This week, on our trippiest episode to date, we take a look at two horror films that both feature LSD as a major plot point. First up is the recent Shudder release Spoonful of Sugar , a twisted and often stunning domestic nightmare that features a star-making performance by Homeland co-star Morgan Saylor, a set of truly disturbing family dynamics, and an ending that packs in some serious "wow" factor. And then, things get really weird when we check out the late 70s cult oddity Blue Sunshine , an...
Mar 30, 2023•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 17
Well, the theme of this episode is "witches," but if you're expecting pointy hats, eyes of newt, or anyone getting burned at the stake, you're bound to be disappointed. Still, we've got a couple of fascinating flicks to talk about this week, both of which have at least some version of a witch in them... or, in one case, at least in the title? Anyway, first up is the 1983 folk horror oddity Eyes of Fire , an obscure film that we -- and, apparently, the folks at Shudder -- think ought to be more w...
Mar 15, 2023•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 16
This week, we're all about the zombies... sort of. That flesh-eating, world-ending, gore-splattering subgenre of horror -- currently enjoying its latest resurgence thanks to HBO's The Last of Us -- is the unifying theme for the two films we reviewed, but neither one is your standard zombie saga, exactly. First up is writer/director Rob Jabbaz's recent effort The Sadness , a film that unleashes some of the most disturbing, plentiful carnage and mayhem ever filmed on an unsuspecting Taipei. Does i...
Mar 03, 2023•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 15
We're back again, and this week, it's all about the bloodsuckers! We really wanted to cover Kathryn Bigelow's directorial debut, the cult classic Near Dark , back when we made our own debut on The Shuddering , but the film was pulled from Shudder's library right before we sat down to record. Well, now it's back on Shudder, and we couldn't be happier to finally take on the 1987 vampire/western that features a movie-stealing performance from the late, great Bill Paxton (and he's just the start of ...
Feb 08, 2023•1 hr 36 min•Ep. 14
At long last, we're back with our first episode of 2023 (sorry about the wait!). This week, Chris and Nick check out a pair of Japanese films that, it turns out, have very little in common aside from their country of origin. First up is Tetsuya Nakashima's The World of Kanako , a brutal mystery/crime film that strays a little bit from the conventions of horror but nevertheless remains one of the most disturbing (yet also wildly energetic and complex) films we've seen in a long time. And then, wi...
Jan 18, 2023•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 13
The holidays are here, and we at The Shuddering are celebrating the most wonderful time of the year with a couple of films that forcibly injected some Christmas spirit into our beloved horror genre. First up on this final episode of 2022 is the classic Black Christmas , directed by the late, great Bob Clark -- the filmmaker who, less than a decade later, would bring us the very different (but also quite fondly remembered) A Christmas Story . Does this Yuletide-themed early slasher film hold up n...
Dec 21, 2022•1 hr 48 min•Ep. 12
This week, we're looking at the work of a filmmaker who's been a major figure in the horror genre for more than a half century: Dario Argento. Chris and Nick are both big fans of the Argento films they've seen, but with a filmography as extensive as the Italian master's is, there's still a lot left for us to check out. First up on our all-Argento episode (the first on The Shuddering, but likely not our last!), we review his most recent film, 2022's Dark Glasses . A throwback to Argento's legenda...
Dec 07, 2022•1 hr 54 min•Ep. 11
We're back! And, with Halloween now (sadly) several weeks behind us, it's time to get back to business as usual -- well, to some extent. Our latest attempt to broaden our horror-movie horizons by way of the Shudder library brings us to Norway, from which we've picked both a highly respected genre classic and a recent film that's generated a lot of buzz in the horror community. First up is Lake of the Dead , a 1958 film that plays like a finely crafted Nordic twist on the old "cabin in the woods"...
Nov 23, 2022•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 10
Well, here we are: our first Halloween season on The Shuddering is drawing to a close, and we've got just one more episode to celebrate on before October kicks the proverbial bucket. Good thing we've got a couple of really wild Halloween-themed Shudder offerings to review -- one of which might just be an unheralded classic of so-bad-it's-good cinema! First up is the recent, buzzed-about Shudder exclusive Deadstream , a unique found-footage movie that marries Sam Raimi-style supernatural shenanig...
Oct 29, 2022•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 9
Happy Halloween, gang! This week, on the first of two episodes we'll be dropping in the lead-up to horror's most hallowed holiday, we're discussing a couple of films that we thought would be especially suitable for the season. First up, though, Nick and Chris have to catch up on all of their other spooky-season viewing thus far, including some revisiting of franchises like Scream , Hellraiser , and -- of course -- Halloween , as well as some lesser-known picks and a new Netflix series from one o...
Oct 19, 2022•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 8
Happy October, everybody! It's high time for horror right now, and we're kicking things off with the first of several Halloween episodes that will hopefully give you a (severed) leg up in your seasonal film-viewing selections! Our theme this week is "possessed by aliens," and while both films we reviewed do indeed feature extraterrestrial takeovers of puny human minds, that's really about all they have in common. First up is the wild South African midnight movie Fried Barry , a Shudder exclusive...
Oct 04, 2022•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 7
Alright, here's a question: would you rather be trapped overnight in an enclosed space with a pack of psychotic murder clowns OR kill-crazy mall security robots? The two films up for review on this episode should help you make up your mind! Up first is the 80s-tastic cult flick Chopping Mall , and while we love its breezy 77-minute running time, we think there's a lot more to appreciate in this sci-fi/horror/comedy hybrid than brevity alone. In a wide-ranging discussion of a B-movie that repeate...
Sep 21, 2022•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 6
Our run of summertime slasher flicks and creature features now behind us, we decided to switch things up a little for our first September episode. This time around, we're looking at psychological horror, and on the docket is a pair of films that take VERY different approaches to somewhat similar narrative setups. Our modern pick is 2018's Possum , a British film that's light on dialogue but heavy on oppressive atmosphere, grungy production design, and (we know you've seen that utterly terrifying...
Sep 07, 2022•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 5
This week, Chris and Nick see if they can keep the summertime vibes going just a little bit longer with a couple of Shudder offerings suitable for the season. First up is our vintage pick, Joe Dante's Piranha -- a knockoff of the king of summer blockbusters, Jaws , that manages to be a highly distinctive comedy/horror outing in its own right. We've got a lot to discuss in reviewing this razor-toothed cult classic, from a discussion of its legendary producer, Roger Corman, to the endearingly ridi...
Aug 24, 2022•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 4
As we head into the second half of August and the spooky season approaches, we thought we'd seek out a little bit of last-minute summertime fun from the Shudder library. Our vintage pick this week is 1981's The Burning , a summer-camp slasher flick that went up against the mighty Friday the 13th franchise and... let's just say, got a little lost in the woods. While the film doesn't include any hockey masks, vengeful mamas, or brutal sleeping-bag kills, it does feature a very young Jason Alexande...
Aug 10, 2022•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 3
We've got a couple of possession-themed movies (well, sort of) to talk about on Episode 2 of The Shuddering, and as huge fans of The Exorcist , we've definitely got some strong opinions about this sort of thing. First up is 2014's The Taking of Deborah Logan , a found-footage take on the demonic-possession subgenre that has earned its share of critical and audience appreciation in its years on steaming services -- and launched a promising directorial career along the way! And then, we continue o...
Jul 27, 2022•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 2
At long last, horror fans, welcome to The Shuddering! On our inaugural episode, co-hosts Chris Oliphant and Nick Rocco Scalia break down the nuts and bolts of the show, and then they take to Shudder to review a pair of films from first-time directors who both made a big impression right out of the (cemetery) gate. First up is Black Sunday , the 1960 film that first made Italian horror maestro Mario Bava a household name among fans of the genre. The film, a Gothic period piece about a vengeful wi...
Jul 13, 2022•1 hr 43 min•Ep. 1
