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If you’re a diehard horror fan, it can be difficult to discover new scare fare through popular online streaming services. Navigating Netflix’s horror section is like sifting through a pile of unwanted Blockbuster VHS tapes; while Amazon Prime Video has more options to choose from, but horror, as a genre, is completely buried into the platform and practically invisible to the average user. Out of the three “majors,” however, Hulu has the most worthwhile horror collection, but it requires some time and energy to sift through what kind of fright you desire. Here’s where Shudder comes to the rescue.

A new(ish) horror-only streaming service under the AMC Networks umbrella, Shudder is an editorialized horror-specific platform on a mission to highlight a genre so diverse (and often misunderstood) in one place. We clued you in about Shudder back in August, back now that it’s the season for screams, we decided to delve in deeper and let you know exactly what the slick new streaming platform has to offer.

THE FACTS

Curated by horror aficionados Sam Zimmerman and Colin Geddes and backed by AMC Networks, Shudder is the only genre-exclusive streaming service whose attention to editorial detail is as important as the content available to stream. When it launched over the summer, Shudder ignited not only a wave of curiosity within the horror community — one of the most passionate, avid group of consumers around — but also raises the question as to how a service like this took so long to come to fruition. How were we, horror fans, putting up with such lazily thrown-together genre pages for so long? Well, no more! For the totally affordable monthly price of $4.99 (or $49.99 a year), you can get the exact horror fix you’re in the mood for thanks to Zimmerman’s and Geddes’ expert curation, plus the opportunity to discover a plethora of smart fright flicks — old and new — many of which have snuck under the mainstream radar.

THE CURATION

Shudder’s bold interface welcomes in the elitist scare junkie with hyper-specific horror sub-genres under “Collections.” The section is divided into various categories, including but not limited to:

Alien Intruders (extraterrestrial fear-mongers)
Comedy of Terrors (pitch black horror comedies)
Cult Masters: Eurohorror (frights from across the pond)
Haunted Habitations (offering haunted house fare, both old and new)
Hexes and Ooohs! (witches messing with the underworld)
Psychos and Madmen (other than Norman Bates)
Possessions (devilishly awesome possession movies other than The Exorcist)
Romantic Bloodsuckers (for when you’re in the mood for a vampire flick with feels)
Slashics (classic slashers)
The Unblinking Eye: Diabolical Documentaries (real-life terrors and terrorizers)

And those are just a few. If you’re in the mood for a specific title, however, just type what you’re looking for into the navigation bar at the top right of the screen. If you aren’t looking for a singular movie, per se, but also don’t exactly know what you’re in the mood for, click on the “Browse” section to see everything available on Shudder. You can then filter alphabetically (not recommended), by release date (better), most watched (good), and most reviewed (best). The most reviewed filter is where you’ll find the best of the service’s hidden gems like Splinter, Kill List, I Saw The Devil, and many more plus classics like Sleepaway Camp, The Evil Dead, The Innkeepers, and An American Werewolf in London.

GET YOUR SCARE ON ACROSS ALL DEVICES

In addition to watching on your computer, the Shudder app is available on the iOS and Android app stores as well as Roku devices — which means you can watch the app on your phone, tablet, computer, or TV. And in addition to watching on your computer, a live-stream from Shudder TV is available to watch on the app. Shudder TV is a free service from the platform (so even if you’re not logged in, you can still watch) that cycles roughly eight films on loop 24 hours a day.

‘TIS THE SCARE SEASON

As an added Halloween bonus, Shudder has curated a special Halloween collection featuring the films you see below, plus genre-defining fare like Re-Animator, Night of the Living Dead, and modern-day classics like Let the Right One In and Pulse. For the complete Halloween collection, check out it out on Shudder.com.

SCARY GOOD PROS OUTWEIGH (VERY MINOR) CONS

Even though Shudder is still in Beta (reps of the service couldn’t disclose exactly when it will be released in its fullest form), I noticed there isn’t any ability to queue the titles you come across and may want to save for later. Sometimes queuing up your movie library can be as fun as watching, so hopefully this capability comes later. Oh, and maybe add some more titles to Shudder TV? Other than that, the service is a horror fan’s dream come true. It’s slick, easily navigable, and most importantly: made for viewers who genuinely love the genre while still offering plenty of opportunity for discovery.

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Photos: Shudder