One of the best horror branded content production houses of the present is Shudder. As simply a VoD streaming service, is Shudder a must-have for horror fans?
Creating a niche horror streaming service was a great idea. I think would benefit both the company and the horror fanbase if it expands to global markets. Seen from the audience’s side, I think it would benefit horror fans outside of the USA if they opened the service to non-US subscribers.
I don’t have Shudder and haven’t even tried it, but just seeing its offer, especially the things they produce makes me wish I had it.
When I check every month at the start of the month what is new for horror fans on streamers, Shudder always comes up with a lot of new releases.
Being the gold standard of horror video streaming services, I guess Shudder is taken as a measure through which calculate competing strategies, by other, generalist VoD streaming services.
They try each month to top Shudder, releasing more horror and movie TV series, but even if they surpass Shudder in quantity, we can’t say the same about perceived value.
Granted, the generalists release AAA horror movies, many of them made by major and mini-major studios. Still, there’s the fact that Shudder releases its own, Shudder-produced items that you can’t get elsewhere?
What is more strange to me is that, to me, it feels as if the movies that they license from other horror companies are more in tune with what a sophisticated horror movie watcher would like to see.
I mean by this that all the time, when I read the lists of new movies on Shudder for a determined month, most of the names aren’t movies I already watched, like most of the ones licensed by most of the generalist VoDs.
Like I wrote elsewhere, I don’t fancy myself the horror movie watcher, but after watching more than a thousand horror movies, 85%-90% of the old and classic horror movies that the generalist VoDs bring to the table, each month, are horror movies that I already watched.
Maybe not for Novice Horror Movie Watchers?
If you are starting with horror movies, and I were you, I will rather subscribe for two or three years to two or more generalist VoDs and watch everything on the horror genre they have to offer. Only then, when you have at least an essential understanding of popular and classic horror movies, pay for a Shudder subscription.
One thing that called my attention about Shudder is that they don’t stream just movies, TV Series, and documentaries, but also horror programs.
Programs as opposed to docus, series, and movies are worthy of mention because most VoDs (except maybe for Hulu) don’t offer that format.
Who I Think Should Sub To Shudder?
- Horror movie watchers having difficulties finding good horror movies to watch after watching 100s or 1000s of them
- Hardcore fans of horror in general
- Lovers of the horror audiovisual genre in particular
- Persons employed mid-term, long-term, or permanently in a job related to the horror genre
Should Horror Movie-Makers Pitch To Shudder?
To be honest with you, I don’t know. There’s always the possibility of selling your finished horror movie to VoDs, or securing distribution form them. But in the case of Shudder, they may even call you if you do something innovative belonging to the horror genre. One such example is Rob Savage. The video in the following tweet called the attention of Shudder brass:
I’ve been hearing strange noises from my attic, so I called a few friends and went to investigate… pic.twitter.com/CxmJAf44ob
— Rob Savage (@DirRobSavage) April 21, 2020
I don’t know exactly the sequence of events, but Savage must have pitched the movie to Shudder, because four months later it was available on the service.
About Shudder Exclusive
Shudder releases between two and five Shudder Exclusive items per month. If you are lucky enough to strike a deal with Shudder for distribution of your horror film, they may even give your movie a theatrical release.
© 2021 by Bholenath Valsan | The Best Horror Branded Content