Horror Movies to Watch Now on Shudder

Who else has been on the search for something to watch while self-quarantining due to COVID-19? I haven't left the house for days while trying to do my part to help halt the spread of the disease, so I have definitely been on the hunt for movies to watch. I've already shared lists of some of my favorite horror films streaming now on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu, but I also wanted to share recommendations from Shudder, who in my opinion has the best curated horror selection! And guess what?! In an effort to bring some joy to horror fans during this trying time, Shudder is offering a FREE 30-day trial for new members with the code SHUTIN. Believe me, if you are a horror fan you will love Shudder!

You can spend hours browsing through Shudder's film collection, but I've compiled a list of my top recommendations to save you the time. Check out my recommendations for horror movies streaming on Shudder as of March 19th, 2020 in the US below!

Horror Movies to Watch Now on Hulu

I'm back with a third installment of horror movies to watch on streaming platforms, this time featuring Hulu (check out my posts on Netflix and Amazon Prime that were previously posted). With it being such a scary time in the world, we must all do our part to halt the spread of the COVID-19 virus, which includes staying away from others. For most of us that means staying at home and entertaining ourselves with movies! Horror movies are my favorite escape, I've rounded up some of the best ones that are now streaming on Hulu in the US as of March 16th, 2020. Check them out below!

Horror Movies to Watch Now on Netflix

As we all spend more and more time at home until the COVID-19 virus pandemic is contained, we are all looking for something to pass the time and something to take our minds off the troubles of the world. I've been escaping reality by watching horror movies and have been spending a lot of time searching Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and more looking for something to watch. No doubt you have been doing the same thing, so I wanted to make things a little easier for you by sharing a list of recommended horror movies you can stream now (at least in the US as of March 15th, 2020).

In addition to a list of horror films to stream on Amazon Prime I shared recently, I wanted to also post a list of horror movies available on Netflix! While Netflix doesn't have as much horror as other platforms might, there are still many great titles on the streaming service. Whether you are looking for something new (or something new to you) or want to revisit an old favorite, there are plenty of horror films to watch now on Netflix, check them out below:

Horror Movies to Watch Now on Amazon Prime

Many people (including myself) are keeping to themselves and staying home in order to help halt the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19. That means that many of us are looking for entertainment to pass the days and nights at home. I've spent long hours scrolling through Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, Shudder, and so forth to find something to watch, and I figured why not share the fruits of my labor with others who are seeking to temporarily escape our scary reality.

Below, you'll find horror films streaming on Amazon Prime (in the USA as of March 14th, 2020) that I recommend. Amazon Prime has a lot of excellent horror films available to stream for free (if you have an Amazon Prime membership) from all eras and sub-genres, from 1920's The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari to recent films like Midsommar. The films listed below are ones I personally recommend, from silly to gruesome to scary and everything in-between! I've added dates to some of the titles to differentiate them from remakes/originals or other films with the same name.

I hope the following is helpful to you when seeking out horror films to watch on Amazon Prime (and check out my lists for Netflix and Hulu too!).

Scared to Death: The Thrill of Horror Film Exhibit

This past weekend I was lucky enough to check out Scared to Death, a horror exhibit at the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, Washington. This installation at MoPop features over 50 props and costumes from horror shows and movies like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Walking Dead, The Shining, Pet Sematary, Frankenstein, Hostel, Blair Witch, and many more. I was so incredibly excited to get to see this exhibit, and it didn't disappoint! I got to geek out over the props and costumes from some of my favorite horror films, watch video clips of well-known creators talk about notable horror films, and immerse myself in the delightfully macabre atmosphere of the exhibit.

So, you start the exhibit (which is tucked into the back corners of the Museum of Pop Culture), by descending down a staircase bathed in red, wallpapered with faces of people screaming. You enter into the exhibit and are immediately met with a body-bag maze to your right and a zombie quarantine zone to your left. Around every corner you may come face-to-face with a xenomorph, or Jason, or a bloody severed head, or a nook to sit down and watch short interviews with notable horror creators discussing the influence of specific films. You can enter into a cathedral dripping with blood highlighting vampire lore and props, holler your heart out in the sound-proofed Scream Box (which will take a photo of you as you scream), and of course take advantage of the interactive photo-ops.

Take a virtual walk through of the Scared to Death horror exhibit below:

Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man Maze Coming to Halloween Horror Nights 2019

Universal Studios announced another maze for their Halloween Horror Nights events in Hollywood and Orlando, bringing back their iconic Universal Monsters! Hollywood will see a showdown in the new "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man" maze, while Orlando will see all of the classic monsters come to life.

I am really excited to hear that Halloween Horror Nights is doing these two Universal Monsters-themed mazes! I am stoked that I'll get to experience Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man at Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood! Check out more details on these two mazes from the official press release below:

Christmas Horror Movies to Stream Right Now

If you are like me, you are looking for some ho-ho-horror films to get you through the saccharine muck that is clogging up all the streaming platforms right now. I like to have something festive on in the background to decorate, wrap presents, bake, or just enjoy a chilly night wrapped up in blankets on the couch, and it is so much easier to choose something on Shudder, Hulu, Amazon Prime, etc. rather than going through my Blu-rays or DVDs (yes, I am really that lazy!).

With that in mind, I've been keeping an eye on all the Christmas-themed horror films on or coming to streaming platforms and I wanted to share the best of what is available. I've rounded up some of the best (errrrr, or at least somewhat entertaining) holiday horror films that are available to stream, organized by platform.

Victorian Ghost Stories for Christmas

I simply love the Victorian tradition of telling ghost stories around Christmas. There is something so wonderfully cozy about gathering with friends and family around a crackling fire on a dark winter night and telling terrifying tales to one another. In recent years there has even been a resurgence of this tradition, with people bringing back the chilling custom of sharing ghost stories around Christmastime.

Of course, I am all for this - the long, dark winter nights create an eerie atmosphere that is so well-suited for telling or reading ghost stories! It is definitely a tradition I want brought back, and there are lots of classic Victorian Christmas ghost stories available to resurrect this custom. There are also some newer spook stories that aren't from the Victorian era, but still honor the tradition of getting scared silly on Christmas Eve, so I've included them in my round-up below! Links will take you to each book's Amazon page, and some are available to read online now, so I've also included those links when applicable.

So find a comfy chair (preferably near a crackling fireplace), light some candles, brew yourself a hot cup of tea or coffee, make sure your doors and windows are locked tight, and settle in to welcome back the real spirits of Christmas in the book and story recommendations below:

The Horror Art of Brady Stoehr

The Horror Art of Brady Stoehr

Brady Stoehr is an illustrator creating horror-inspired art in the woods of Missouri. His renditions of classic horror monsters as well as illustrations of famous horror authors immediately drew my interest when he first reached out to me and kindly offered to send me some of his pieces for review. He has posters, prints, stickers, bookmarks, and more available in his Etsy shop. I was lucky enough to receive one of his art prints, stickers, and bookmarks to check out.

A Visual History of Horror from 1895 to 2016

Still from Satan's Rhapsody, 1917

I've already shared this stunning video on my Facebook page and Twitter, but I love it so much that I wanted to share it here as well! A friend (the lovely Mlle. Ghoul of Unquiet Things) acquainted me with the captivating A History of Horror video that highlights one horror movie per year from 1895 - 2016. The 122 horror films were chosen by creator Diego Carrera based on their striking visual aesthetics as well as the impact they had on the horror genre by the video's creator.

Carrera undoubtedly had some tough choices to make, but I think he succeeded wonderfully in his choices! I haven't seen some of the older films, and I'm hopeful I can track some of them down. With the visuals and the effects Carrera added, plus the mesmerizing music used, and I could seriously watch this reel for hours! Check it out below:

Watch Now on Netflix: Extraordinary Tales (2015)

I haven't been posting as many "Watch Now on Netflix" articles as I would like and have a lot of (fairly) new Netflix titles to recommend to you that I need to catch up on (hopefully soon, maybe in one big post)! However, when I saw this animated tribute to Edgar Allan Poe's work, I knew I had to write something about it immediately. You see, I have been wanting and waiting to check out Extraordinary Tales for quite some time now, and was ecstatic when it was recently added to stream on Netflix Instant!

This animated horror anthology features horror greats like Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee, Guillermo del Toro, Roger Corman, and Julian Sands narrating five Edgar Allan Poe tales and one wraparound story. Each animated short is narrated in a different style, with one having a stark graphic novel look, another one looking like a soft watercolor painting, another featuring bold colors in old comic book style, and so on.

Monsters' Holiday by Bobby "Boris" Pickett

The monsters plan a heist of Santa's sleigh, but Santa surprises the monsters with some appropriate gifts...listen to this lost holiday classic by Bobby "Boris" Picket below!

Available on Amazon!

31 Days of Halloween: Favorite Haunted House and Ghost Movies

I love a good ghost movie, and the ghost/haunted house story is one of my favorite horror genres! I love the atmosphere of most ghost stories, the unseen or barely seen ghosts that represent the unknown, and I love how classic haunted house/ghost stories feel. I’m not a fan of the cheap jump scare that some crappy horror movies use, but I adore when ghost stories are done right. These are subtly scary, and cause dread to slowly creep up on you until you are on the edge of your seat and the slightest noise makes the hair on the back of your neck stand straight up. Even better, they make you question every creak you hear long after finishing the movie.

Halloween 2014 at Cost Plus World Market

Cost Plus World Market had a 25% off sale on their Halloween decor this past Monday, so I knew I had to scoot over there after work to check out their Halloween offerings and take advantage of their one-day Halloween sale!

They had lots of creepy cool items this year, including a great Dia de los Muertos section, awesome kitchen accessories, bloody candles, vintage-inspired decorations, mummies, skeletons, and lots of Halloween-inspired wine! I even found some vegan Halloween pasta, which is probably my favorite fiendish fine at World Market since vegan Halloween pasta is hard to come by as they usually use squid ink to color the pasta black! This brand just uses carrots for the ink, though, hurrah!

Here is what I found:

 So much Frankenstein stuff! Frankenstein's Monster

and The Bride are plastered on serving trays, plates, and

napkins! They also had two elongated rectangular serving

trays that were really cool! 

Horror Birthday Trifecta - Happy Birthday to Vincent Price, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee

The birthday boys! Lee, Cushing and Price

This weekend sees the birth dates of three important figures in horror, Vincent Price, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee! It's a horror birthday trifecta!

If you are a horror fan like me, no doubt these three actors have had a profound effect on you.

My first recollection of Vincent Price (May 27th, 1911-October 25, 1993) was seeing him in House on Haunted Hill and just being completely enamored of him! And who can forget his last, heartbreaking performance in Edward Scissorhands? Le sigh. Vincent Price is a personal favorite of mine, so I pretty much adore any film he is in, but some of my favorites include The Masque of the Red Death, The Abominable Dr. Phibes and Theatre of Blood.

Peter Cushing (May 26th, 1913-August 11th, 1994) is another huge name in classic horror and starred in many films over his career. My favorite film of his is The Hound of the Baskervilles, in which he starred as Sherlock Holmes with his best friend, Christopher Lee. I love how the two were best friends...it is really cute and heartwarming! They ended up starring in many films together (including 1958's Dracula aka Horror of Dracula). Peter Cushing was also the patron of the UK's Vegetarian Society up until his death. 

Christopher Lee (born May 27th, 1922) continues to make films (the latest being Tim Burton's Dark Shadows and he will also reprise his role as Saruman in The Hobbit) and holds the Guinness World Record for most film acting roles ever (275 at last count according to Wikipedia). I dig him as Dracula in the Hammer films, but I especially love him as a heretic priest in To the Devil a Daughter as well as in The Hound of the Baskervilles, starring alongside Peter Cushing.

Join me in wishing these three icons of horror a very spooky birthday!

Tonight's Viewing: Vampyr (1932)

Today is apparently World Goth Day, and I can't think of a better way to celebrate than to watch the spooky and nightmarish Criterion Collection restoration of Carl Dreyer's Vampyr from 1932.

The film uses shadows, eerie images and camera/editing tricks (very inventive for their time and still extremely effective today) to create visual dissonance and a strong uneasiness in the viewer. Tonight was my first viewing of the film (it has been on my must-see list for a long, long time!) and just within the first few minutes I was completely enthralled by its strange and sinister beauty.

Vampyr is often listed as one of the scariest/best horror films ever made, though in my opinion it is underrated and unfortunately overshadowed by other other surreal horror films of that era. It shouldn't be missed, though, especially fans of bizarre and artistic horror films.

Buy it on Amazon!

Tonight's Viewing: The Comedy of Terrors (1964)

Rather than waiting for new clients to show up naturally, an undertaker (Vincent Price) and his assistant (Peter Lorre) attract new business by killing rich people in their sleep.

I love this cute American International Pictures horror comedy! Time to cuddle up on the couch with Mister Havoc (my kitty), grab some popcorn and enjoy the slapstick between Price, Lorre and a few other familiar faces.

Ryan Murphy's Horror Movie Fashion Shoot

Elle Magazine Online recently featured a horror-inspired photo spread shot by none other than American Horror Story and Glee co-creator Ryan Murphy. The photos star Lea Michelle, Taissa Farmiga, Jayma Mays, Connie Britton and others from Murphy's shows vamping it up in homage to classic horror movies like The Birds, Suspiria, Repulsion, Carrie and more!

The photos turned out pretty amazing...check 'em out yourself below: 

Lea Michele - Creature From the Black Lagoon

Dianna Agron - Attack of the 50 Foot Woman

Kate Mara - Carrie

Naya River - Suspiria

Jayma Mays - The Birds

Taissa Farmiga - When a Stranger Calls

Connie Britton - The Omen

Heather Morris - Repulsion 

Sarah Paulson - Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?

My favorites from this series are Creature from the Black Lagoon, Suspiria and Repulsion! What are yours?

Be sure to visit the original post, where Murphy discusses the inspiration for these photos and what these particular horror films mean to him.

31 Days of Halloween: Mad Monster Party (1967)

Looking for something ooky and spooky to watch this Halloween? Look no further than the kooky Mad Monster Party! Created by the same folks that brought you stop-motion animation Christmas specials like Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Mad Monster Party is a howling good time for the whole freaky family!

After finding the secret of life, Baron Von Frankenstein (voiced by Boris Karloff) has finally discovered the secret of destruction (“I, Baron von Frankenstein, master of the secret of creation, have now mastered the secret of destruction”)and is inviting all his favorite monsters to his castle for a celebration! He also plans to announce that he is retiring and bequeathing all his secrets to his (gasp!) human heir, the clueless Felix Flanken (voiced by Allen Swift, who also voiced most of the monsters). The Baron’s assistant, lovely redheaded Francesca (voiced by Gale Garnett), doesn’t take too kindly to the news. She and the other monsters, including Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster and his Mate (voiced by Phyllis Diller), The Wolf Man, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, The Hunchback, The Creature from the Black Lagoon and so on, plan on taking Felix out before he inherits the Baron’s secrets!

Mad Monster Party is a mad, mad, mad little movie that is a joy to watch around Halloween! With newly restored editions, I really think they should play this on television around Halloween just like they play all of the other stop-animation movies around Christmas! It’s got some spiffy musical numbers, lots of adult humor and overall just looks amazing!

The character design is amazing, especially considering how many monsters are running around. Besides those mentioned above, there is also the hilarious Chef Mafia Machiavelli (“Here we have the antipasto – black widows pickled in their own poison, smoked lizards and snakes, and marinated mice.”), Yetch, the creepy, Peter Lorre-inspired servant (Yetch: “It’s me, your Don Juan.” Francesca: “I Don Juan to look at you”.), a groovy skeleton band called Little Tibia and the Fibulas (“It’s the mummy!”) and, of course, the uninvited It that crashes the party later in the film!

The scope of the film is very ambitious, and seems much bigger than other Rankin/Bass productions like The Year Without Santa Claus or Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer. The setting of Baron Von Frankenstein’s towering castle, with its crocodile-filled lagoon and man-eating flora and fauna, is absolutely stunning and really invokes nostalgic feelings from childhood, especially when accompanied by the stop-motion animation! This is definitely one for the spooky kid in all of us!

If you are looking for some light-hearted fare this October, Mad Monster Party is one classic film to check out! Even though they slip some decidedly adult humor in there, it is still suitable for young tots, too! Anyone looking to regain some Halloween spirit should definitely watch Mad Monster Party – it never fails to put me in a kooky mood!

Buy it on Amazon!

(Ed. Note: This was originally posted on Fatally Yours, on October 13th, 2009.)

Suspiria at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery this Friday

For one of their last screenings this summer, Cinespia is showing Suspiria (one of my favorite films!) at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery on a special Friday screening September 16th!

For those that don't know, Cinespia puts on a fantastic screening series where they show films (of every genre, not just horror) almost every summer weekend at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. It is an unforgettable experience watching films projected on a mausoleum wall with hundreds of other fans picnicking amongst the headstones! I unfortunately haven't made it to any screenings this summer (boo!), but it is definitely a must-do event if you are in Southern California!

Check out their official announcement below:

Suspiria - Directed by Dario Argento (1977, 98 mins)

gates 6:30 pm / movie 8:00 pm NEW TIME !!!
No reservation necessary
$10 donation tickets available at gate
Picnic Reservations and Parking Passes online
Parking $10

For one of Cinespia's last screenings we present the classic supernatural horror film by master Italian filmmaker Dario Argento. An American girl travels to a European dance academy, only to learn that it may be run by a coven of witches.

A stylish feast for the eyes, Suspiria is brimming with Italian design, phantasmagoric color, baroque sets and a wicked soundtrack by Goblin. The surreal visuals, special effects and '70s wardrobe is balanced by some genuinely scary suspense as the girl uncovers the secret of the ancient school.

Join us for one of the most creative and wild horror movies of the era....in the cemetery! No one under 17 will be admitted without a parent or guardian.

DJ Mahssa spins before and after the screening.

Bring blankets, drinks and picnic dinner for this screening below the stars.

For more info, check out the Cinespia site!