episodes include horror veterans like Adrienne Barbeau, Tobin Bell, Bruce Davison, David Arquette, and Tricia Helfer. You can watch new episodes of Creepshow every Thursday, from now until October 31 (yes, that’s Halloween).
That’s everything you need to know about Shudder. What movies and TV shows will you be streaming on the service?
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