Shudder originals are infamous for supplying sufficiently sinister thrills and chills. But with an extensive selection of nerve-severing experiences on show, sometimes it's simply impossible to make a cutthroat choice.
Never fear, Hellish Horror Film Fanatics, as today, we've compiled a disturbingly savage batch of essential Shudder exclusives, guaranteed to leave you gasping for breath, come curtain call.
Host
As far as horror tropes go, they don't get more generic than the spiritual online seance. However, during the cabin-feverish paranoia of quarantine, Host, more than any other movie, managed to utilize the lockdown premise via smart, sinisterly bloodcurdling ways.
Host gets the pulses pumping with a distressing set of chillingly effective jumpscares, placing its virtual protagonists in hellish, nail-biting degrees of peril, despite clear budget restraints.
These scenarios, suspensefully scripted, are guaranteed to offset a shrill shudder or two.
And we wonder why Oiuji boards are always a bad idea?
Satans Slaves
In short, Satan's Slaves doesn't hold off on the horror onslaught. In fact, it delights in delivering a breath-snatching batch of suspenseful, supernatural terrors.
Fans of The Ring may find familiarity with its spookily portrayed, long-haired spectre. Meanwhile, its satanic-led scares may be reminiscent, in nature, of Insidious. Still, Satan's Slaves proves to be an equally harrowing experience that burrows deep under the skin, rabidly clawing away at our psyche from inside.
Sure, its central story may dip in and out of discernable consciousness now and again, but its sinisterly eerie frights and unnerving flirtations with the supernatural hold up well enough to warrant a watch.
The Beach House
We don't just cover big-budget blockbusters here, so small-scale indies also get a significant say in the scares.
Showing hallmarks of Natalie Portman's suspense-soaked Annihilation, The Beach House conjures up a chilling romantic getaway like no other. Think of it, a sort of semi-apocalyptic, ecological nightmare sauced in Lovecraftian dressing.
Thanks to Beach House's wildly mysterious edge, visceral cinematography, and slow-burning sense of ratcheting tension, you'll wholeheartedly want to witness the dreaded closing chapter for yourself.
The Boy Behind The Door
Abduction-themed films are a dime a dozen, but uncomfortably tense, nerve-jangling thrill rides that leave you sweating profusely in your seat are a far rarer commodity. Thankfully, The Boy Behind The Door executes the latter with dizzying degrees of suspense.
Placing its young protagonists in a deeply dreaded scenario, The Boy Behind The Door keeps its cat-and-mouse action slick while issuing a climactically intense serving of heart-stopping situations laced with unceasing tension that can only be severed with a knife.
This one will leave you breathlessly suspended on tenterhooks and craving a happy ending!
The Queen of Black Magic
In retrospect, a haunted orphanage may not resemble the most inspired horror backdrop we've witnessed in recent years. Furthermore, by the time the third act rears its gruesome head, some of the story's initial spark has already petered out.
Still, its strikingly spooky visuals, deeply unsettling cinematics, and buckets of gratuitous, gut-wrenching gore more than compensate. Visually spectacular and disturbingly chilling, The Queen of Black Magic more than deserves the attention of discerning horror fans.
Don't forget to check out Impetigore, Caveat, The Room, VHS/94, and The Medium, among many more.
Stay tuned for more hellishly horrific Shudder exclusives soon.
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