Pros & Cons
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- Large collection of horror films and shows
- Charming interface and style
- Inexpensive
- No ads
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- Missing some classic movies
- Not all content is available in 1080p
- Lacks offline downloads on mobile
- Non-customizable closed captions
Shudder Specs
| Concurrent Streams | None |
| On-Demand Movies and TV Shows | |
| Original Programming | |
| Starting Price | $8.99 per month |
Horror movies aren't only for getting into the Halloween spirit, though they're essential parts of the spooky season. If the idea of Shudder, a horror- and thriller-centric video streaming service, keeps your interest, nothing is stopping you from using it all year. With a subscription to the AMC Networks-backed service, you get access to an expansive, on-demand library of shows and movies, some of which are original productions and exclusives. The best part is that Shudder presents everything without ads. Although the platform lacks some notable titles and its technical capabilities aren't up to par with top competitors, horror fans should still explore Shudder's vast catalog. However, you'll find lots of scares and more mainstream entertainment with our Editors' Choice winners for paid and free streaming, Netflix and Tubi.
How Much Does Shudder Cost?
Shudder costs $8.99 per month, but you can save money by opting for the $89.99-per-year annual plan. Signing up for Shudder is simple; you only need to provide an email address, password, and payment details. Shudder has a seven-day free trial, but you must add a credit card on file. This is standard practice with most video streaming services. You can also access Shudder as part of the AMC+ bundle for $9.99 per month. That package includes content from AMC, BBC America, IFC, and SundanceTV.
At $7.99 per month, Paramount+'s ad-supported plan comes in a hair lower than Shudder's price, and it has a far more mainstream collection of streaming content. Unlike that service, Shudder is an ad-free viewing experience.
(Credit: Shudder/PCMag)Other on-demand video streaming services are more expensive. For example, Disney+ and Hulu (with ads) both cost $11.99 per month, while Amazon Prime Video costs $8.99 per month. Netflix's Standard tier (the minimum tier we recommend) and HBO Max are even more expensive at $17.99 and $16.99 per month, respectively. Those services have far more shows, movies, and original series with a broader appeal than Shudder.
Shudder is a good value, depending on two things: whether you like horror and suspense movies, and whether you like the ones Shudder has. After all, it lacks many classic horror and suspense movies (more on that later). However, if you just want to use it during the Halloween season or frequently watch horror movies for fun, Shudder may be worth it—especially given its low cost.
If you don't want to spend a dime on your video streaming entertainment, check out our roundup of the best free video streaming services. Our top pick for the category is Tubi, which has a wide selection of charmingly affordable horror movies for budget-conscious viewers.
You can download the Shudder app on Android and iOS devices; Chromecasts; select smart TVs; Roku and Fire TV streaming devices; and the Xbox. You can also watch Shudder via a web browser. Missing from this list are Nintendo and PlayStation consoles. In addition to the US, Shudder is available in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, and the UK.
What Can You Watch on Shudder?
If you're not well-versed in the horror genre, Shudder's home screen highlights helpful collections to get you started. For example, the Shudder Essential collection includes nearly 30 films, such as Children of the Corn, The Hills Have Eyes, Night of the Living Dead, Phantasm, Ring (a.k.a. Ringu), and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, along with some Shudder Originals. Additional collections include A Good Scare, Horror Noire, Queer Horror, Only On Shudder, and Vengeance is Hers. Shudder is also a destination for original productions and exclusives.
The service's original movies include 0.0 MHz, An Unquiet Grave, Belzebuth, Gwen, Host, Martyrs Lane, Primal Screen, Revenge, The Mortuary Collector, The Ranger, The Room, and The Witch Window. Exclusive films include Daniel Isn't Real, In Search of Darkness, Mandy, Prevenge, Sadako vs Kayako, Sam Was Here, and Scream, Queen!
But Shudder has some major omissions. Some notable horror and thriller films you won't find here are Alien; Child's Play; Jaws; Psycho; Rosemary's Baby; movies based on Stephen King stories, such as The Mist or The Shining; The Witch; Saw; any entries in The Evil Dead series; The Exorcist (although Exorcist III is available); The Fly; or The Thing. Of course, that's only at the time of this writing. Streaming libraries always grow and change.
Some people may consider the above titles indispensable, but others may think they fall outside a narrower definition of horror. In any case, if you can't find the show or movie you want to watch, Shudder encourages you to request it.
Horror and suspense fans have other options if those omissions are deal-breakers. For example, many classic Hitchcock films are available on Peacock. Other movie streaming services, including the Criterion Channel, have a more extensive selection of genre classics. Shout Factory TV has lots of schlock that you can stream for free. Apple TV+ features the family-friendly Halloween classic It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.
Apart from movies, Shudder also has a smaller collection of TV shows. Its original titles include A Discovery of Witches, Creepshow, Cursed Films, Deadhouse Dark, Deadwax, The Core, and The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs.
Shudder also produces a series of original podcasts, such as Eli Roth's History of Horror: Uncut, Horror Noire: Uncut, She Kills, and Video Palace. In addition, Shudder is the exclusive home of other shows, including Angelby, Channel Zero, Etheria, NOS4A2, and The Walking Dead: World Beyond.
Shudder's Web Interface
Like Screambox, Shudder's web interface features a black, white, and red color scheme that befits its content. You navigate the interface via the Collections, Movies, Series, My List, and Search menu items at the top of the screen. The My List section lets you organize movie and show collections in a single place. To add a title, simply mouse over it and click the "My List" button. However, there's no way to sort the content you add to this list (Shudder organizes titles by reverse chronological order). The search works fine for finding specific entries in Shudder's catalog, but the tool does not support searches by director, description, or subgenre. The My Account area only has basic functionality. Here, you can edit your account email address, reset your password, create a display name, and update billing information.
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(Credit: Shudder/PCMag)We appreciate Shudder's subtle horror-themed interface effects; for example, if you mouse over the Movies or Series categories, the menu items shake back and forth. If you try to play some content without signing in, Shudder informs you that "It seems you're not one of us…yet." If you reset your password, Shudder sends an email with the subject line, "A Special Invitation…To Reset Your Password."
Shudder's homepage features a large, horizontally sliding gallery highlighting some of its content. You can directly play titles or add them to the My List section. The Collections section organizes films across broader categories, including Horror 101, Subgenres, Borderlands, and Guest Spotlights (movie picks from celebrity-types important to the genre). The Movies section features a helpful selection tool that categorizes titles by genre (such as cult, psychological thriller, paranormal, revenge, sci-fi, and supernatural) and allows you to sort by what's newly added. We wish that the site-wide search captured these genre types. The Series section is more manageable, but we would have liked to see options for filtering the list, especially since Shudder organizes TV shows and podcasts in this section.
If you see a movie or series you want to watch, click on the description to get more information or directly on the thumbnail to launch the player. Landing pages for shows and movies show basic information (MPAA rating, language, run time), expanded descriptions, a skull rating (subscribers can rate content on a scale of up to five skulls), and a trailer option if available. You can view related content and other members' reviews of the title. We really like that Shudder includes user reviews, which gives the service a bit of personality, though the quality of said reviews will vary. Mubi also allows users to leave reviews.
The last section, Shudder TV, features a continuous stream of horror movies organized into several distinct themes, much like Screambox. The channels include It Came From Shudder, Psychological Horror, and Slashics. For more, read Shudder vs. Screambox: Which Streaming Service Delivers Bigger Scares?
Shudder on Mobile
Shudder provides Android and iOS apps. We tested the mobile experience on a Google Pixel phone and had no trouble logging in to the account. The account section in the app is fairly useless. You can only view your associated username and email account, but not change anything. The Shudder app performed without issue in testing, though we noticed some lag and longer loading times when launching content or scrubbing through it. You get some of the same campy effects in the app as on the web. Instead of loading icons, for example, you watch the Shudder logo shake back and forth.
(Credit: Shudder/PCMag)The mobile apps use the same style and color scheme as the web interface. You navigate via four icons at the bottom of the screen: Featured, Shudder TV, Collections, and Browse. The My List content lives under the Featured section. The remaining categories display the same content as Shudder's web version. The search bar is located in the upper-right corner of the interface. Unfortunately, the now-playing screen provides no options to change or even see the playback resolution. There is a CC toggle, however.
Note that you cannot download titles for offline viewing. HBO Max, Hulu, Netflix, Prime Video, Showtime, and Starz all have at least some offline download capability.
Performance and Playback Experience
As mentioned, not all Shudder content is available in 1080p. Some older content may simply be unavailable in higher resolutions, so we can't entirely fault Shudder. We did notice some content was capped to 480p, which is less than ideal. All the original series we launched had a 1080p option. Most other on-demand video streaming services provide at least 1080p streams, while some, such as Netflix and Prime Video, stream shows in 4K. Again, we appreciate that Shudder does not throw in any ads, not even the pre-roll ones that services like Amazon and HBO use to advertise their content.
Shudder says it requires internet connection speeds (download) of at least 6Mbps. In testing, Shudder titles ramped up to full quality quickly after they finished loading. You get typical playback and volume controls, a 10-second Rewind button (but no fast-forward button), and a progress bar for playback. Audio sounded clear in our testing as well, which is a must for the genre.
(Credit: Shudder/PCMag)For reference, we tested Shudder's desktop streaming performance with a Wi-Fi connection rated at 64Mbps (download) through a VPN and a Wi-Fi connection on mobile with speeds of 165Mbps (download). On the desktop, we streamed the first episode of A Discovery of Witches without any issues. We successfully resumed playback on mobile partway through the film.
Accessibility and Parental Controls
Shudder provides basic closed-caption options with all the content we tried, though you can't change the appearance or size of the text. You also won't find anything similar to the Audio Descriptions feature that Apple TV+, Netflix, and Prime Video provide. This option adds vocal narration to the scene to describe settings and character movements that can't be inferred from the character dialogue alone.
Like Screambox, Shudder lacks parental control features. Although the content ratings for most of its content are prohibitive for younger audiences, some parents may want to let their children watch certain films on the platform. Older films or some genres may be less violent or otherwise permissible due to their classic status in cinematic history. HBO Max, Netflix, and Prime Video provide robust parental control options. Similarly, Shudder should also let you create separate user profiles for family members.
Shudder and VPN
Your ISP is the real monster when it comes to invading your privacy. You can hide your traffic from it by using a VPN to connect to the internet. Many video streaming services prevent you from using a VPN to stream content, since your location may determine your available content.
Shudder worked fine with the VPN we tested. We streamed content to a desktop web browser and a phone after connecting to a US-based Mullvad VPN server. Even if you find a VPN that works with your service now, it may not work in the future. It is common for video streaming services to actively shut down VPN traffic to their sites. We recommend choosing a VPN based on its privacy policy, security, and speed rather than which video streaming services it supports.
Kim Key and Ben Moore also contributed to this review.
Final Thoughts
(Credit: Shudder)
Shudder
The horror-themed streaming service Shudder is a scary good deal for genre fans, but it doesn't offer enough popular content or features to bewitch the masses.