Shudder’s horror-centric streaming lineup is filled with movies you won’t find anywhere else — and that roster now includes one of the most controversial releases in the history of the genre. The streamer added a slew of movies to kick off the month of May, but perhaps the most exciting new addition (at least for some horror fans) came on Monday morning.
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At the start of May 5th, Shudder added the 1980 Italian exploitation film Cannibal Holocaust to its lineup, bringing it to a new generation of horror fans. The arrival of this movie on Shudder, where it’s widely accessible to many, is a far cry from the film’s initial release, when it was banned in several countries and locked away for two whole years.
In fact, Cannibal Holocaust is still banned in some countries. Director Ruggero Deodato’s film was so upsetting, graphic, and altogether realistic-looking (thanks to the found footage element) that there are places in the world where you can’t access Cannibal Holocaust at all.
For those who aren’t familiar, Cannibal Holocaust is a movie about a rescue team that heads to the Amazon rainforest to find a missing documentary film crew who had been sent to study cannibal tribes. What they find is more horrific than they could’ve ever imagined.
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Not only did Cannibal Holocaust debut as one of the most controversial films in history at the time, but it also helped give birth to the found footage movement in horror, which would become much more popular nearly 20 years later, with the release of The Blair Witch Project.
What’s New on Shudder This Month?
There are plenty of new additions coming to Shudder in May, including a slew of films that arrived at the start of the month. You can check out the complete list of Shudder’s May offerings below.
May 1st
Jacob’s Ladder
Overlord
Tremors
They Call Her Death
The Devil’s Business
In the Flesh S1-2
Itim (The Rites of May)
May 2nd
The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs Episode 7.03 (Live)
May 3rd
City of the Dead (1960)
May 5th
Contracted
Venom
Pieces
Cannibal Holocaust
Cannibal Ferox
A Night of Horror Vol 1
May 9th
The Ugly Stepsister (Shudder Original)
May 12th
Rust Creek
Pontypool
Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched
Eyes of Fire
The White Reindeer (1952)
Litan
Blood on the Stars
Coda
Lady Stay Dead
May 19th
Lady Vengeance
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
The Whip and the Body
Dead End Drive-In
May 23rd
The Surrender (Shudder Original)
May 30th
Vampire Hunter D
