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Every time a TV show dramatizes a grisly true crime story, it faces a dilemma. Is it possible to retell a tragedy without exploiting the victims and their families? Not only that, but can you recreate these deaths without sensationalizing, or even glorifying, the killer responsible?

These questions have created a genre that's at war with itself, one that's aware of both its ethical dubiousness and the fact that viewers will gobble it up to sate their true crime fascination. This October has offered up two shows that take extremely different approaches to solving this quandary: Netflix's Monster: The Ed Gein Story and Peacock's Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy.

SEE ALSO: Who was Ed Gein? The new Netflix 'Monster' was the inspiration for 'Psycho' and 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'

The former continues the formula that Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan established in other installments of their Monster anthology series: a mix of salacious reenactments and ham-fisted commentary about America's fascination with true crime. The latter, though, takes a much more careful tack to the question of true crime media as inherently exploitative, forgoing onscreen murders entirely in favor of a victim-centric approach.

Devil in Disguise and The Ed Gein Story differ when it comes to onscreen violence. Michael Chernus in "Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy." Credit: Brooke Palmer / Peacock

The Ed Gein Story offers exactly what viewers have come to expect from a Murphy and Brennan true crime project, which is to say that it does not shy away from onscreen violence. Bloody chainsaw massacres and hammer torture are among the atrocities on display, but they're far from the only ones. The Ed Gein Story also adds more unsavory details, including a scene of Gein (Charlie Hunnam) engaging in necrophilia. (Although there was real-life speculation that Gein was a necrophiliac, Gein himself denied these charges.) The result is a parade of graphic atrocities conjured up for cheap shock value, upsetting and exhausting in equal measure.

While the violence in The Ed Gein Story is as in-your-face as can be, Devil in Disguise avoids showing any of Gacy's murders in the first place. Gacy (Michael Chernus) will occasionally describe his actions, but the actual images of his crimes loom offscreen. The effect is twofold: On the one hand, the show is respecting Gacy's victims by not recreating their deaths. On the other, the implied violence leaves audiences to imagine what befell Gacy's victims, and the effect is more chilling than any onscreen rehashing of victims' trauma.

SEE ALSO: Glenda Cleveland tried to stop Jeffrey Dahmer. What happened to her and the cops who ignored her

Instead of showcasing Gacy's murders, Devil in Disguise turns the spotlight on his victims, hoping to flesh out knowledge of their lives beyond just their deaths. Most episodes are named after these young men and feature flashbacks leading up to their meeting with Gacy. Episode 2, "Johnny," centers on John Szyc (Levi Shelton), a gay high schooler trying to figure out how to come out to his parents. Episode 5, "Billy and Dale," highlights two Chicago sex workers (Brayden Raqueño and Max Mattern).

There are a variety of stories on display, but for the police investigating these missing persons cases, they paint every victim with the same brush: "troubled." Due to their queerness, their jobs as sex workers, or their prior run-ins with law enforcement, people like John, Billy, and Dale aren't priorities for police, allowing Gacy to get away with murder for years. Devil in Disguise showcases these prejudices with the same unflinching emphasis that other true crime shows may place on murder scenes.

It's worth noting that the first installment of Monster, Dahmer, attempted a somewhat similar approach to Devil in Disguise. It highlighted police prejudice against Dahmer's (Evan Peters) victims, and Netflix even claimed the series would "give the victims a voice." Yet the show did not consult victims' families at any point before, during, or after production, going so far as to recreate court scenes portraying still-living family members of Dahmer's victims without even the courtesy of a heads-up. The online backlash was severe.

Devil in Disguise and The Ed Gein Story have vastly different opinions of their audiences. Charlie Hunnam in "Monster: The Ed Gein Story." Credit: Netflix

As Devil in Disguise hones in on police prejudice, The Ed Gein Story clumsily tries to make a point of its own: that the people watching are the real monsters.

The series examines not just Gein's crimes, but also how they inspired legendary films like Psycho, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and The Silence of the Lambs. In doing this, The Ed Gein Story hopes to interrogate American audiences' desire for fictional violence, even as they turn away from real-life atrocities.

"You're the one who can't look away," Gein tells viewers in a fourth-wall break, implicating us in his acts.

Yet The Ed Gein Story's indictment of its own viewers falls flat as the show fails to consider its own place in the true crime ecosystem. It's perfectly content to draw connections between Gein and other pieces of media — including a wildly offensive parallel between Gein and Psycho actor Anthony Perkins (Joey Pollari) — but never looks inward at how it, too, is sensationalizing violence for audience consumption. "How dare you keep watching," The Ed Gein Story scolds viewers, all while Murphy and Brennan prepare to churn out a fourth season of Monster. It's eight episodes of sanctimony without self-awareness.

While The Ed Gein Story loathes its audiences for watching its nastiness (even as it serves up its gore on a human skin platter), Devil in Disguise appeals to audience compassion. The show knows that the Gacy name will inevitably draw viewers, which is why it opts to shed new light on Gacy's victims and their families, as opposed to delivering bloody shocks. Each episode ends with a link to a website that delves into how the issues that made Gacy's victims vulnerable persist today, and what the viewer can do to take action. The site, which is in partnership with GLAAD, Covenant House, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, and Equimundo, also offers resources like the Trevor Project Crisis Hotline and an anti-LGBTQ+ bill tracker.

Devil in Disguise is by no means a perfect true crime drama. Occasionally, it falls into the Monster trap of sensationalizing Gacy's story, such as a macabre sequence that juxtaposes him picking up young men with him donning his clown makeup. However, that's the only time Devil in Disguise actually shows any of Gacy's clowning, whereas you know a show like Monster would have leaned far harder into the killer clown angle.

That level of excess has defined true crime dramatizations for years now, but Devil in Disguise suggests a different and much-needed new route forward for the genre: restraint.

Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy is now streaming on Peacock.

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Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Office Home & Business for Mac 2021: Lifetime License $59.97
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SEE ALSO: Everything Apple announced today: Meet the new M5 MacBook, iPad

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Opens in a new window Credit: Babbel Babbel Language Learning: Lifetime Subscription (All Languages) $159
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Are you a connoisseur of horror? You appreciate all flavors of this rich genre, from the spine-tinglingly spooky to the gleefully gruesome, from the sickeningly suspenseful, to the willfully outrageous. But maybe you've seen so many horror movies that it has become a challenge to find something fresh to thrill. We've been there, and we're here to help.

Scouring Shudder's streaming library of horror, we've collected highlights that boast eerie ghost stories, vengeful witches, cackling corpses, a love-struck zombie, and unconventional slashers.

Here are the 25 best hidden gems now streaming on Shudder.

1. Rift

Want something uniquely chilling? Then check out this 2017 Icelandic thriller set in a frigid and frightful landscape. Written and directed by Erlingur Thoroddsen, Rift follows a man (Björn Stefánsson) to a remote cabin, where he hopes to help his distraught ex-boyfriend (Sigurður Þór Óskarsson) and maybe find some closure over their breakup. However, their reunion is rattled by a series of strange events that suggest they aren’t alone. Something is in the darkness, watching and waiting. This fantastic film lures you in with beautiful vistas and a slow-burn pace, then spirals into scares sure to linger like a cold shiver down your spine. — Kristy Puchko, Film Editor

How to watch: Rift is now streaming on Shudder.

SEE ALSO: What to watch: Best scary movies 2. The Awakening Rebecca Hall hunts for ghosts in "The Awakening," Credit: Bbc Films / Kobal / Shutterstock

In the mood for an old-fashioned ghost story? Set in 1921 England, The Awakening centers on a professional skeptic Florence Cathcart (Rebecca Hall), who dedicates her life to debunking so-called clairvoyants and their showy seances. With ruthless reasoning and science experiments, she has exposed frightful frauds and infuriated believers. However, Florence may have met her match when she travels to a boys’ boarding school to confront a reportedly murderous apparition. Director Nick Murphy imbrues this spooky tale with suspense and dread, unfurling a final act that’s uniquely haunting. Dominic West and Imelda Staunton co-star. — K.P.

How to watch: The Awakening is now streaming on Shudder.

3. Nina Forever

Yearning for a dark comedy that’s bloody fun? You’ll fall hard for Nina Forever. Co-writers/co-directors Ben Blaine and Chris Blaine have dreamed up a truly deranged tale of love and letting go, and it all begins with a macabre crush. Grocery clerk Holly (Abigail Hardingham) hopes she can help mournful motorcyclist Rob (Cian Barry) forget his last girlfriend, who died in a grisly accident. But every time these new lovers crawl into bed, Nina (Fiona O'Shaughnessy) intrudes. Or more specifically, her broken and bloody corpse crashes the party with snarky one-liners and withering eye-rolls. Full of gore, sex, and jaw-droppingly outrageous gags, this horror-comedy earns its hard-R, yet delivers a surprisingly tender tale. — K.P.

How to watch: Nina Forever is now streaming on Shudder.

SEE ALSO: What is Shudder? Everything you need to know about the horror streaming platform. 4. The Queen of Black Magic Something wicked this way comes in "The Queen of Black Magic" (2020). Credit: Shudder

It’s a rare thing for a remake to outdo the original. Yet Kimo Stamboel’s gruesome 2019 offering does just that by upping the ante on body-horror with frightfully realistic gore. Deep in rural Indonesia, a humble orphanage is supposed to be the site of a warm reunion between three friends (Ario Bayu, Tanta Gintin, and Miller Khan), who long ago spent their boyhoods there. But in the past and in this place, they buried a terrible secret. Now, something horrid has risen to claim vengeance on them and their families. With creeping dread, stomach-churning scares, and ruthless supernatural twists, this one is not for the faint of heart. — K.P.

How to watch: The Queen of Black Magic is now streaming on Shudder.

SEE ALSO: The 8 scariest horror movies on Shudder to keep you up at night 5. Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street Mark Patton reckons with his place in horror history in "Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street." Credit: Christine Rampage / AMC Networks

Shudder boasts a robust documentaries selection, which offers audiences deep cuts into their favorite movies or horror subgenres. The best of the bunch is this funny, personal, and political exploration of the infamous A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge. Long mocked for its queer content, the subversive sequel proved a nightmare for its unconventional scream queen, Mark Patton. However, directors Roman Chimienti and Tyler Jensen present the charismatic Patton with the opportunity to reclaim the narrative (and share a slew of stories, both thrilling and heartbreaking). The result is a bio-doc that’s sensationally bold, surprisingly funny, and proudly gay as hell. — K.P.

How to watch: Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street is now streaming on Shudder.

6. Jack Frost

Seeking something sloppy, silly, and unapologetically dumb? Then revel in the bad taste of this seasonal slasher about a homicidal snowman. It all began on a wintry night when a vicious serial killer named Jack Frost (Scott MacDonald) met with a corrosive chemical accident that melded his rotten core into sentient snow! Director Michael Cooney festoons this cult classic with gleefully ludicrous slayings, cringe-worthy sight gags, and practical effects so bad they're hilarious. — K.P.

How to watch: Jack Frost is now streaming on Shudder.

7. Zombie for Sale A family observes a zombie from a safe distance in "Zombie for Sale." Credit: Christine Rampage / AMC Networks

What if zombie bites weren’t all bad? More specifically, what if a nip from the undead would give the impotent new life below the belt? That’s the preposterous premise that kicks off this gleefully bonkers South Korean comedy. The Park family is scraping by running a battered gas station when their fortunes are turned by a zombie (Jung Ga-ram) with a rejuvenating bite. That’s just the first act of director Lee Min-jae’s playful horror-comedy. Family hijinks, ghoulish action, gross-out gags, and absurdly earnest romance also pop up, making for a movie that is chaotically charming and pleasantly unpredictable. — K.P.

How to watch: Zombie for Sale is now streaming on Shudder.

8. Revenge Matilda Lutz fights back in  "Revenge." Credit: M E S Productions / Kobal / Shutterstock

"Vengence is Hers" is a Shudder collection that offers an array of nail-biting tales about women fighting back with all their might and no regrets. A standout in this section is this critically acclaimed 2017 action-thriller from writer/director Coralie Fargeat. Matilda Lutz stars as an American socialite who's living it up as the girlfriend of an obscenely wealthy playboy. That is until a horrid betrayal leaves her battered, broken, and left for dead. Filled with righteous wrath, this party girl hurls herself into a scorching quest not only to survive but also to burn down the men who tried to destroy her. Electric with bone-crunching violence and candy-colored accents, Revenge is as ferocious and feminine as its rampaging heroine deserves. — K.P.

How to watch: Revenge is now streaming on Shudder.

9. Deadly Games Home Alone can't compare to the home invasion holiday horror of "Deadly Games." Credit: Fantastic Fest

Before there was Home Alone, French writer/director René Manzor dared to dream up a kid-centered holiday home invasion that is unapologetically scary. Since its 1989 debut overseas, this festive thriller could not get a US theatrical run. So, it became a coveted treasure for American horror fans, who’d heard of its heady combination of terror, twists, and toys. Mazor’s own son, Alain Lalanne (credited as Alain Musy), stars as a clever boy, who must use all his wits and playthings to survive the night, once a menacing mall-Santa breaks into his home hellbent on homicide. Forget paint cans and Wet Bandits. Manzor’s spin on this story is far darker, zanier, and bolder, making for a movie that’s outrageously funny, truly frightening, and ultimately unforgettable. — K.P.

How to watch: Deadly Games is now streaming on Shudder.

10. Oddity Credit: IFC Films

If you're going to find yourself violently murdered, it's always a good idea to have a clairvoyant sister on hand to sleuth out what happened to you. That's just one of the many lessons in Irish director Damian McCarthy's 2024 gem Oddity, which stars Carolyn Bracken in the dual roles of doomed Dani and her seer sis Darcy. 

SEE ALSO: 'Oddity's Damian McCarthy reveals the origins of his Wooden Man

The mystery surrounding Dani's death is where the film unravels its weird magic. One year after the murder, Darcy heads out to the country home of Dani's widower Ted (Gwilym Lee) to understand what really went down that cold, dark, and deadly night. Her tools of investigation include a life-sized Wooden Man, which played big in the film's marketing. Oddity has so much going on that it might feel scattered at first glance, but that's just McCarthy waving his hand one way so you don't see him sneaking up behind you to scare the bejesus out of you. Ruthlessly. — Jason Adams, Contributing Writer

How to watch: Oddity is now streaming on Shudder.

11. Messiah of Evil 

Forgotten and only available as inferior copies of copies for decades, American Graffiti scribes Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz's unclassifiably strange 1973 seaside horror film Messiah of Evil only started getting its due recently, with a newly restored version made available just in time for its 50th anniversary last year. The film spins the deliciously inexplicable tale of the residents of Point Dume, California, where a blood moon turns them all into flesh-eating zombies… or something? 

The movie's incoherence works, as the viewer feels like all logic was left behind at the county line. Essentially, we're caught up in somebody else's nightmare and the usual rules of existence do not apply. Plus, Messiah of Evil features two of the greatest horror sequences ever filmed — one inside a supermarket and the other inside a movie theater — that make it a must-see for any genre scholar or lover of flesh-munching alike. — J.A.

How to watch: Messiah of Evil is now streaming on Shudder.

12. Hell House LLC

The first film in this long-running found-footage franchise centers on the disaster that befalls a group of young people staging a Halloween haunted house attraction just outside of New York City. Their fatal flaw: choosing an actual haunted hotel as their location. And not just any old normal haunted hotel, but the Abaddon Hotel. As if the name weren't a clue to get the heck out of dodge, the basement is full of nightmare-inducing clown mannequins. Now most people would avoid these things on sight, but these ding dongs decide to integrate the things they find scattered around the hotel right into their show. As they lead up to opening night, things just get weirder and weirder — until all hell breaks loose.  

With an ultra-creepy framing device featuring a lone survivor being interviewed by a documentary crew, the movie becomes a clown cascade of found-footage shenanigans, with the bozo beasties popping up behind people like The Descent monsters in oversized silk pants. It's a true jump-scare paradise – coulrophobes, beware! — J.A.

How to watch: Hell House LLC is now streaming on Shudder.

13. Good Madam Credit: Visit Films

An incredibly eerie morality tale set in modern-day South Africa, Good Madam tells the story of Tsidi (Chumisa Cosa) and her 9-year-old daughter Winnie (Kamvalethu Jonas Raziya), who become homeless when Tsidi's grandmother (who raised her) dies. Needing a stable home, Tsidi reaches out to her estranged mother Mavis (Nosipho Mtebe), who's been a live-in domestic servant in the home of a rich white woman since Tsidi was a child. And that's when the skin-crawling creepy feelings start piling up.

There in this big fancy house, they find the good madam catatonic in bed, all while Mavis inexplicably maintains her grueling schedule of work around the clock for the unconscious woman. Something is deeply amiss, and as Tsidi starts pulling at threads it all starts to unravel. And co-writer/director Jenna Cato Bass manages to lay a sharp critique of post-apartheid racial relations in South Africa against the scares too — Good Madam unnerves as much as it enlightens. — J.A.  

How to watch: Good Madam is now streaming on Shudder.

14. Mad God

30 years in the making, Mad God is a surreal and horrific stop-motion masterpiece from Phil Tippett, the legendary special-effects master behind everything from the aliens in Starship Troopers to the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. Dropping us without explanation into a hellish, wordless netherworld filled with creatures that must be seen to be believed, Mad God defies simple explanation. But it is so much wild eye candy at a certain point you stop trying to understand, to put what you're seeing into words, and you just take the ride toward the disgusting rebirth of the cosmos with him. It makes Alice's descent into Wonderland seem like a trip to the corner store. — J.A.

How to watch: Mad God is now streaming on Shudder.

15. Rabid Grannies

A slice of camp horror magic that is the definition of under-seen and under-appreciated, this 1988 Troma release is basically Evil Dead meets your grandma. And who doesn't want Evil Dead meets your grandma? (The hilarious gross-out vibes definitely bring to mind early Peter Jackson earlier films, like Bad Taste and Dead Alive, if that's your jam.)

Rabid Grannies focuses on sweet twin grandmothers Elizabeth and Victoria Remington (Danielle Daven and Anne-Marie Fox) who invite their no-good family over to their mansion one dark and stormy night for their birthday party. But when a satanic curse turns the lovely elderly ladies into perverse flesh-chomping maniacs, those ingrate relatives get what they deserve, i.e. their flesh chomped by these Rabid Grannies! Seriously silly and slapstick gross, you'll wish these golden girls of gore forgot their devilish dentures on this day! — J.A.

How to watch: Rabid Grannies is now streaming on Shudder.

Featured Video For You Elvira on drag queens, Vincent Price, and her new cookbook — from hell!
16. Infested

If you're afraid of insects but love freaking yourself out anyway — that vertiginous attraction-repulsion sensation that all horror fans seek out — then have I got the bug movie for you. French co-writer/director Sébastien Vaniček's Infested puts the focus on the residents of a rundown apartment building in the suburbs of Paris who find themselves under attack by a swarm of lethal spiders. If that wasn't bad enough, these spiders' fast-killing venom is only outpaced by their ability to rapidly multiply. 

Infested has a pointed subtext about race and class, specifically how these characters living in poverty are ignored and forced to fend for themselves, which then allows this nightmare to go unchecked. But mostly Infested just lets itself be a terrifying roller-coaster ride of enormous spiders leaping onto people's faces. Unrelenting but massively entertaining stuff. — J.A.

How to watch: Infested is now streaming on Shudder.

17. Mosquito State Credit: Shudder

Writer/director Filip Jan Rymsza threads one hell of a needle with his truly odd 2020 film Mosquito State, which metaphorically links the 2008 financial collapse with the mating habits of the mosquito. And it somehow works! 

Beau Knapp (Road House) gives a hypnotic performance as Richard, a Wall Street numbers-cruncher who is obsessed with obscure patterns, using them to see into the financial future. When a single mosquito stows away under his shirt collar and lays eggs in Richard's fastidiously sterile apartment, he descends into swollen madness trying to understand the message the insects must be transmitting through their every sting. For my fellow entomophobes, this one will have you itching your eyes out even as you gape at the strange beauty of it all. — J.A.

How to watch: Mosquito State is now streaming on Shudder.

18. Ghostwatch

An artistic prank on the level of Orson Welles' infamous War of the Worlds broadcast in 1938, the BBC mockumentary Ghostwatch was unleashed on an unsuspecting public on Halloween night 1992. Using real-life UK-famous personalities and journalists like Michael Parkinson, Sarah Greene, Mike Smith, and Craig Charles, the film plays out as a live on-air broadcast from in-studio as well as from the home of a woman and her three daughters, who insist their house is haunted. 

Of course, things get more unhinged as the show goes on, and many BBC viewers who tuned in after the broadcast's beginning (or were only half paying attention) missed that this was a fiction film. And they absolutely freaked out, calling into the TV station in a state of alarm. Which is understandable because Ghostwatch, with its eerie found footage constantly catching blink-and-you'll-miss-it horrors, gets under your skin even if you know it's all staged. Just utter the ghost's name, "Pipes," to someone who's seen Ghostwatch, and you'll see skin crawl before your very eyes. And British television has never aired the movie again! — J.A.

How to watch: Ghostwatch is now streaming on Shudder.

19. Death Game

1977's Death Game has the great Seymour Cassel playing the role of George, a wealthy married businessman who finds himself alone at home on his birthday when two gorgeous women, Jackson and Donna (Sondra Locke and Colleen Camp), come knocking on his door. Playing out like a Penthouse fantasy come to life, the women are drenched from a rainstorm and say their car broke down, only to relentlessly flirt with him until he — you guessed it — relents.

But that fantasy immediately descends into a nightmare as the women refuse to leave when morning comes, and they start teasing and tormenting him, with their abuses growing more and more hilariously over the top. Terrified that his wife will return home before he can get rid of them, George is boxed in; it's every cheating jerk's nightmare brought to vivid life. But ultimately, Death Game turns into a blow-out showcase for the actresses (in particular Locke), who are having so, so much fun tormenting this pathetic man. (And if this all sounds familiar,  that's because Eli Roth remade this movie, and pretty well, in 2015 as Knock Knock with Keanu Reeves.) — J.A.

How to watch: Death Game is now streaming on Shudder.

20. Impetigore Credit: Everett / Shutterstock

Writer/director Joko Anwar is a bright and shining light in today's international horror scene, almost single-handedly rejuvenating the Indonesian market with his 2017 remake of the 1980 cult classic Satan's Slave. That was followed in 2019 with his script for The Queen of Black Magic (also on this list), as well as his 2019 follow-up Impetigore, which he also directed. All of these movies are streaming on Shudder, and every one (along with his sequel to Satan's Slaves) is awesome and worth their own mini-film fest. 

Impetigore remains my favorite of the bunch. Here, Anwar gives us a pair of truly loveable leading ladies in best friends Maya and Dini (Tara Basro and Marissa Anita), who get sucked into an investigation of a haunted property out in the middle of nowhere. These two are smart and funny and their friendship shines, and as they stumble into a situation beyond their control, we become deeply terrified for them. Don't believe me? Watch the first ten minutes. Impetigore has one of the greatest horror opening scenes in recent memory. — J.A.

How to watch: Impetigore is now streaming on Shudder.

21. Birth/Rebirth Credit: Courtesy of Shudder. An IFC release.

A deliciously disturbing update of Frankenstein, Birth/Rebirth exposes the twisted tale of medical technician Rose (Marin Ireland) and obstetrics nurse Celie (Judy Reyes) whose paths cross when Celie's ill daughter Lila (AJ Lister) suddenly dies. Writer/director Laura Moss pits the two women's different reasons for wanting to cheat death against each other, even when they're working together. The end result is one horrific consequence spiraling after another. 

The film becomes in a way a wrestling match over modern ideas of motherhood, and both its lead actors give brilliant turns coming together and clashing over what that means — or could mean. Birth/Rebirth ends up spinning a deeply feminist Franken-myth that would've made Mary Shelley beam with pride. — J.A.

How to watch: Birth/Rebirth is now streaming on Shudder.

SEE ALSO: Let's talk about 'Birth/Rebirth's big twist 22. Arcadian

Arcadian stars Nicolas Cage as the father of two young boys in a post-apocalyptic world, where some strange breed of vicious creatures have taken to stalking the countryside at night for prey. As darkness falls, the beasts shake and rattle against the doors of their house, trying to break in. The family spends their hours of daylight gathering food and supplies and reinforcing the structure to keep the not-wolves at bay. 

SEE ALSO: 'Arcadian' stars Jaeden Martell and Maxwell Jenkins play "Slash or Pass"

Of course, this embattled existence can't last forever. One breakdown in their routine leads to disaster. As the family finds itself scattered in the dark, they're beset upon by the creatures, and this is where Arcadian really sets itself apart. Its monsters are wondrous, unlike anything you've ever seen before. Somewhere between an ostrich and a tarantula — maybe with some woodpecker mixed in? — they have big grinning skulls that make the most horrible thwacking sounds. Half the movie's fun is just trying to figure these horrible things out, and they keep swerving just when you think you've got a handle on what they're capable of. They're some absolutely bonkers monster designs, and you won't soon forget their rampage. — J.A. 

How to watch: Arcadian is now streaming on Shudder.

23. La Llorona

The ancient folk tale of La Llorona, who drowns her children only to spend her eternal ever-after crying out for them, has been adapted into a number of horror movies, but writer/director Jayro Bustamante's 2019 adaptation is our favorite — brilliant and hauntingly beautiful.

This version is set mainly within the walled-off Guatemalan compound belonging to Enrique Monteverde (Julio Díaz), the country's one-time brutal dictator. Now an elderly man on trial for genocide and besieged by protestors on all sides, Monteverde — who is based on the late dictator Efraín Ríos Montt — suddenly finds the tables righteously turned when the indigenous workers on his compound begin getting their revenge. What follows is poetic, strange, surreal, and unforgettable. It would also make for a terrific double-feature with Pablo Larraín's 2023 movie El Conde, which imagines Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet as a vampire. — J.A.

How to watch: La Llorona is now streaming on Shudder. 

24. In a Violent Nature Credit: Courtesy of Pierce Derks. An IFC Films & Shudder Release.

In a Violent Nature kicks off with a couple of nitwits disturbing the accursed underground slumber of the undead Johnny (Ry Barrett), a lumbering slasher killer who rises up from the dirt to exact his revenge. And then the camera follows Johnny, methodical step after methodical step through the forest, as he finds the nitwits who did him wrong (or those who are just, you know, there, being nitwitty) to brutally murder them all one by gory one. 

SEE ALSO: 'In A Violent Nature' has the year's most intense ending. Here's what it means.

If this sounds familiar it should – it's the plot of every slasher movie. What sets this apart is you could almost mistake it for a Terrence Malick movie in between the kills, as the killer's POV is one that mainly consists of a series of slow contemplative walks through the beautiful forest. Of course, the kill scenes are wildly over the top, as if to make up for the slowness of the rest of the proceedings. This gives the film a lackadaisical rhythm punctuated by extreme violence that becomes weirdly hypnotic, if you let it. Deeply grisly, this one's for the adventurous gorehounds among you! — J.A.

How to watch: In a Violent Nature is now streaming on Shudder.

25. Speak No Evil (2022)

The 2024 Blumhouse remake with James McAvoy is one thing, but you really need to watch Christian Tafdrup's 2022 Danish original to properly savor the flavor of Jean-Paul Sartre's lament, "Hell is other people." When two families (one Danish, one Dutch) meet during an Italian vacation, they make vague plans that they should hang out down the road. When Bjørn (Morten Burian), Louise (Sidsel Siem Koch), and daughter Agnes (Liva Forsberg) head to the remote Dutch countryside for a weekend with Patrick (Fedja van Huêt), Karin (Karina Smulders), and Abel (Marius Damslev), a pitch-black comedy of manners — where the comedy is replaced by relentless, nerve-shattering awkwardness and horror — quickly ensues.

The original Speak No Evil  brutally weaponizes social niceties, closing the noose around the innocent family as they just try to not make too much of a fuss. They eventually realize that a fuss was most certainly exactly what was needed, just far far too late, culminating with one of the darkest endings ever put on film. Hollywood could never. — J.A.

How to watch: Speak No Evil (2022) is now streaming on Shudder.

UPDATE: Oct. 16, 2025, 1:12 p.m. EDT This list was first published on Oct. 22, 2021. It has since been updated to reflect current streaming options.

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Horror movies come in all shapes and sizes.

You've got your comedy horrors, your psychological horrors, your tense thriller-y horrors — and, of course, your genuinely scary horrors.

I'm not just talking about your run-of-the-mill, yikes-that's-a-bit-creepy kind of films, here, either. I'm talking about the truly terror-inducing — the type of movies you wake in the dead of night thinking about, and which stay with you for a long, long time after the credits have rolled. The horribly twitchy, sleep-with-the-lights-on-and-avoid-all-mirrors kind of movies.

Streaming platform Shudder has a lot to offer in this regard.

SEE ALSO: The best movies on Shudder that you can't stream anywhere else

We've combed through the archives of the service (which is chock-full of horror, sci-fi and thrillers of all kinds) to track down the most terrifying films we could — from jumpy classics like Ring to the bleak puppet-themed horror of Matthew Holness' Possum. If you're unable to deal with jump-scares, these are not for you.

Cushions to hide behind at the ready...

Possum

What's it about?

After losing his puppeteering job, a man returns to his childhood home to destroy a creepy puppet he carries in a brown bag. But after a local teenager goes missing, it's clear that something more sinister is at play.

Why's it so scary?

The overall tone of Possum is probably more bleak than scary, but the puppet is the stuff of nightmares: a near-person sized, spider-like creation with a human mask for a face that has the disconcerting habit of reappearing even after it's been disposed of. The ominous, jagged background score that follows Philip (Sean Harris) around doesn't help, and the jump scares – when they do come – are well placed and unpleasant.

How to watch: Possum is streaming now on Shudder.

The Medium Credit: Sasidis Sasisakulporn / Shudder

What's it about?

A documentary film crew travel to northern Thailand to interview a shaman who claims to be possessed by a goddess — only to get caught up in something far more sinister when her niece begins to act strangely.

Why's it so scary?

"The film's first two acts move at a subtle, simmering pace, but the finale is sheer frightening chaos," writes Mashable's Shannon Connellan in her review. "It's a diabolical move from director [Banjong] Pisanthanakun, who lulls audiences into a sense of security before swiftly pulling the rug out from under us. Sitting at over two hours, the film spends ample time with the characters but keeps the momentum through a sense of foreboding — thanks in part to Chatchai Ponhprapaphan's haunting score. As events escalate, the documentarians' distance to their subjects becomes compromised while they wonder whether they should try to help Mink. This shift is reflected in a mix of their footage and security camera coverage. And in the well-worn tradition of found footage/documentary horror films like Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch Project, The Medium saves the most disturbing moments for last. There's a scene featuring a Hereditary-level reveal that had me sleepless for days."

How to watch: The Medium is now streaming on Shudder.

The Unheard Credit: Shudder

What's it about?

After undertaking an experimental procedure to restore her hearing, a woman staying in her childhood home experiences auditory hallucinations that may have something to do with her mother's disappearance.

Why should you watch it?

"As you might have guessed from that description, [director Jeffrey A.] Brown's movie is a bit of a genre mish-mash," I wrote in my review for Mashable. "The setup sounds like a Black Mirror episode, the hallucinations and isolation are straight-up horror, and the disappearances blend it all together with a kind of mystery/crime/thriller element. It's a combination that could easily start tripping over itself, but somehow it keeps a steady, confident footing. Between Brown's perfectly unnerving direction, a tight script from Michael and Shawn Rasmussen and a well-acted story, The Unheard crackles through its two-hour runtime with scares and tension aplenty."

How to watch: The Unheard is streaming now on Shudder.

Skinamarink Credit: IFC Films / Shudder

What's it about?

Given how experimental Kyle Edward Ball's movie is, this one's sort of hard to summarise. But it's essentially about two siblings who can't find their dad and are trapped in a dark house by themselves with only a whispering voice for company.

Why should you watch it?

"It totally and entirely wants to terrify us," writes Jason Adams for Mashable in his explainer. "Skinamarink wants us to become children trapped in our beds again. It wants the very concept of the dark to be foreign, filled with questions and strangeness and terror. Forcing us back to when we were little and we didn't know more than what was right in front of us, when what lay beyond our hallway or, God forbid, our front door might as well be the edge of the flat earth, falling off into nothingness."*

How to watch: Skinamarink is streaming now on Shudder.

The Power Credit: Shudder

What's it about?

In 1974, Val (Rose Williams) starts a new job as a nurse in a London hospital. But she soon discovers that the oppressive hierarchy and rolling blackouts aren't the only horrible things she'll have to confront.

Why should you watch it?

"It's the perfect setup for building a creeping sense of dread [...] and [writer/director Corinna] Faith does this with a deft hand," I wrote in my review for Mashable. "There are plenty of jump scares, too, but these never feel gratuitous — like all the best scary films, The Power's horror is used to draw out the movie's main themes, rather than wielding them for mere shock value.

"All in all, the film is pretty hard to fault. The performances are excellent all-round, with Rose Williams showing off incredible range in the central role."

How to watch: The Power is streaming now on Shudder.

Satan's Slaves

What's it about?

After the strange death of their mother, a family begins to suspect that her presence may not have entirely left the house.

Why's it so scary?

Indonesian director Joko Anwar knows how to make a creepy film. It's apparent during the opening scenes in Satan's Slaves, when Rini (Tara Basro) makes a grim discovery in her mother's bedroom, and it only gets clearer from there on out. The movie has a solid mixture of slow build, bumps-in-the-night style tension, and outright jump-scares, putting you on edge early and offering little by way of reprieve.

For fans of Ring (which features further down on this list), there's even a very creepy well...

How to watch: Satan's Slaves is streaming now on Shudder.

SEE ALSO: The best women-centric and feminist horror movies Ring Stay away from those unmarked video tapes. Credit: Omega / Kadokawa / Kobal / Shutterstock

What's it about?

A journalist attempts to get to the bottom of a cursed video tape, which supposedly kills the viewer a week after they've watched it.

Why's it so scary?

Hideo Nakata's 1998 horror classic not only kick-started a global franchise, but it also proved you don't necessarily need high-tech special effects and intense music to generate scares. By today's standards, Ring may not provide as many jump-scares as some as the other films on this list, but there are still plenty of nightmare-inducing scenes and images (and you probably won't ever look at a well, or a grainy TV set, in quite the same way again).

How to watch: Ring is streaming now on Shudder.

The Dark and the Wicked

What's it about?

A brother and sister return to their parents' farmhouse to help their mother care for their dying father. But after things take a sudden, tragic turn, they realise something more sinister is going on.

Why’s it so scary?

Creaky old remote farmhouses are already the ideal setting for jumps, but Bryan Bertino's chiller is extra effective because of its use of sound — whether it's jangling horseshoes placed to ward off evil, a jagged background score or simply yawning, empty silence. The jumps in this one are unexpected and genuinely terrifying, and the story is unremittingly bleak.

How to watch: The Dark and the Wicked is streaming now on Shudder.

Host

What's it about?

Unable to meet in person due to the coronavirus lockdown, a group of friends decide to try out a seance over Zoom.

Why's it so scary?

One word: realism. The premise of the story, its Zoom setting, and the very natural dialogue all conspire to make Host feel horribly realistic. It's like you're watching the recording of an actual Zoom call between friends, and that makes it all the more unnerving when things begin to go really, really wrong.

Oh, and if you're worried that the movie's set-up might be limiting in terms of scares, don't be: the jumps in this one are frequent, and — thanks to the creativity of director Rob Savage — always inventive.

How to watch: Host is streaming now on Shudder.

SEE ALSO: How 'Host' director Rob Savage went from viral tweet to 3-movie deal Terrified

What's it about?

A group of paranormal investigators examines some disturbing goings-on in a neighbourhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Why's it so scary?

Rather than just having one scary monster or theme, Demián Rugna's Terrified has a whole bunch of them — from IT-style voices gurgling away in the drain to the unmoving corpse of a dead child, returned home from the grave to sit stiffly at the dinner table.

Basically, the film is a trick box full of scares, and if one thing doesn't get to you, chances are something else certainly will.

How to watch: Terrified is now streaming on Shudder.

Featured Video For You Elvira on drag queens, Vincent Price, and her new cookbook — from hell! Hell House LLC

What's it about?

After the opening of a haunted house tourist attraction results in death, a fictional documentary crew tries to uncover what really happened.

Why's it so scary?

Like all the best found-footage horror movies, Stephen Cognetti's Hell House LLC uses realism to amp up its fear factor, splicing shaky camera shots with moving mannequins and half-glimpsed figures in the night. The tourist attraction setting could easily have come across as cheesy in this one, but luckily the movie's prop department sourced some genuinely creepy-looking clowns for the occasion (one of which provides more than a few nasty jumps).

How to watch: Hell House LLC is streaming now on Shudder.

Z

What's it about?

A mother grows increasingly worried about her eight-year-old son after he gets a new imaginary friend called "Z."

Why's it so scary?

If the likes of The Babadook and Hide and Seek have taught us anything, it's that children having imaginary friends (at least in the context of a horror movie) is never a great thing. Brandon Christensen's Z takes this concept and gives it a fresh twist, putting us in the shoes of Beth (Keegan Connor Tracy) as she grows increasingly disturbed by her son's behaviour.

The thing that makes Z so unnerving isn't so much the creepy child aspect as it is the unknowable monster — the lingering idea of "Z," this unseen creature that dominates every scene with its absence. The fear of seeing something is often more disturbing than the thing itself, and this is an idea that the movie understands perfectly well — and uses to nail-biting effect.

How to watch: Z is streaming now on Shudder.

*This blurb appeared on a previous Mashable list.

UPDATE: Oct. 16, 2025, 12:52 p.m. EDT This list was first published on Sept. 15. 2023. It has since been updated to reflect current streaming options.

Do you like scary movies? Peruse our editor-chosen list of 100 of the best horror films and use the filters to narrow down your picks for which to watch tonight.