One of my favorite activities to enhance the spooky month of October is to watch some horror movies. As a self-proclaimed horror movie aficionado, I gave the streaming service Shudder a try. Released in 2016, Shudder is a fairly new streaming platform that specializes in movies of the horror genre. Within the past couple of months, I have been seeing more and more ads for the service. So, I figured I would determine if Shudder scratches that good old horror movie itch. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t.
At a monthly subscription rate of $5.99 a month, Shudder does not even come close to providing what it needs to make that price worth it. For comparison, Hulu’s basic plan starts at the same price, and while Netflix’s basic plan starts at $8.99 a month, I can safely say that the entirety of Netflix’s horror section alone provides the same selection as all of Shudder.
When first opening up Shudder, I was hoping I would be able to watch some classic or popular horror movies that I might not have had access to before. After all, this is a horror focused platform; but man, I was disappointed.
Besides some rare, popular titles appearing, such as “Halloween,” “Elvira” and “Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” the platform is filled with unheard-of C-list horror movies and Shudder originals. How can a platform that prioritizes horror movies have “Ring 0” and “Ring 2,” but not the original? Where are the essentials? No “Saw,” no “Friday the 13th,” not even “Scream.”
To be fair in my review of the streaming service, I thought I would give some of the Shudder originals a try. Unsurprisingly, I was disappointed. I decided to start off on a strong note and watch an original under the zombie sub-genre titled “Last Ones Out” that compared itself in its description to “28 Days Later,” which is a personal favorite of mine. I could tell the movie had a significant sum of money poured into it, but the acting and plot were so bad it made the movie pretty unbearable. I finished the movie reluctantly, but I will never get that hour and a half back from my life. The other originals, generally, provided the same experience.
In addition to Shudder’s particular movie variety and lackluster content, it was struggling to stream on my phone. I had no problems with streaming on the web version, but when it came to the app, all the content was coming through with low quality. It is worth noting that I have never experienced this issue with any other streaming platforms, making this just another downfall of Shudder.
I will admit that the overall aesthetic of Shudder works very well and does a good job of making the platform feel like the epitome of horror. The live television option is a nice addition that’s not very common in the streaming industry and the shivering buttons and helpful collections feature are great touches to what would seem like the perfect horror streaming service. Yet, Shudder as a whole falls short.
A streaming platform is only as good as the content it provides, and Shudder simply does not provide enough. I can securely say that most horror fans would be disappointed by Shudder’s streaming service. If you were thinking of giving Shudder a try this Halloween season, don’t. It’s scary how much you will be woefully let down.
