Shudder: Horror & Thrillers Reviews

by Your Mom's Name

There are a few good movies but nothing major. Shudder is a list of old and foreign films with a few Redbox movies thrown in for fun. When you write a review and it’s not stellar, the review doesn’t show up on the reviews. There are a few gems, yet they are b flicks and very few and far between. Most of the time you watch a movie just to be disappointed. The service works well. Unless you can speak 10 languages or want to read for an hour skip it. I paid for a year so I guess I’m in it. I may cancel soon and they can keep the money. Who knows? Better to just rent a few from companies that don’t cut review or skimp on movies. I looked forward to Shudder. Now I’m just kicking myself for this decision. I’m writing this because I can’t find a single movie to watch after having shutter for a month. One full month and now I have an app that is as useful as a trampoline in outer space. The scary part of shutter is that I signed up for a year. That’s the first scary thing I have experienced with Shudder. No name movies most of which have been around longer than my 17 year old daughter. Why can this company not listen to horror fans? Shudder was made for hipsters and loners who don’t know quality. This is sad because the idea is epic but the execution was lack luster to say the least. There are very few movies on Shudder and very few worth while titles.

by Italiancouture7

I subscribed for a free subscription, but I just didn’t really have time to use it. So I went to cancel it before it charged me, and then I was offered a one-month extension. So I decided why not. Little did I know when I accepted it, that they charged me $60 that very day. I noticed it a week later, and tried to cancel and open a dispute. Instead of answering my ticket they just closed it out and told me there was no problem. I have tried over and over and over to cancel my membership, but it keeps saying that it’s still active. When I contacted the company they didn’t even seem concerned at all that I have been wrongfully charged, and that I couldn’t cancel my subscription. They just kept telling me that I can’t just delete Shudder to cancel, which I didn’t. I’m not an idiot. I even provided a screenshot of the confirmation. The company is awful, and completely incompetent. I dug through the reviews and saw this has happened to a few others. I was able to dispute the charge with my bank, and get a stop payment. With zero help from the company, who I cannot believe is owned and operated by AMC!! It just blows my mind you’re not even able to successfully cancel the subscription, that is the scammiest part about it.

by Kablsonswenor

If I could give this company negative stars, I would. Everything was fine with them until I tried to cancel. They ignored my emails to cancel and then proceeded to charge me 3 payments, that I never agreed to pay, in the same day right after another. I emailed them about the charges and didn’t hear back again. I tried to contact them for 3 weeks before I gave up and went through my bank to dispute the charges. They took over and had to go so far into canceling my card because the payments started going through. I had to go for 3 days without my debit card because I couldn’t get through to their horrible customer service. I finally sent them an email telling them how upset I was about the whole situation and how my bank is disputing with them, and they replied two days later only asking to cancel the dispute and they’ll refund the money. They didn’t bring anything else up; it seems like they were only worried about the dispute with my bank and not the issues I’d been having. Seriously the biggest pain I’ve ever been apart of and I can only hope that this review will save people from having to go through the same situation I did.

by Zipperbug

As is customary during certain app updates I was signed out of this app. Upon signing in I was prompted by a message in a dialogue box to reset my password. Okay been here before too, no big deal. Right? WRONG! I was never sent the email to reset my password, I used the reset password button on Shudder login page...nothing. I attempted to login to the website, same routine, same lack of response. I went to the troubleshooting guide, and I was directed to UPDATE Shudder , App Store says it was updated a week ago. I provided feedback regarding how that didn’t help. I received emails asking for my feedback on the response to my issue. I asked the question, ‘What response?’ I told them my issue has not been resolved. I received another email asking again for my feedback on their response, and if my issue was resolved. No it has not been resolved. Almost 18 hours have past since I initially attempted to reset my password, and NOTHING has changed. I’m still not getting the email to reset my password, and no one from this app has responded or provided me with any guidance on how to resolve this issue. Great content....FU%&ED Customer service.

by Aarjh93

I have been a long time on and off this app subscriber, cancelling once getting thru everything new and restarting when I saw new things. One day I decided to cancel and was promoted with a free month to stick around, which I took. I didn’t cancel before the end of that month, and was continuing to watch content under the impression I had simply been put back on my old monthly billing cycle since I hadn’t yet cancelled. About 2 months after the free month, I went to cancel again only to see they had actually restarted my subscription at an annual billing rate. They changed my billing terms, pulled almost $60 from my account in the middle of a pandemic, and when I asked for an adjusted refund with the months used deducted, I was provided with a screenshot proving I had been using my account and that these were terms I agreed to. I think it’s beyond sneaky to offer a free month and slip in a complete change of contract, and then do everything in your power to keep someone from recouping their losses. I enjoyed this app and would have continued to subscribe on and off as I had been doing, but once the annual cycle is complete I’ll be continuing my crusade to let everyone know this company cheats its loyal customers out of large chunks of money in the most desperate of times.

by Hatsunimiku

I took a “free trial” that was supposed to be for 30 days but was charged $60 after 3 days. Emailing customer service is absolutely pointless- it’s as if you’re speaking to an AI that doesn’t respond to what you’re actually saying but just replies with generic responses that are absolutely no help. I’ve had this service for 7 months now because they refused to refund me (or even acknowledge my request) and I haven’t been able to log into it a single time. It crashes or says that I need to log in after I’ve already logged in and when I try to log in a second time it just keeps looping back to the same screen that says “Looks like you already have an account! Please login!”

I’ve been charged $60 for a “free trial” for a service that I can’t even access and no one will even communicate with me through email properly, which is the only method of communication they offer. Horrible scam of a business- I have and will continue to discourage anyone from ever using it- even as a “free trial”. NEVER GIVE THIS COMPANY YOUR CREDIT CARD INFORMATION.

by Thatguy888999666

I originally signed up solely to watch The Last Drive-In as this program is exclusive to the platform. Unfortunately the library is cluttered foreign language versions of some mid-century classics as that broadcasting such obscure versions of famous films is either cheap or free for them. Any titles of note are often already in the public domain (hard to justify paying for content that’s free on other platforms). As someone that often needs subtitles, it’s disheartening to find them unavailable on many titles. Shudder itself is buggy at best and often incapable of streaming via Chromecast devices, limiting viewing exclusively to your tablet or mobile phone. As much as I look forward to the new lineup of this app exclusives, I can’t justify paying for content I can’t watch on all my devices.
It’s a great concept with great original programing but in regards to Shudder itself and the quality of older content, I’m regrettably looking elsewhere.

by Caitlynbethany

So it took me way too long to notice this. But I received a notification that my card was declined. No big deal because I recently changed the address on the card and must have forgotten to update it. However when I went to look at my bank statements I saw that I was being charged through my iTunes account and on my debit card as well. When I reached out to customer service, Julia is apparently the only person in customer service, she just kept giving me the same answer “which subscription would you like to keep?” Well Julia there is only one subscription but I am being charged double! Then she sent me a link to cancel the iTunes subscription! I want my subscription, I just want someone to tell me why I have been paying double for almost a year. How do you even sign up for two accounts!?! Wouldn’t your system alert you to the fact there was two accounts with the same email. I am just amazed at how unhelpful they are.

by Gimme_soper

A lot of great titles to choose from, and it’s especially nice how many older and foreign titles there are. this app definitely knows their stuff. Major bonus points for the Joe Bib Briggs marathon. Whoever’s decision that was needs a raise!

My middling rating is only because I think this app still has room to grow, especially the design and layout of the platform. Limiting the ability to search only by title rather than other keywords like actor or director, especially with genre films like horror and thriller, is pretty annoying. It would be really nice and convenient to be able to isolate this app’s selection of Argento or Cronenberg films, for instance, or see which films feature Brigitte Lahaie. Also when searching through genres, it seems like the movies are always in reverse chronological order, which makes sense, but is also kind of frustrating while trying to brush up on the classics. Lastly, and I realize this is probably a licensing issue, but it’s kind of weird that there are various entries from certain series while omitting crucial chunks from those series (Phantasm without part 2, Halloween without parts 2 & 3).

Overall, been having a lot of fun with Shudder, but would look forward to some adjustments.

by Cjrennison

As a fan of horror, I’ve found more value in this service than even something like Netflix. At less than $5 a month (with the annual subscription) there’s always something worth watching, and the exclusive content is really high quality. There’s usually something new released every week, which makes it fun to watch and discuss with the community.

My only real complaints are that I wish the website/account management were a bit more robust. There isn’t really an easy way to do something simple like turn off auto-renewal, or change your plan, without needing to contact support, which can sometimes feel like you’re jumping through hoops (though they are friendly and helpful). Would probably be good if there was 2FA also, since credit card details are stored.

I also find that the Apple TV app has an issue where I constantly get a buffering icon when watching the live this app TV feed, despite the video playing normally (doesn’t happen with any of the on demand content).

by D. Hill

this app is a great horror film resource for all types of fans. Whether you are casual watcher or a hardcore devotee this service has something for you. The collection ranges from cult classics to more modern day mainstream classics as well as direct to video titles and ones you may never have heard of. All types of horror genres are represented here whether they be haunted house stories or stories based on ghosts, serial killers, aliens, monsters, zombies, etc. Shudder is a very good companion to the collection making it easy for users to find content whether by alphabet, collection or keyword search. The design is of high production value with atmospheric menus and a slick fast loading interface. Members can create and manage lists of films they want to see of keep in mind. Users can also set push notifications to stay aware of the latest titles to hit the service. Shudder also allows users to watch this app TV which is the channel that airs horror content. Whether allowing you to search content, manage content or subscribe to the service itself the this app application does a great job.

by Luxmeansbucks

I love this app! Their selection of movies has expanded so much over the years. I’ve been really enjoying their original series and documentaries.

I give it 4.5/5 because of a small, yet obnoxious glitch when casting to a smart device. I usually cast Shudder to my smart TV, but whenever I’m watching something and have to pause, once I press play again through Shudder , it restarts the whole movie/show to the beginning. There were a few instances when I had to pause a very lengthy documentary a couple of times and every time I would go back to press play through Shudder , it would restart it all the way back to the beginning. I’m hoping this bug can get fixed soon since it’s quite frustrating at times, especially when I want to come back to a movie at a later time.

Regardless, this app is awesome and is a must if you’re into the world of horror.

by HunterSummers

this app is a great deal at only $5 a month with a really good catalog of horror films. The only things holding it back are that a lot of the titles added get removed very quickly - a good number of them will get added for only a month or less. The titles often get removed without warning, and it would be nice to know when and which titles are leaving so I would have a chance to watch them. There is sometimes a “Last Chance to Watch” category, however this sometimes is there and sometimes isn’t, and it also doesn’t say when the films are leaving/how long you have to watch them till they’re gone.
Those gripes aside, I still love the service and it has made a wide variety of films accessible. With some user interface improvement and better consistency with the longevity of titles added to the service, this app would easily be one of the best streaming services available.

by Pattysdaddy

Sure, there’s the usual slasher trash trope, though, admittedly, some groundbreaking classics, There are some films I’m not interested in and guess what? I don’t watch them. But what keeps me subscribed, besides the opportunity to revisit so many well-known, well-made classics, are the amazing little known, small releases and a banquet of indie horror films, films I probably wouldn’t know about if not for this app and the wide range of “horror” fare presented. I get a kick out of reading (and writing) reviews, though it does gall me when someone says “meh” about “Don’t Look Now,” one of the few distinguished films that are more terrifying with each viewing. Any programmer who presents “Angst” and “Barking Dogs Never Bite” on the same channel, certainly gets (and keeps) my attention.

by Rikkrokkslithers

this app has all the classic must-watch-before-you-die titles if you are looking to catch up, as well as newer movies and serials, plus an impressive catalog of original productions.
Remember the defunct horror-focused TV channels Chiller and FearNet? This is a much more thoughtfully-curated collection than was offered by those two garbage cans.
this app really seems to understand what horror fans want. I always said I needed a Netflix for horror and I am grateful that it finally happened.
I can’t say I would recommend everything I’ve watched or that all the movies are “good” or even scary, but what this app offers is a unique look at the evolution of film overall. Filmmakers take more risks with Horror, and you can find some of the best talent in the industry right here.

by Shawn C Baker

I have a pretty extensive physical movie collection, so at first this app seemed superfluous for me. NOT the case. These folks know horror and what’s more, they know the history of horror. There are a lot of gaps in my own knowledge and taste that I’ve been able to fill in with Shudder. Lots of new stuff I didn’t know about as well. I love their streaming this app TV channels - great way to get around the paradox of choice I sometimes succumb to while scrolling through all the pretty thumbnails. The tv stations also remind me of the way I first fell in love with horror as a kid in the 80s: tuning in to the local station’s nightly movie, often horror. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that the Joe Bob Briggs all-might marathon didn’t forever endear Shudder to me.
HIGHLY recommended.
-Shawn C. Baker
Author of A Collection of Desires: 7 Tales of Modern Horror

by Razorsharp_retort

I got this app strictly for Joe Bob Briggs and The Last Drive In! Then I discovered The Critters series and everything else this app offers. The exclusive content is great. I mean Creepshow is awesome! As long as the original content is this good, I am hooked. I look forward to seeing more Joe Bob Briggs and recommend u add more Classic Horror Hosts like Elvira in a similar format! So far this is the one subscription channel that is a must have. Excellent interface and easy to use. Picture quality and sound is excellent and thru put on an IPad, Samsung phone and Pc/Roku is outstanding. Human Interface and design engineers hit this service out of the park! Keep Joe Bob and develop quality original content and maybe throw in some classic content and I am a subscriber forever. Cancelled Netflix for this app and am not looking back.

by Old Hickory

This is it, chief. I thought I was going to get this app for a month or two to watch a few things and then unsubscribe, but I didn’t realize the depth of the catalog and how often they add new movies and shows. Unless you can afford to spend all your money and time buying physical media and going to film festivals, this app is mandatory for keeping up with current horror movies and series. And besides that, it’s the only place to see Joe Bob Briggs. You think you probably don’t need another streaming service with the other stuff you’ve got, but you’re wrong. It’s an outstanding value. I guarantee that you’ve spent a lot more and gotten a lot less. Anything you’ve heard about service problems is old news and is probably only related to the night of the Last Drive-In premiere. I’ve been using for months and haven’t had the slightest hiccup. Highest recommendation.

by Zombiegonewild

The only thing better than this app is virtual reality horror. Shudder and what the devs did is truly an awesome accomplishment. If you are a horror freak like me, you don’t want this app, you NEED this app!! I just watched a this app exclusive called Haunt and the sub is already paying for itself! this app gives you all horror movies from not only the past but present. Also they give you international horror movies which is a must have for the horror enthusiast. this app seems to be growing and evolving at a nice pace. So far I haven’t gotten bored with any of the movies or series and the apps presentation is dam near perfect. I do wish I could review movies on my t.v. The streaming is extremely fast and I absolutely love the graphics that they made within Shudder , like the links that move like there’s an evil presence. I do wish they would incorporate different backgrounds maybe even live or moving backgrounds within Shudder which would rock! Thanks devs for an awesome horror experience and please give us more this app exclusives like Haunt!!

by I Never Leave Reviews Soo

Okay so imma just say right now I’m not a bot and this is a genuine review 😭 So I had this app for a bit, I tried out the free trial but couldn’t afford to upkeep my account. I accidentally forgot to cancel my subscription and they automatically charged my account $60 something, which was my fault. I emailed them about it and asked if I could get a refund quickly because I do have other payments that need to be taken care of. They got it done within 3 days and 2 update emails on them being under review to make sure I knew what was going on. Not only that they got my money back within a day of saying my claim was confirmed AND they cancelled my account for me. Other businesses take forever to process refunds or complaints, but they were snappy!!

On top of that the selections were great on their app, they had the old school and new school horror and thriller movies. I loved that they have all three original versions of “The Ring” in Japanese with subtitles! That was great seeing the original, it’s been a while since I’ve had an app this good ❤️

by ZuliePhoto

The first time (after the initial free month) I was charged twice.... it was corrected. The following month I was charged but it keep stating that I do not have an account. Contacted customer service, it’s been 4 days now with no reply! I feel like this app may be trying to weasel their way into getting their $5.99 that I was reimbursed the first month or trying to get money for the “free month”. Waiting until the end of this month to see if they reply since I was already charged, if not I’m completely unsubscribing. A subscriber claimed they had to change her debit card info through her bank because this app kept charging her despite unsubscribing for similar reasons. I will keep a close eye on this, I recommend you do the same if you are having a terrible experience like I am and a good amount of other subscribers, just look on FB and IG. What a shame!!! this app does have some cool stuff for Horror fans! GET IT TOGETHER this app!!!!!!

by FilipinoBear

this app is a great app and website for any new or veteran horror fan to use. It has tons of old classics like The Re-Animator and Halloween and newer movies like the Orphan. It also a great place for people to get exposed to different cultures of horror from Europe and Asia.

The content is amazing but Shudder it self is quite sub par. The settings has no means of changing any account information or changing your subscription which is inconvenient. The search engine only works by exact spelling of title so it doesn’t show results for spelling errors. And a lot of the movies especially older ones don’t have captions. I understand that a lot of the older movies don’t have captions to begin with, but it would be nice to have. All in all I love this app but it has a lot of room to improve.

by MaxxxRocket

Sure, there’s the usual slasher trash trope, though, admittedly, some groundbreaking classics, There are some films I’m not interested in and guess what? I don’t watch them. But what keeps me subscribed, besides the opportunity to revisit so many well-known, well-made classics, are the amazing little known, small releases and a banquet of indie horror films, films I probably wouldn’t know about if not for this app and the wide range of “horror” fare presented. I get a kick out of reading (and writing) reviews, though it does gall me when someone says “meh” about “Don’t Look Now,” one of the few distinguished films that are more terrifying with each viewing. Any programmer who presents “Angst” and “Barking Dogs Never Bite” on the same channel, certainly gets (and keeps) my attention.

by Bwi32

I love this app and what it offers for people like myself who are into the horror genre, and the price for a year is unbeatable. So as a concept for streaming options it is a solid 5 stars.

However, Shudder itself is problematic for several reasons. The search options are not as widespread as major streaming services like Netflix offer. Shudder has a tendency to shut off suddenly or crash that I do not notice with other streaming apps. It will not save your spot in a show or movie unless you manually exit out of the video to the main screen first, which is not true of netflix. The phone app also doesn’t sync with bluetooth headphones well so I cannot pause and play like I can with anything else in my phone. The phone app does do a good job of showing you the ratings of the movie and details with suggested titles but the xbox app lacks this ability and is limited in presentation overall.

So great streaming service but the apps have a long way to go. I paid for a year so it is clearly worth the glitches. Looking forward to some improvements...

by OraleHomie

I really love this app, namely because they take the genre seriously. I love that they give access to so many subgenres and hard to find titles (their Giallo collection is amazing, all the hits and even some lesser known gems).

Of course they have your trashy horror flicks, but they are incredibly dedicated to building a library that rests on a foundation of film history and even film theory.

I've been a member since they first came on the scene and I've seen their catalogue grow and expand. They invite notable horror figures to curate their own lists.

In addition, I love their approach towards holidays and notable months. For things like African-American history month and pride month, they curated lists of notable horror films that not only feature the reference month, but they take great care to select titles from a plethora of eras, from all different styles and techniques.

Their film movement focused collections are also wonderful, especially love the GIALLO! collection (huge Argento fan).

Last but not least, THEY GOT JOHN CARPENTER TO DO THE THEME. Talk about paying their respects to the legends!

this app did not come to play with the other subpar horror streaming apps out there. They came to show them how it's done.

This is how you do a genre focused streaming site.

by Luthien13

I just found this app through the podcast, “Inside The Exorcist”, and I am absolutely loving it! Just a few nitpicks about Shudder functionality itself:
- Please add 30 second rewind/forward buttons.
- Fix the pause function and or get rid of the pause screen that shows the movie summary. When I click play after having paused, there’s a lag between when the sound starts playing and when I actually get to see the video, which makes watching movies with subtitles really, really annoying when there’s no way to rewind except scrubbing.
- Make the home screen display some kind of “pick up where you left off” option. It’s a pain to have to search around for what I was last watching.

by JonathanJSample

I hate paying for a lot of things, mostly the things I have no choice but to pay. However, I am more than happy to see the this app deduction each month.

This service offers some of the best movies, television series, documentaries, and podcasts available today. The crew at this app is on top of posting on their social media accounts about what will be available or upcoming. There’s always something worthwhile to see in their streaming collection, anytime, any day.

The movie selection, the quality of Shudder , and the team behind it all make for an exceptional streaming service that no horror fan should be without.

by Krunghole

If you’re a fan of horror or have any inclination for the genre then this is a must have app for you. I can’t recommend this enough. It’s suitable for casual fans of horror as well as seasoned veterans. They have a plethora of movies and tv shows and most of them are difficult to come by on any other streaming site. Nevertheless, it’s curated and each guest picks the movies that have personally inspired or affected them in some way. Lastly their movies range from indie to big studio and from domestic to international. There is not another streaming app out there that is close to being as epic as this app when it comes to horror. See for yourself with their free trial.