Creepshow Showrunner Greg Nicotero Shares Why Shudder Is a Horror Lover’s Dream

Between Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and countless other streaming services, horror fans are given a limited number of genre films to select from, with The Walking Dead director and Creepshow showrunner Greg Nicotero pointing out that Shudder is like a dream come true for horror lovers. While other services might have a few dozen genre projects available at any given time, Shudder exclusively offers ambitious endeavors, ranging from seminal classics to contemporary and challenging works. No matter what time of the year it might be, the service makes it feel like Halloween by giving us marathons of terrifying tales for hours on end.

“I’ve always fantasized about having an all-horror channel, and this was even before Shudder existed, back when MonsterVision was on TNT. But all these channels would always be toying with the idea of doing some horror content at Halloween,” Nicotero explained to ComicBook.com. “And I was like, ‘Why is there not a monster channel that’s all the time? Why do we have to just equate it to just October?’ And then it was Monsters HD that came out. I’ve always loved the idea of having content that you can just access at any time, that’s all horror, whether it’s a TV show or whether it’s movies.”

While other services might aim to add the latest Hollywood releases or iconic films, Shudder instead aims to track down under-seen endeavors or independent festival releases to introduce viewers to what will soon become famous films.

“The thing I love about Shudder is they embrace a lot of foreign films like Tigers Are Not Afraid, which I love, Train to Busan, which I love, Satan’s Slaves, which I loved,” the filmmaker admitted. “Films that I may not have known about if I hadn’t had have been on Shudder looking for some unique material. I think Sam Zimmerman is a great curator of horror from around the world.”

One of the service’s most ambitious endeavors to date is their Creepshow TV series, inspired by the George Romero and Stephen King film from 1982. The series went on to set streaming records for the service, securing it a second season.

“Creepshow is very much a passion project for me because of my association with George,” Nicotero noted. “I became involved in it because I had read a short story that was written by Craig Engler, who happens to be an executive at Shudder. I love this story that I wanted to option, and then the next thing I know, they’re like, ‘Oh well, we’re in the process of trying to secure the rights for Creepshow.’ And I was like, “Wait, my Creepshow? Like, what are you talking about?’”

He added, “They said, ‘Well, we need a creative person behind it, what do you think?’ And I was like, ‘I’m in, without a doubt.’ I had a deal with [Shudder owner] AMC, so it was a no-brainer that we could shepherd Creepshow into AMC and Shudder, partly through my deal. And the next thing I knew, I was the showrunner on Creepshow.”

The first season of the series is available now on Shudder. Stay tuned for details on Season Two.

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