There is no place for seasoned horror fans other than Shudder, but its vast library can be overwhelming. Here are eight non-mainstream films worth checking out.
Shudder is a treasure trove of horror movies that can scare even the most seasoned genre fans. We’ve chosen eight noteworthy but little-known movies available to watch right now, ranging from dark psychological horrors to bloody giallo films.
8. ‘The Dark and the Wicked’, 2020
IMDb Score: 6.1/10
Michael and Louise returned to the family farm. Their father is on life support, and there is clearly something wrong with their mother.
She sings strange songs and says that her children should not have come. After finding their mother’s fingers in the sink and a noose in the barn, the siblings begin to realize that they have ended up in hell.
The Dark and the Wicked doesn’t try to be anything more than it is. Bryan Bertino’s film is a classic horror movie about family secrets and traumas. It uses all its tools to make viewers feel as uncomfortable as possible.
7. ‘Hell House LLC’, 2015
IMDb Score: 6.4/10
Five years have passed since a mysterious malfunction caused the deaths of fifteen guests and staff on the opening night of a horror tour of an abandoned hotel on Halloween.
Not all of the victims were found, and the previous owner and a group of Satanists committed ritual suicide in the building. Locals say that the hotel contains a real door to Hell. Journalists have obtained a film that reveals everything that happened there.
6. ‘Deadstream’, 2022
IMDb Score: 6.4/10
Video blogger Shawn is going to stream live from a haunted house at night. Over 100 years ago, a lonely woman hanged herself there, and paranormal activity has been recorded there repeatedly since then.
Deadstream is an outstanding mockumentary that was filmed on a shoestring budget. This movie about a blogger in a haunted house will keep you glued to the screen better than multimillion-dollar blockbusters.
The naturalistic format of the live broadcast, including the chat and dozens of cameras placed around the house, makes you believe the events are real.
5. ‘The People Under the Stairs’, 1991
IMDb Score: 6.4/10
The People Under the Stairs is a timeless classic and an underrated gem from Wes Craven. The hosts of the house are a couple of crazy cannibals who are more than happy to have uninvited guests in their home.
The main character, boy Fool, and his friends, Spenser and Leroy, break into the Robesons’ house hoping to steal something expensive to sell later. However, the price for this venture proves too high when Fool and his friends fall into an inescapable trap.
4. ‘A Bay of Blood’, 1971
IMDb Score: 6.5/10
In 1971, Italian cult director Mario Bava made A Bay of Blood, a giallo film about teenagers trapped in an abandoned building with a serial killer.
With its dark mood, suspenseful scenes, and creative camera work and staging of murders, A Bay of Blood became one of Bava’s most notable directorial achievements and paved the way for the slasher film genre.
Many of the movie’s scenes were later recreated in Friday the 13th, sometimes even frame by frame.
3. ‘The Devil’s Bath’, 2024
IMDb Score: 6.6/10
The directors of The Devil’s Bath found evidence of a suicide by proxy practice that was common in German-speaking countries during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Unable to cope with depression and forbidden to commit suicide for religious reasons, women killed children and confessed to the crime to receive absolution before their execution.
The Devil’s Bath reveals its premise from the first minutes and follows Agnes, a woman whose journey begins with a walk down the aisle and ends on the guillotine.
2. ‘Mad God’, 2021
IMDb Score: 6.8/10
Phil Tippett, the creator of the special effects for Jurassic Park and Star Wars, spent 20 years developing his dream project, Mad God.
The plot follows a nameless protagonist who finds himself in a post-apocalyptic world inhabited by creepy creatures, including black men, living dolls, and disfigured monsters.
As he passes from one location to another, he becomes a witness to the local insane reality and plunges further and further into the abyss of violence.
1. ‘The Ugly Stepsister’, 2025
IMDb Score: 7.0/10
Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance set an unusual trend for body horror films with feminist optics. One such film is The Ugly Stepsister, the directorial debut of Emilie Blichfeldt.
The Ugly Stepsister‘s plot is inspired by Cinderella. However, instead of focusing on the main character of the fairy tale, the director tells about her older half-sister, Elvira. Like Cinderella, Elvira dreams of marrying a prince, but those around her say she is not beautiful enough.
In hopes of winning the favor of the court and the prince’s love, Elvira resorts to extreme – and sometimes sadistic – beauty rituals.
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