For every horror fan, life’s simply better with Shudder around. The mainline streaming service has a curated lineup for classic and modern horror that’s updated every week, and the picks for March 2022 are filled with some of the juiciest (and oddly topical!) titles in recent memory. If you’re looking for some *weird* new movies this month, Shudder has you more than covered.
Here’s seven films dropping on Shudder this month that are guaranteed to keep you up at night. Check ‘em out if you dare.
The Scary of Sixty-First
Director: Dasha Nekrasova
Writers: Dasha Nekrasova, Madeline Quinn
Cast: Betsey Brown, Madeline Quinn, Dasha Nekrasova
The Scary of Sixty-First is a horror film that definitely isn’t for all horror fans, but it sure is a wild film with a twist nobody could ever expect judging by its Lifetime-inspired poster. When two roommates (Madeline Quinn and Dasha Nekrasova, who was most recently seen on season three of Succession) move into their new apartment in Manhattan, they discover a dark secret with ties to a supernatural conspiracy of unexpected proportions. That’s really all that should be said about the film’s plot without revealing what makes it so appropriately polarizing and bonkers. It’s a schlocky throwback thriller that truly is unlike any other horror film coming out now, and is definitely worth seeking out even just out of curiosity.
The Spine of Night
Directors/Writers: Morgan Galen King, Philip Gelatt
Cast: Richard E. Grant, Lucy Lawless, Patton Oswalt, Betty Gabriel, Joe Manganiello
It’s been a while since we’ve had a rotoscoped, Heavy Metal-esque animation epic, and The Spine of Night has all that and more. Led by a stacked cast by the likes of Lucy Lawless, Patton Oswalt, and Joe Manganiello, the epic fantasy follows a fellowship of characters from multiple timelines and locations, who are tasked with taking down a powerful dark force. If you like psychedelic visual epics like Mandy or The Green Knight, then definitely check out The Spine of Night.
Darkman
Director: Sam Raimi
Writers: Sam Raimi, Chuck Pfarrer, Ivan Raimi, Daniel Goldin, Joshua Goldin
Cast: Liam Neeson, Frances McDormand, Colin Friels, Larry Drake
With a new Marvel joint on the way from horror maestro Sam Raimi, now’s the best time to visit his first foray into superheroes with the 1990 action-horror film Darkman, which arrives on Shudder this month, along with its two sequels. When a scientist (Liam Neeson) is irreparably damaged and left for dead by a crime boss (Larry Drake), he develops super-human abilities and goes on a quest for revenge. It’s a severely underrated comic book movie that isn’t based on a comic book character, and another great effort from the mind behind The Evil Dead and the original Spider-Man trilogy.
Memory: The Origins of Alien
Director: Alexandre O. Philippe
More than 40 years since it was unleashed in theaters, Alien finally gets a worthy documentary that highlights the making of one of the greatest films of all-time. Memory chronicles the production of Ridley Scott’s seminal sci-fi classic while tracing the connections of the various works that inspired it. Director Alexandre O. Philippe is no stranger to making insightful looks at film and their outside influences (The People vs. George Lucas, 78/52), and Memory is certainly no exception.
Livid
Directors/writers: Alexandre Bustillo, Julien Maury
Cast: Catherine Jacob, Marie-Claude Pietragalla, Chloe Coulloud, Chloe Marcq
Modern horror definitely has a tendency to lean into an abundance of violence and dark subject-matter, but the films arriving under Shudder’s Modern French Horror Collection are so dark and violent that it makes something like Hereditary look like Family Ties. Released uncut and internationally for the first time ever, Livid is a French horror fantasy about a group of friends who find themselves caught in a deadly trap while looking for a dance studio’s hidden treasure. Made by the directors behind Inside (another insane horror film also on Shudder), Livid is a blood-soaked nightmare that isn’t for the faint of heart: exactly why you should watch it this weekend.
Tragedy Girls
Director: Tyler MacIntyre
Writer: Chris Lee Hill, Tyler MacIntyre
Cast: Alexandra Shipp, Brianna Hildebrand, Josh Hutcherson, Craig Robinson
The slasher genre can only do so much with its formula, but Tragedy Girls is the rare exception that both plays with convention and tries to make something new. The horror comedy follows two friends (Alexandra Shipp, Brianna Hildebrand) who use their online true-crime show to send their small town into chaos in an attempt to gain more followers and make the big time as modern horror stars. The film came out in 2017 and is an underappreciated gem, and should be seen by anyone who considers themselves a connoisseur of slashers.
Bastards
Director: Claire Denis
Writers: Claire Denis, Jean-Pol Fargeau
Cast: Vincent Lindon, Chiara Mastroianni
Finally: another reason for horror fans can to experience a stunning vision in terror from acclaimed director Claire Denis (director of beautifully wild films like High Life). Also a part of Shudder’s Modern French Horror Collection, Bastards stars Vincent Lindon (who you may remember from his revolutionary performance in last year’s Titane) as a man who targets the person his sister (Chiara Mastroianni) believes was involved in her husband’s death. It’s a neo-noir that slowly unravels itself into being much more than it perceives to be. It’s also a Claire Denis film, which should be more than enough to sell you on watching this unique and dreary experience.