An Overlooked Grindhouse Thriller Gem Has a New Streaming Home (& It’s Absolutely Wild)

Unlike almost every genre fanbase, horror fans tend to seek out underseen and underappreciated gems, and one of the most interesting of the last decade has just made a streaming move. Horror movies, after all, are not necessarily limited by lower budgets: a commitment to atmosphere, casts made up of emerging talents, and shorter run-times, after all, combine for a strong foundation for scares. And no matter what the cost: if you go weird and lather on lots of blood, part of the battle is won.

One such example, which failed to break through in a meaningful way, but which deserves a lot more attention, is Trent Haaga’s 68 Kill. Starring Criminal Minds‘ veteran and fan-favorite Matthew Gray Gubler as a timid everyman, it’s a Tarantino-like Grindhouse horror with an admittedly nasty streak, and a wild energy you can probably trace back to Haaga’s work with Troma. It’s also just joined the horror streaming line-up on Shudder as a late addition this month.

68 Kill is the story of Chip (Gray Gubler), a mild-mannered sewer worker in an abusive relationship with Liza (a very entertaining AnnaLynne McCord), a prostitute who uses him for money. Liza concocts a plan to rob her landlord of $68,000, and naturally, everything quickly goes wrong, leading to kidnap, murders, a perverted redneck gang. It’s basically a Grindhouse John Wick, if John Wick had no training, and he was fighting a steady stream of the worst dregs of society who wouldn’t look out of place in a Rob Zombie horror. Here’s the trailer:

The film sits at a respectable 67% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is impressive given the divisive subject matter. Even the more cynical reviews admit 68 Kill is an entertaining affair, with fairly consistent mentions of it being trashy or offensive. It’s certainly not for the faint hearted, but as long as you know what you’re in for, it hits a good spot.

Elsewhere, Shudder have also just added mind-bending psychological thriller Swallow, which is one of the most imaginative and disturbing releases of recent times. Scoring 87% on Rotten Tomatoes, the disquietening tale of a woman losing herself to obsession is a brilliant platform for Haley Bennett’s excellent lead performance. It’s up there with Black Swan in the disturbing stakes.

And if you’re looking for some animal madness, Shudder added Stephen King’s Cujo, Lake Placid, and the frankly so-bad-it’s-almost-acceptable Orca for July only. So time’s running out for a strange triple header.

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