There’s nothing quite like streamer schedule time to get us excited for what’s coming soon to a screen near you. We’ve seen what Prime Video has in store for us in May 2025 and now it’s the turn of our favourite horror streamer, Shudder, to tell us what they have planned.
There’s three huge film premieres in May including The Ugly Stepsister, described as a stomach-churning Norwegian body-horror. The film comes to Shudder following its release in UK and Irish cinemas on April 25. The Boys star Colby Minifie also brings a shocking horror to the platform in May with the release of fraught family-drama The Surrender. Finally in May is the 40th anniversary release of seminal anime film Vampire Hunter D which streams on May 30.
Here’s a closer look at some of May’s biggest releases:
The Ugly Stepsister
New Film Premieres Exclusively on Shudder and AMC+ in May
A sinister twist on the classic Cinderella story, The Ugly Stepsister follows Elvira as she prepares to earn the prince’s affection at any cost. In a kingdom where beauty is a brutal business, Elvira will compete with the beautiful and enchanting Agnes to become the belle of the ball.
The Surrender
New Film Premieres Exclusively on Shudder and AMC+ Friday 23 May
A fraught mother-daughter relationship is put to a terrifying test when the family patriarch dies, and the grieving mother hires a mysterious stranger to bring her husband back from the dead. As the bizarre and brutal resurrection spirals out of control, both women must confront their differences as they fight for their lives – and for each other.
Vampire Hunter D
40th Anniversary Film Premiere Exclusively on Shudder, AMC+ and HIDIVE Friday 30 May
In the year 12,090 A.D. technology and the supernatural have overtaken the world, leaving the land desolate and despotic. The remnants of humanity are scattered into small communities and live in fear of vampires who compose the ruling Nobility. When Count Magnus Lee tastes the blood of Doris Lang, she is forcibly chosen to be his next wife. In an effort to escape her ill-gotten fate she hires a mysterious vampire hunter known only as D, who comes from a peculiar lineage.
NEW ADDITIONS TO SHUDDER’S FILM LIBRARY
1 May
Suddenly in the Dark
A wife starts to suspect her husband’s infidelity after the arrival of their new, young housekeeper, who carries a mysterious wooden doll with herself.
The Devil’s Business
At the horse of their target, two hit men bide their time waiting for the kill, only to find the death already arrived in the shape of black magic, devilish spirits and the occult.
Blood on Satan’s Claw
In early 18th century England, the children of a village slowly convert into a coven of devil worshipers.
Curse of the Crimson Alter
Robert Manning visits the remote country house where his brother Peter was last seen. While his host seems outwardly friendly and his niece more demonstrably so, Robert detects a feeling of menace in the air.
Witchfinder General
During the English Civil War, a young Roundhead seeks vengeance against a vicious witch-hunter and his henchman, who have terrorized the soldier’s fiancée and wrongfully executed her uncle.
Itim (The Rites of May)
During a return to his provincial home, a young man gets involved with a woman who is ultimately possessed by her sister’s spirit, paving the way to revealing the painful truth about her unsolved disappearance.
5 May
A Bittersweet Life
Things go wrong for a high-ranking mobster when he doesn’t follow his bosses orders.
The Chaser
A disgraced ex-policeman who runs a small ring of prostitutes finds himself in a race against time when one of his women goes missing.
A Night of Horror Vol 1
Ten filmmakers. One night of horror.
19 May
Dead End Drive-In
In a dystopian future Australia, a health nut and his tag-along girlfriend become trapped in a drive-in cinema that has become a concentration camp for delinquent youths and refugees.
26 May
The Whip and the Body
The ghost of a sadistic nobleman attempts to rekindle his romance with his terrorized, masochistic former lover, who is unwillingly betrothed to his brother.
AMC Networks’ Shudder is a premium streaming video service, super-serving members with the best selection in genre entertainment, covering horror, thrillers and the supernatural. Shudder’s expanding library of film, TV series, and originals is available on most streaming devices in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland and Germany. Head to Shudder.com to sign up.