Ready for ‘The Creep Tapes’? Check out the best series on Shudder
Ready for ‘The Creep Tapes’? Check out the best series on Shudder
There are tons of titles to binge on the horror streamer, but our expert has picked out seven can’t-miss series.
Spooky season may be over, but that’s never the case at Shudder. This Friday, Nov. 15, the horror streamer will premiere the first two episodes of “The Creep Tapes,” a miniseries continuation of the acclaimed found footage franchise starring Mark Duplass. The six-episode series will continue releasing new episodes through Dec. 13, but if you’re looking to continue the tricks and treats during your subscription, there are plenty of other great shows to check out, from supernatural thrillers to drag competitions.
Beat the Christmas creep and check out the best series currently available to stream on Shudder!
Top 7 Series Streaming Right Now on Shudder:
No. 7: Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror (2022–) | Docuseries
Be it the coded villains, the outcast “others,” or just the catharsis of it all, the LGBTQ+ community has had a long and lasting love affair with scary movies. The Shudder original docuseries, equal parts entertaining and informative, is a great entry into the “why” the genre resonates so much, from the Gothic fiction blueprints and “Lavender Scare” alien invasion movies up through modern body horror and AIDS epidemic-influenced vampire flicks. Lea DeLaria, Carmen Maria Machado, Mark Gatiss, Peaches Christ, Karyn Kusama, Bruce Vilanch, and others make up the expert cast of horror talking heads.
Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror
A four-part documentary telling the story of LGBTQIA+ horror and the relationship between queer audiences and horror, and the queer horror community as a whole.
No. 6: Channel Zero (2016–2018) | Horror
Creepypastas have pretty much become synonymous with most internet-era horror, but anyone who spent the aughts on message boards probably has a favorite tale (or at least one that will never leave their brain— big shoutout to Candle Cove and Slender Man forever). Syfy got it right with “Channel Zero” before getting it so wrong and canceling it after four seasons. Each season of the anthology series is self-contained and cohesive, using one director and a different cast (including Paul Schneider, Fiona Shaw, Amy Forsyth, Aisha Dee, Rutger Hauer, Brandon Scott, and more) each season. Go at your own pace, but enter at your own risk.
No. 5: The Terror (2018– ) | Supernatural Horror
AMC’s supernatural horror anthology series “The Terror” doesn’t get its due when talking about TV’s prestige dramas. That’s currently more of a production issue than anything else: its most recent second season premiered in late 2019 pre-pandemic, and its storylines are hefty, from mutiny and cannibalism in the Arctic to Japanese bakemono in American-run Japanese internment camps. But the network earlier this year renewed the show for a long-awaited third season, subtitled “Devil in Silver” and based on Victor LaValle’s suspenseful novel of the same name), due next year. The casts so far have included Jared Harris, Tobias Menzies, Ciarán Hinds, George Takei, Naoko Mori, and more, which, even the ghost stories don’t get you, the performances will.
The Terror
A chilling anthology series featuring stories of people in terrifying situations inspired by true historical events.
No. 4: Trickster (2020) | Supernatural Thriller
Canada’s Indigenous coming-of-age thriller “Trickster” suffered at the hands of its creator, whose own identity came into question after the show’s premiere, leading to its cancellation after being renewed for a second season. Could “Trickster” have continued at CBC under new management, keeping its superb Indigenous cast and crew working? Probably. Should it have? Absolutely. Based on Eden Robinson’s “Son of a Trickster” and starring Joel Oulette, the supernatural thriller follows Indigenous Haisla teenager and small-time drug dealer Jared, who is struggling to support his dysfunctional family as myth, magic, and monsters follow him. It’s one of speculative fiction’s best examples, but six episodes is not enough time or representation for these stories.
Trickster
An Indigenous teen struggles to support his dysfunctional family as myth, magic, and monsters slowly infiltrate his life.
No. 3: The Last Drive-in With Joe Bob Briggs (2019– ) | Variety
Ask many Shudder subscribers why they signed up and they’ll give you a three-word answer: Joe Bob Briggs. The B-movie devotee, best known for “Joe Bob’s Drive-in Theater” and “MonsterVision,” has kept carrying the torch for more than four decades and, now, six seasons of “The Last Drive-In” and its standalones. Alongside Darcy the Mail Girl, Joe Bob and special guests dive into horror classics, obscure exploitation films, cult favorites, and more. Your JBB attachment mileage may vary, depending on how much cable you watched in the ‘80s, but if it’s expertise, commentary, and curation you’re looking for, pull up a lawn chair.
The Last Drive-in with Joe Bob Briggs
The World’s Foremost Drive-in Movie Critic – actually he’s pretty much the world’s only Drive-in Critic – Joe Bob Briggs brings his iconic swagger to this firebrand of horror and drive-in cinema offering honest appreciation, hilarious insight, inside stories and of course, the Drive-in totals.
No. 2: Hannibal (2013–2015) | Horror-Thriller
When “Hannibal” was given the green light over a decade ago, worry followed (including from yours truly): Brian Cox and Gaspard Ulliel put in unique and strong performances in “Manhunter” and “Hannibal Rising,” respectively, but could anybody really ever live up to Sir Anthony Hopkins’ Oscar-winning, genre-altering portrayal of Dr. Hannibal Lecter? As long as you give that actor a weird enough playground. Mads Mikkelsen does more than just manage, playing sharp and smart enough for everybody else to undeservedly trust him with their lives and minds, particularly FBI profiler Will Graham (played by Hugh Dancy, who balances Graham’s imbalance thrillingly).
The NBC series pulls in elements from most of Thomas Harris’ novel series, including “Hannibal,” “Red Dragon,” and “Hannibal Rising. Notably missing from the menu is “The Silence of the Lambs” so there are no appearances from Clarice Starling, but the show is packed with familiars if you’re already a franchise fan, including Jack Crawford (played by Laurence Fishburne), Dr. Frederick Chilton (Raúl Esparza), and more. Every bit of it is lush and horrific, from Lecter’s dinner table to his crime scenes. Make no mistake: “Hannibal” is a feast. Bon appetit.
Hannibal
Both a gift and a curse, Graham has the extraordinary ability to think like his prey—he sees what they see, feels what they feel. But while Graham is pursuing an especially troubling, cannibalistic murderer, Special Agent Jack Crawford teams him with a highly respected psychiatrist – a man with a taste for the criminal minded – Dr. Hannibal Lecter.
No. 1: The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula (2016– ) | Reality Competition
There’s another drag competition franchise you probably have heard of that has, especially with recent global installments, maybe lost the thread. Not an issue for “The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula,” where filth is their politics and which, since its low-budget start on YouTube, has only gotten weirder, more creative, and more inclusive (hello, drag kings). You can also check out spinoffs “Dragula: Resurrection,” “Dragula: Titans,” and “The Boulet Brothers Halfway to Halloween” special, giving you the full look into the Boulets’ underground of freaks and outcasts. All are welcome.
The Boulet Brothers' Dragula
Hosted by The Boulet Brothers, this reality competition show features monster drag artists from around the world competing for a chance to win $100,000 and the title of “Dragula, The World’s Next Drag Supermonster”. Each week, the competitors are tasked with horror-based makeup, design, and performance challenges meant to test their skills and prove they have what it takes to remain in the competition. For the monsters that fail, grueling mental and physical “Extermination Challenges” await with horrifying and deadly consequences, until only the strongest finalists remain.