Shudderis returning for December with some fresh movies. The platform, known for hosting a variety of horror movies, will bring the scares to the holidays this month, with severalChristmas-themed filmslooking to capitalize on the most wonderful time of the year. Shudder has a few films for everyone this month, from new entries to older remakes.
Although Shudder only has a few titles coming, you can hopefully find some memorable ones. With that said, let’s dive into Shudder’s offerings for December.
It’s a Wonderful Knife
Streaming on Dec. 1
Yeah,It’s a Wonderful Knifeis exactly what it sounds like. It’s a parody ofIt’s a Wonderful Lifebut with horror aspects. It’s cheap, put on by Shudder, and probably worth a few laughs for the whole never-been-born concept applied to a horror film. It meets in the middle betweenScreamand your average Hallmark movie, which means that it at least has a decent amount of style, which is a nice perk.It’s a Wonderful Knifeis heading to Shudder on Dec. 1
Streaming Dec. 11
Wendigois an indie film featuring a tale about the elusive half-man, half-deer spirit in a 2000s film that will likely divide some viewers. Don’t be dismayed by the trailer that makes it seem like youraverage creature feature;Wendigohas much more to it than you might expect.
The film tries to be more than that, as it involves the dynamic of a family struggling to give their family and their jobs the appropriate amount of attention. It’s got some excellent cinematography thrown in, along with some interpretive plot threads. If you were to ask 100 people about this movie, they would probably all give a range of answers, saying they hated or loved it. Those films are the ones you want to give a chance to, as it means they took risks and tried things that made them stand out from the rest of the crowd.
Devil’s Pass
Streaming on Dec. 11
Or Dyatlov Pass.Devil’s Passis an interesting film as it’s based ona very real storythat’s on the unsettling side. ThinkThe Blair Witch Project, and you won’t be too far off.Devil’s Passsees a group of students trot off to investigate the mysterious deaths of nine people in the harsh Russian snow. Whatever happened, they’re out to figure it out and may even uncover a few supernatural secrets along the way.
Devil’s Passis a decent primer into the real event, which is perhaps scarier (given it really happened). The most shocking discovery is that of the tent sliced open from within. In -20F temperatures, the people on this trip were so frightened by whatever was in the front of their tent that they cut a hole in the backside to escape, leaving all belongings in the process. This means they didn’t take their shoes, and only a few wore socks and were in their underwear. Four of them were then found with forceful blows equivalent to that of a car crash with no external marks. There are a lot of questions surrounding the incident to this day.
Related:10 Highest-Grossing Horror Sequels of All Time
Black Christmas
Streaming Dec. 1
Black Christmasis a remake of one of the first stalker/slasher-style films of the ’70s. A group of sorority girls are terrorized during Christmas, making ita holiday-themed horrorup there with the infamousSilent Night, Deadly Night.
It’s not bad overall, asBlack Christmastries updates some of the original kills and even throws in fresh flesh-baked cookies the killer makes. The original is also on AMC+, which many will likely have in tandem with Shudder, meaning it’s worth watching for a comparison of styles.
The original has some interesting POV camerawork, which was inventive for the time, and a very memorable shower curtain suffocation sequence. Meanwhile, the remake ends up intentionally looking much like aSawfilm as it came out in the same timeframe. Will you care about the sorority girls or remember their names? Likely not, but when do you ever? If you take it for what it is,a familiar slasher, this will feel much the same as comfort food.
Related:Are We Having a Holiday Horror Renaissance?
Streaming Dec. 18
The Gingerdead Manis definitelya so bad it’s goodtype of movie. The big draw here is going to be the fact that Gary Busey puts on a genuinely hilarious-looking gingerbread man costume and stalks around the place looking to stab some folks repeatedly. If that doesn’t sell you on the film, nothing really will. Except perhaps the knowledge that not only does this movie exist, but it has a whole franchise attached, a GDMCU if you will, featuring such titles asGingerdead Man 2: Passion of the CrustandGingerdead Man vs Evil Bong. It’s quite the slippery rabbit hole to fall into, and there’s likely a YouTube video chronicling the epic experience in much greater detail than can be covered here.
For every movie not listed, they’re availableto view here.
If you love everything horror, check out MovieWeb’s video of the best horror comedies of all time below.
