April will see the return of Shudder’s popular “Halfway to Halloween Hotline” of personalized horror movie recommendations as part of the streamer’s annual “Halfway to Halloween” celebration. April also features a killer lineup of new original series and films and genre-defining additions to Shudder’s unbeatable movie library of timeless horror classics.
“We’re curating a slate of the best in horror all year round, but April and October give us a unique opportunity to connect with and hear from our members directly about the movies they’re craving and what they love most about the genre.” says Craig Engler, Shudder’s General Manager. “And we’re pairing that with an impressive lineup of new, fan-favorite titles, as we continue to go deep on the genre like only Shudder can.”
Every Friday in April from 3pm – 4pm ET / 8pm – 9pm BST,members are invited to call Samuel Zimmerman, Shudder’s VP of programming, for customized horror viewing recommendations from Shudder’s expansive film collection – from his favorite genre films of all time to highly anticipated releases this year. A new hotline phone number will be announced each Friday on Shudder’s social media platforms.
Please note: While recommendations are provided for free, please note that normal phone and long-distance charges may apply. Call volume is expected to be high, so please keep trying if a busy signal is received. There are no guarantees that every call will be answered, but Sam will get through as many as he can within the hour.
New original additions to the library in April include:
Cursed Films II – A Shudder Original Series
New Series Premieres 7th April with New Episodes Every Thursday
Shudder’s acclaimed documentary series is back to explore the facts and myths surrounding a new batch of famous films some consider cursed. The new season will feature The Wizard of Oz, Rosemary’s Baby, Stalker, The Serpent and the Rainbow, andCannibal Holocaust. Featuring new interviews with FX expert and former Mythbusters host Adam Savage, Oscar-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins, actor Bill Pullman, and director Ruggero Deodato, among many others.
The Cellar – A Shudder Original
New Film Premieres 15th April
Filmed on location in Roscommon, Ireland, The Cellar tells the story of Keira Woods (Elisha Cuthbert), whose daughter mysteriously vanishes in the cellar of their new house in the country. Keira soon discovers there is an ancient and powerful entity controlling their home that she will have to face or risk losing her family’s souls forever. Official Selection, SXSW 2022. Written and directed by Brendan Muldowney.
Virus 32 – A Shudder Original
New Film Premieres 21st April
A virus breaks out and a chilling massacre rages through the streets. The sick become hunters, and only calm their fever by unscrupulously killing all those not yet infected. Unaware of this, Iris (Paula Silva) and her daughter spend the day in the sports club where Iris works as a security guard. When night falls, their fight for survival begins. Their only hope of salvation arrives when they discover that after each attack, the infected seem to stop for 32 seconds of calm before attacking again. Also stars Daniel Hendler and Sofía González. Written by Juma Fodde and Gustavo Hernández and directed by Gustavo Hernández.
Other additions to the library in April include:
4th April
· Haunt
On Halloween, a group of friends encounter an “extreme” haunted house which promises to feed on their darkest fears. The night turns deadly as they come to the horrifying realisation that some nightmares are real.
· Lords of Salem
Heidi, a radio DJ from Salem, is plagued by bizarre nightmares of vengeful witches after playing a mysterious record by a group known as The Lords. When the record becomes a huge hit, Heidi and her colleagues receive tickets for the band’s next gig, but upon arrival find that the show goes beyond anything they could have imagined. From modern horror maestro, Rob Zombie, The Lords of Salem is an enigmatic and visually stunning take on the mythology of witches that blends a 1970s aesthetic with modern day counterculture to create a vivid, macabre horror.
· Cutterhead
Rie is visiting the Copenhagen Metro construction to portray the European cooperation when an accident occurs. She is blocked in a pressure chamber alongside Croatian Ivo and Bharan from Eritrea. Despite radically different worldviews, they must put their lives and bodies in each other’s hands to survive.
· The Ritual
After the violent death of one of their group, four old college friends decide to take a hiking trip deep in the Swedish wilderness in order to bond and reminisce about old times. However, the inexperienced hikers soon find themselves hopelessly lost in the dense woods. As their fragile friendships begin to crack and old resentments surface, they become increasingly desperate to escape the woods. But they are not alone. Someone, or something, malevolent is watching them, intent on making them face their deepest fears and ensuring they never leave.
· You Might Be the Killer
As Sam (Fran Kranz) flees from a masked killer at camp, it slowly dawns on him that HE might be the killer. With the help of his film buff friend Chuck (Alyson Hannigan), Sam navigates through horror movie tropes to try and make it out of this plot alive.
11th April
· Rocktober Blood
An executed rock star comes back to haunt a rock star who betrayed him, or so she thinks.
· [REC] 2
In this Spanish horror sequel, [REC] 2 immediately follows the events of [REC], focusing on a swat team and a doctor who have been sent in to retrieve blood samples from the quarantined apartment building. Navigating the floors of the building, the group are attacked by the infected, as new and familiar faces emerge inside. This highly anticipated follow-up expands on the events of the first film, hinting at the origins of the deadly outbreak and features more scares, more zombies, and more terror.
· [REC] 3: Genesis
In the third instalment of Paco Plaza’s [REC] series, a couple’s vows are put to the test when a demonic virus turns their wedding guests turn into rabid monsters. Clara and Koldo’s wedding reception is going well, except for their uncle, who seems unwell. At the party’s peak, he turns into a bloodthirsty being, and soon the guests also catch the deadly disease. Can Clara and Koldo make it out alive or is the honeymoon already over?
· [REC] 4: Apocalypse
The final instalment of the [REC] series, [REC] 4: Apocalypse brings the horror full circle. Continuing from the events of the first film, [REC] 4 rejoins plucky television presenter, Angela Vidal in the aftermath of her traumatic ordeal inside the apartment building. Sent to a special quarantine facility on an oil tanker, Angela fears the worst when she realises the deadly virus has followed her on board. She will have to fight the deadly zombie outbreak one final time before it infects the entire facility.
· Puppet Master
Assailed by nightmarish visions, Alex Whitaker and his fellow psychics descend on the Bodega Bay Inn. There, they discover that their compatriot Neil has apparently committed suicide. But, as the gruesome visions continue, they sense that there’s still something sinister afoot. When they find themselves hunted by a band of homicidal marionettes created by twisted puppeteer Andre Toulon, they discover they’re right.
· Puppet Master 2
The malicious marionettes are back to resurrect their dead master and evict parapsychologists from the family estate.
· Puppet Master 3
Gestapo agents face killer dolls when they murder puppeteer Toulon’s wife in this prequel to Puppet Master.
12th April
· Subspecies
Michelle and Lillian are two American students who have joined their friend Mara in Romania for their studies of the ancient myths and legends of Transylvania. But Myth turns into reality when the women become the object of desire of the powerful and grotesque Radu, an evil vampire obsessed with making them his consorts.
· The Pit and the Pendulum
In the quest to save souls, the Spanish Inquisition will stop at nothing and knows no boundaries for its evil. Maria must find the power to save her husband from the ultimate machine of torture: the razor-sharp pendulum poised over the pit of hell under the direction of Torquemada, the Grand Inquisitor of Spain.
· Intruder
The overnight crew of a supermarket find themselves pursued by a mysterious maniac in this fun late-80s slasher from regular Sam Raimi mainstay Scott Spiegel, who co-wrote Evil Dead 2 and appeared in many of Raimi’s films.
18th April
· The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula Seasons 1-3
After its biggest-ever hit fourth season and its first as a Shudder Original, past seasons of The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula are coming to Shudder, making the streamer the exclusive home for all four seasons plus 2020’s Resurrection special. The beloved reality series is a competition created and hosted by The Boulet Brothers to find the world’s next Dragula Supermonster. Each season, a new group of drag artist vie for the title and crown through a series of challenges to demonstrate their mastery of the four pillars of Dragula: drag, horror, filth, and glamour.
· Antiviral
Syd March is an employee at a clinic that sells injections of live viruses harvested from sick celebrities to obsessed fans. Syd also supplies illegal samples of these viruses to piracy groups, smuggling them from the clinic in his own body. When he becomes infected with the disease that kills super sensation Hannah Geist, Syd becomes a target for collectors and rabid fans. He must unravel the mystery surrounding her death before he suffers the same fate.
· The Crazies
In this remake of George A. Romero’s sci-fi horror, a small town descends into chaos when the local water supply becomes infected with a virus that turns the town’s inhabitants into ruthless, bloodthirsty killers. Attempting to contain the infection, the authorities block off the town leaving sheriff, David Dutten and his family to band together with the last remaining survivors, defending themselves against the infected hordes. Director Breck Eisner manages to create a stylishly crafted psychological thriller that pays homage to Romero’s original film, whilst streamlining his socio-political message for the modern age.
25th April
· Etheria – Season 5
Eleven episodes featuring savage serial killers, desperate robot husbands, ghostly visitors, gory body horror, demented sibling rivalry, ruinous secrets from the past, witchcraft and witches of several kinds, mermaids, campfire legends, and a hilarious cult indoctrination.
· Nekrotronic
Our hero, Howard North, is a young orphan dragged into a conflict between the Nekromancers – a family of badass demon hunters, and Finnegan – an evil demon who absorbs people’s souls to increase her power. When Howard finds out the truth behind Finnegan’s past and her dark plans for the future, he teams up with his new friends to discover he is the ultimate Nekromancer, the only one with the power to defeat her.
· The Reef
A ferocious shark stalks a group of friends trying to swim to safety after a shipwreck. As the fiend with fins picks off each of the pals, the blue Australian water is turned into blood-red broth. Who will make it to shore in one piece – and who will wind up in ol’ Toothy’s stomach? This aquatic Australian horror film breathes new life into the frightful fish genre in an era when Sharknado is more well-known than Jaws. The scariest thing about The Reef? It’s all based on a true story.
· Jamie Marks is Dead
Fifteen-year-old Adam McCormick’s life hasn’t been the same since classmate Gracie Highsmith found Jamie Marks’s dead body at the edge of the river. Adam becomes fixated on Jamie’s death and gradually a deep bond develops between the living teenager and the dead boy’s ghost. But the more attached Adam becomes to Jamie’s ghost, the weaker his ties to reality become.
29th April
· Becky
Rebellious teen Becky (Lulu Wilson) accompanies her father (Joel McHale) on a weekend getaway to a lake house in an effort to reconnect. But the trip soon takes a turn for the worse when a group of escaped convicts, led by the merciless Dominick (Kevin James), suddenly invade the house. With her father’s life at stake, Becky has no choice but to take matters into her own hands.
30th April
· Insidious
Insidious is the terrifying story of a family who, shortly after moving, discover that dark spirits have possessed their home and that their son has inexplicably fallen into a coma. Trying to escape the haunting and save their son, they move again only to discover that it was not their house that was haunted…
· Insidious 2
The terrifying sequel to Insidious following the haunted Lambert family as they seek to uncover the mysterious childhood secret that has left them dangerously connected to the spirit world.
· Insidious 3
Go back to the beginning… in this chilling prequel that takes place before the unforgettable haunting of the Lambert family. When paranormal investigators Tucker and Specs team up with the psychic Elise to help a teenage girl contact her late mother, Elise is forced to venture back into ‘The Further’ where she finds a ruthless supernatural entity craving the souls of the living. It’s the darkest chapter yet in this spine-tingling portrayal of evil unleashed.
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