Best Horror Movies on Shudder Right Now (Updated April 2024)

Alligator (1980)

This 1980s creature-feature was one of many films made in the shadow of Jaws, which is to say, giant animals eating people, but it's among the best of that ilk. Simple in its practice of course, a giant alligator gets loose in a city and causes havoc, Alligator is anchored by two great characters with the late Robert Forster as the prematurely balding Detective David Madison and Robin Riker as Marisa Kendall, a herpetologist. The pair come together in more ways than one and find themselves on the hunt for the alligator. Combine that with both a giant practical alligator mechanic but also miniature sets using real alligators and you've got a real winner of a 1980s horror gem.

Directed by Lewis Teague
Starring: Robert Forster, Robin Riker, Michael V. Gazzo, Dean Jagger, Sydney Lassick, Jack Carter, Perry Lang, and Henry Silva.

The Autopsy of Jane Doe

The breakout film from Norwegian filmmaker André Øvredal is a tight one-location horror film that is packed with surprises and plenty of jump scares that may catch the most seasoned viewers off guard. Emile Hirsch and Brian Cox play a father-son mortuary team that have one last body to inspect before calling it a night, and Jane Doe's body is unlike anything either have ever seen. An easy sell because of its fun, old school style horror, this movie is only made better by the fact that Brian Cox never phones in a performance.

Starring: Emile Hirsch, Brian Cox, Ophelia Lovibond, and Olwen Catherine Kelly.
Directed by: André Øvredal

Cursed Films

Though technically a television series on Shudder, Cursed Films (and Cursed Films II) are essential viewing on the streamer. In each episode a different famous movie with an alleged "curse" is examined by the filmmaker, including notable entries like Poltergeist, The Crow, The Exorcist, and Twilight Zone: The Movie. Despite its name, the crux of the series is to actually completely dispel the notion of anything supernatural with regard to the tragedies that happened on these sets or in the aftermath of the film's release, instead presenting a sobering experience about the people at the heart of these things and how urban legends can take on a life of their own.

Directed by Jay Cheel

Day of the Animals

Animal attack movies have not been the same since they started using CGI versions of violent beasts, so Day of the Animals is one of the ultimate entries in the subgenre. When the Earth's ozone layer begins to deplete, it drives animals in a high altitude town crazy, causing them to...attack. This movie rules, plus you get a rare instance of Leslie Nielsen stretching his serious actor chops. Can you believe a movie where The Naked Gun star says "I use my head all the time, a lot of people use their butts," isn't supposed to be a comedy?

Directed by: William Girdler
Starring: Christopher George, Leslie Nielsen, Lynda Day George, Richard Jaeckel, Michael Ansara, Ruth Roman, and Jon Cedar.

Deadstream

This found-footage horror film found a great new way to revive the format in the 2020s. Imagine a philanthropic internet personality, one that made a name for himself thanks to giving away money and his viral videos. Got it? Now imagine he loses everything and in an attempt to get back to his former glory begins to broadcast live from a haunted house. Now imagine that the house doesn't take too kindly to him doing this. Equal parts funny as it is scary, Deadstream is a unique horror film well worth the ride.

Directed by Joseph & Vanessa Winter
Starring: Joseph Winter, Melanie Stone, Jason K. Wixom, Pat Barnett Carr, Marty Collins, Perla Lacayo, Cylia Austin-Lacayo, Hayden Gariety, Ariel Lee, Jaxon Harker, Jeremy Warner, Brenden Bytheway, and Doug May.

DEMONS

Horror fans love a good meta movie, and Lamberto Bava's possession/zombie movie delivers on that front while also bringing some truly wild gore to the table. Set in a movie theater where young college students are invited to watch a mysterious new movie, when, naturally, all hell breaks lose as people transform into monsters and attempt to rip each other apart. For any younger fans that want a taste of 1980s horror, Demons is as good of a starting place as any.

Directed by Lamberto Bava
Starring: Urbano Barberini, Natasha Hovey, Karl Zinny, Fiore Argento, Paola Cozzo, Fabiola Toledo, Nicoletta Elmi, Stelio Candelli, Geretta Geretta, and Bobby Rhodes.

Fade to Black

In an online world where film fandom is king, sometimes you need the reality check about your own movie obsession. Fade to Black is a masterful horror movie about a film geek taking things too far. He dresses as his favorite violent movie characters to kill his victims, all while pining over a woman because she resembles Marilyn Monroe. It's a hidden gem of the era, and one that might serve as a gentel reminder.

Directed by Vernon Zimmerman
Starring: Dennis Christopher, Tim Thomerson, Gwynne Gilford, Norman Burton, Linda Kerridge, Morgan Paull, James Luisi, Eve Brent, John Steadman, Marcie Barkin, and Mickey Rourke

Fried Barry

This South African horror film is an insane tour-de-force of debauchery, gore, and drugs. Fried Barry is as if Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Crank, and Mandy were ground up into a powder, snorted through a straw made from the tunnel scene in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and into the nose of Under the Skin. Star Gary Green puts in a tremendous performance as an alien trapped in a man's body, delivering the best performance of that type since Vincent D'Onofrio in Men in Black.

Directed by: Ryan Kruger
Starring: Gary Green, Chanelle de Jager, Brett Williams, Joey Cramer, Bianka Hartenstein, Sean Cameron Michael, and Steve Wall.

Horror Noire

You'll find no shortage of genre-specific documentaries on Shudder, and Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror is one of their best. Examining the evolving legacy of Black performers and storytellers in the genre, from token side characters and monsters to leading roles anchoring the movies, viewers will not only find an amazing look into it all but an exhaustive list of recommendations. A six-episode follow-up TV series was also produced, giving you even more to watch too.

Directed by Xavier Burgin
Featuring: Meosha Bean, Ashlee Blackwell, William Crain, Rusty Cundieff, Keith David, Ernest R. Dickerson, Tananarive Due, Ken Foree, Tina Mabry, Kelly Jo Minter, Paula Jai Parker, Jordan Peele, Tony Todd, Rachel True, Pam Grier, and William Marshall.

HOST

Just saying the words "pandemic horror movie filmed on ZOOM" sound like an awful prompt from an AI, but it came out in 2020 and it's actually great. Six friends, isolated by the pandemic, have a séance with a medium over Zoom. As one might assume, things don't go as planned. Watch it in the dark, on your laptop, with headphones for maximum efficiency.

Directed by Rob Savage
Starring: Haley Bishop, Jemma Moore, Emma Louise Webb, Radina Drandova, and Caroline Ward.

Influencer

Though finding itself more on the thriller side of things, this recent release by Shudder is one that can satisfy audiences hoping for scares but not eager to see a gallon of blood. While backpacking alone, a well known social media influencer finds herself with a new travel companion, one whose intentions aren't just based in being kind. It's beautiful people being awful to each other in exotic locales; doesn't get much better than that, right?

Directed by Kurtis David Harder
Starring: Cassandra Naud, Emily Tennant, Rory J. Saper, Sara Canning, Paul Spurrier, and Justin Sams.

Kids vs Aliens

Sometimes people describe movies as a non-stop thrill ride and it translates to some exciting action scenes between boring domesticity. Not here. THIS non-stop thrill ride is one that is born from the head of Zeus fully formed, with an identity and style from the first frame. Naturally its title is exactly right, as a group of kids find themselves facing off against aliens, and spoiler, not everyone is going to make it. There's a mean bone in this movie's body, and it makes sure you know it.

Directed by: Jason Eisener
Starring: Dominic Mariche, Phoebe Rex, Calem MacDonald, Asher Grayson, Ben Tector, Emma Vickers, and Isaiah Fortune.

Mad God

This stop-motion masterpiece is decades in the making, and though it has more in common with a horror, steampunk tone poem than a narrative experience, Mad God is the goods. That Mad God is an animated movie may perhaps fool some audience members down the road but it should be stated that this is not for kids. There's a shocking amount of blood, guts, and even feces, that might make stomachs churn.

Directed by Phil Tippet

Mandy

Even if you've seen Mandy, you've never seen a movie like Mandy. In the midst of countless Nicolas Cage movies where it seemed like the Oscar winner wasn't really trying his best comes this psychedelic nightmare where he brings one of his best performances in years to the screen. One part violent revenge movie, another part Clive Barker-esque horror, and with a dash of sugar-induced hysterics, Mandy has to be seen to be believed.

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Andrea Riseborough, Linus Roache, Ned Dennehy, Olwen Fouéré, Richard Brake, and Bill Duke
Directed by Panos Cosmatos

Maniac Cop 2

There's no need to see the first movie in this series before jumping into Maniac Cop 2, a film that might secretly be one of the best horror sequels ever made. Like the first movie, Maniac Cop 2 follows an undead police officer who returns to life to exact the law in his own gruesome way. Featuring the late character actor Robert Z'Dar as Officer Matt Cordell, Maniac Cop 2 has the exact level of sleaze you expect while also having tremendously directed set pieces, both horror and action oriented.

Directed by William Lustig
Starring: Robert Davi, Claudia Christian, Michael Lerner, Bruce Campbell, Laurene Landon, and Robert Z'Dar

One Cut of the Dead

Released in 2017, when both the zombie and found footage subgenres had already fallen in popularity, One Cut of the Dead found a way to revive both concepts with a completely new take on the material. Adding on that the film has a meta-layer, focusing on a filmmaker and his crew making a hacky zombie movie, the levels of artifice give this movie some extra depth. Not only does the film offer great new ideas for both zombies and found footage, but it's also hilarious.

Directed by Shinichiro Ueda
Starring: Takayuki Hamatsu, Yuzuki Akiyama, Kazuaki Nagaya, and Harumi Shuhama

Popcorn

Five years before Scream would redefine slasher movies has needing to be self-referential comes Popcorn, a meta take on horror movies that is as clever as it is terrifying. Popcorn follows a group of college students that screen a movie at the exact abandoned theater that its director killed his family inside of before trying to burn it all down. Both funny and in love with the genre, Popcorn is a cent miss cult classic. The film also has a closing credit rap song that restates the movie's themes and does a recap of horror movie tropes. What's not to like?

Directed by Mark Herrier
Starring: Jill Schoelen, Dee Wallace, Kelly Jo Minter, Karen Lorre, Ray Walston, Tony Roberts, Tom Villard, and Derek Rydall..

Psycho Goreman

When an alien beast known as the Arch-Duke of Nightmares is found on Earth, his plans for domination and massacre are foiled when a young girl takes control of the gem that commands him, focusing an intergalactic conqueror to become her best friend. Hilarious and filled with retro effects, Psycho Goreman is a wild ride that is equal parts absurd as it is gory. Young performer Nita-Josee Hanna is an absolute hoot as the bratty Mimi, just one of many reasons to give this a look.

Directed by Steven Kostanski
Starring: Nita-Josee Hanna, Owen Myre, Adam Brooks, Alexis Hancey, Matthew Ninaber, Kristen MacCulloch, Steven Vlahos, and Reece Presley.

Santa Sangre

Alejandro Jodorowsky's entire filmography is something you're going to hear about if you hang out with enough film buffs, and frankly not much of it is easy to get into. Santa Sangre on the other hand however is easily his most accessible work, and it helps that it's also one of his best. Set against the backdrop of Mexico City, the film tells the story of a young man with a traumatic early life as a circus performer, who reunites with his family years later while also moonlighting as a serial killer. It's a trippy, wild exercise that is best viewed sober.

Directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky
Starring: Axel Jodorowsky, Adan Jodorowsky, Blanca Guerra, Guy Stockwell, Thelma Tixou, Sabrina Dennison, Faviola Elenka Tapia, Teo Jodorowsky, Jesús Juárez, Gloria Contreras, Mary Aranza, and Sergio Bustamante.

Sharksploitation

Another genre-specific documentary from Shudder, Sharksploitation does an extensive deep dive into the world of the shark movie. Tracking the impact of Jaws, which nearly every film released after was just directly copying, the film makes note of how sharks were used previously on film and how it has evolved since. It's a niche corner of horror worthy of exploration, and Shudder would do wise to make even more movies just like this about the subgenres that fans love.

Directed by: Stephen Scarlata
Featuring: Roger Corman, Joe Dante, Carl Gottlieb, Johannes Roberts, Wendy Benchley, Michael Gingold, James Nunn, Adam Rifkin, and Mario Van Peebles

Sissy

Cecilia is a social media influencer that gets invited to an old friend's bachelor party, when she arrives however the gust list also includes one of her childhood bullies. The premise alone might lead one to believe a certain kind of tone will be had, but gore hounds will be surprised by how gruesome this one gets in its wildest moments.

Directed by Kane Senes, Hannah Barlow
Starring: Aisha Dee, Hannah Barlow, Emily De Margheriti, Daniel Monks, Yerin Ha, Lucy Barrett, and Shaun Martindale.

Sole Survivor

Sometimes when you're in the mood for a horror film, gore and guys isn't your flavor, sometimes you just want a spooky story. Sole Survivor tells the tale of Denise, a woman that becomes the only person alive to have lived after a plane crash. What becomes clear in the days afterward though is that she wasn't supposed to make it at all, and death is sending the recently deceased after her to come and collect. Fans of the modern hit IT Follows will find something to like here, and may even wonder how much of an influence Sole Survivor had on it.

Directed by Thom Eberhardt
Starring: Anita Skinner, Kurt Johnson, Robin Davidson, Caren L. Larkey, Andrew Boyer, Daniel Bryan Cartwell, Brinke Stevens, Al Valletta, Toni Lawrence, and Leon Richard Bosworth.

Tammy and the T-Rex

If you've never heard of Tammy and the T-Rex, we'll just note that everything you're about to read is true and it is a real movie. The late Paul Walker plays a high school teen with a crush on Tammy (Denise Richards), but he's tragically murdered by some bullies from his school. A local scientist then takes his brain and implants into the body of an animatronic dinosaur, sparking the craziest love story of the ages. One might consider this a "so bad it's good" kind of movie, but frankly it has decent production values even if it's the most galaxy-brained idea ever.

Directed by Stewart Raffill
Starring: Denise Richards, Paul Walker, George Pilgrim, John Franklin, and Terry Kiser.

The Devil's Candy

Following up his devious 2009 hit The Loved Ones, filmmaker Sean Byrne has another remarkable movie in The Devil's Candy. In the film, a new family moves in to a house with a tragic story, only to find the former occupant has returned and the voices he was hearing are now speaking loud enough for others. This movie takes the possession story and flips it in a unique way by not putting the brunt of the narrative on the idea of exorcising the evil. It's a great movie to look at and it's got a killer soundtrack.

Directed by Sean Byrne
Starring: Ethan Embry, Shiri Appleby, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Kiara Glasco, Tony Amendola, Leland Orser, Oryan Landa, Craig Nigh, Marco Perella, Mylinda Royer, Arthur Dale, and Jack Dullnig.

The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue

A rare non-Romero zombie movie with a political angle, and also known as Let Sleeping Corpses Lie, this undead tale has some real gut-ripping gore. When a pair of tourists are accused of grisly murders, it becomes apparent that the real assailants are the undead back for revenge. As much as this movie owes its identity to George A. Romero's influence, it's also very much a product of the European genre films of that time as well.

Directed by Jorge Grau
Starring: Cristina Galbó, Ray Lovelock, Arthur Kennedy, Aldo Massasso, Giorgio Trestini, Roberto Posse, and José Lifante.

The Power

In 1974 London, a young nurse in training is charged with keeping a watch on the remaining patients at a hospital that's closing down. As it so happens she also has to do it during a power outage, and in the darkness of these halls there might just be more than sick patients hoping for a health hand to hold. Equally parts creepy as it is compelling through its subtext, The Power is a ghost story that doesn't depend on jump scares but actually earns its terrifying moments.

Directed by Corinna Faith
Starring: Rose Williams, Emma Catherine Rigby, Charlie Carrick, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Nuala McGowan, and Theo Barklem-Biggs.

This is GWAR

One sign of a great documentary is illuminating a corner of the world that you weren't familiar with and distilling its essence down in such a way that it seems like something you can't believe you weren't already into. This is GWAR makes this obscene stage show seem like the coolest thing on the planet and will have you looking up their tour dates as soon as it's over. The love for artists and their integrity is the key to its success.

Directed by Scott Barber

When Evil Lurks

Filmmaker Demián Rugna, in a follow-up to his 2018 film Terrified (also available on Shudder, has crafted one of the most unique and unsettling possession movies in decades. While mainstream Hollywood is stuck still pumping out movies that are just deritvatie of The Exorcist's own tropes, When Evil Lurks takes the concept of possession and treats it like a whole new animal. It's not just one person that succumbs to demonic influence in When Evil Lurks but an entire town, and the way it all unfolds is not only one of the most memorable horror movies of the years but easily the most disturbing too.

Directed by Demián Rugna
Starring: Ezequiel Rodriguez, Demián Salomon, Luis Ziembrowski, Silvia Sabater, and Marcelo Michinaux