As a general rule of thumb, September 1 is one of the most common dates people agree on as the day you are “allowed” to start putting Halloween decorations up. With children and college students returning to school, the smell of fall is finally in the air. October is just around the corner and horror fans around the world are building steam, desperately searching for new ways to satiate their cravings for blood, gore, and violence. Shudder is adding plenty of new and exciting movies to its catalog to keep you occupied during the last stretch before October arrives.
This handy guide will help you pick out your next nightmare!
Perpetrator (2023)
Available on: September 1
Director: Jennifer Reeder | Runtime: 100 minutes | Sub-Genres: Mystery, Supernatural
Cast: Kiah McKirnen, Alicia Silverstone, Chris Lowell, Melanie Liburd
This Shudder Original film follows headstrong teenager Jonny (Kiah McKirnen) as she is sent away to live with her estranged Aunt Hildie (Alicia Silverstone). At her new school, she notices there have been strange disappearances of other young women and is determined to find out what happened to them, and who’s behind their disappearances. She also learns that there is a history of magic in her family, as discovered through an old family spell on the eve of her 18th birthday. She goes through a terrifying transformation with her Aunt Hildie guiding her. With newfound powers and capabilities, Jonny is ready to find and take on the Perpetrator.
Blood Flower (2022)
Available on: September 8
Director: Dain Said | Runtime: 102 minutes | Sub-Genres: Possession, Supernatural
Cast: Idan Aedan, Bront Palarae, Remy Ishak
Blood Flower, originally titled “Harum Malam,” is the first Shudder Original movie to come from Malaysia. The film focuses on 16-year-old Iqbal (Idan Aedan), an apprentice faith healer, as he tries to hide and suppress his ability to communicate with the dead in order to fit in with his friends. However, a particularly malevolent spirit enters his apartment and he is forced to acknowledge and use his sixth sense to prevent the spirit from destroying his life. Sometimes evil spirits don’t need a reason to want to cause harm, but occasionally there’s more backstory that becomes unearthed as the protagonist tries to stop them. What dark family secrets will come to light as Iqbal tries to exorcise this spirit?
Elevator Game (2023)
Available on: September 15
Director: Rebekah McKendry | Runtime: 94 minutes | Sub-Genres: Supernatural, Thriller
Cast: Megan Best, Gino Anania, Adam Hurtig, Madison MacIsaac, Verity Marks
Following the latest TikTok challenge, a group of teenagers decides to record themselves playing what is known as the Elevator Game. The rules of the game seem simple enough, and if done properly, the ritual is said to be able to summon a spirit. Not fully believing in this new urban legend, the group sets up cameras to see if they can catch any paranormal activity as they play the game. Of course, one of them breaks the rules and takes a peek when he is supposed to keep his eyes closed. Now, with the ritual only half complete, they leave a doorway wide open for spirits (or demons) to freely enter their world. They’ll have to face their fears and complete the Elevator Game one last time to shut the door once and for all.
The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster (2023)
Available on: September 22
Director: Bomani J. Story | Runtime: 92 minutes | Sub-Genres: Science Fiction, Thriller
Cast: Laya DeLeon, Denzel Whitaker, Chad L. Coleman, Reilly Brooke Stith
Loosely based on the classic horror novel Frankensteinby Mary Shelley, The Angry Black Girl and Her Monsterfollows a brilliant young woman, Vicaria (Laya DeLeon), who believes that death is only a disease that can be cured by science. After her older brother is brutally murdered, Vicaria goes into full Victor Frankenstein mode and decides to attempt to resurrect him. She just wants to bring her family back and put an end to the violence in their lives, but she quickly learns that her brother has turned into a bloodthirsty monster with sights on revenge. In the infamous words of Pet Sematary’s Jud Crandall, “Sometimes dead is better.”
Nightmare (2023)
Available on: September 29
Director: Kjersti Helen Rasmussen | Runtime: 100 minutes | Sub-Genres: Psychological, Thriller
Cast: Eili Harboe, Herman Tømmeraas, Dennis Storhøi, Peter Førde
This Norwegian thriller follows a young couple, Mona (Eili Harboe) and Robby (Herman Tømmeraas) who have just moved into an apartment, thanks to Robby’s new job. The apartment isn’t perfect and is in need of some repairs, but otherwise, they are happy with the location. Soon after moving in, Mona begins to experience night terrors on a daily basis. As the days go on, the nightmares get worse and more intense. Robby thinks she’s just nervous because they are trying to start a family, but Mona is convinced that she is actually being targeted by a mythical demon known as “The Mare.”
The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)
Available on: September 4
Director: André Øvredal | Runtime: 86 minutes | Sub-Genres: Supernatural, Suspense
Cast: Brian Cox, Emile Hirsch, Ophelia Lovibond, Michael McElhatton
This movie has received the blessing of the “King of Horror” Stephen King, who describes the film as “Visceral horror to rival Alien and early Cronenberg.” The Autopsy of Jane Doe is set in a morgue with the father-son team, Tommy (Brian Cox) and Austin (Emile Hirsch) Tilden. They receive the body of an unidentified woman, who was found at the scene of a multiple homicide. The police want an official cause of death by the morning, but they soon realize that this Jane Doe is not what she seems. Despite having no external signs of damage, her wrists and ankles are shattered, her lungs have signs of extreme smoke inhalation, and her tongue has been cut out. In addition to these discoveries, they remark on the fact that her body indicates she just died recently, but the milky coloration of her eyes suggests she’s been dead for days. If you’re looking for a spooky movie with ties to the Salem Witch Trials and Hocus Pocus is too tame for your liking, this movie should hit the mark.
Come True (2020)
Available on: September 11
Director: Anthony Scott Burns | Runtime: 105 minutes | Sub-Genres: Science Fiction, Thriller
Cast: Julia Sarah Stone, Landon Liboiron, Tiffany Helm, Chantal Perron
This science-fiction horror movie follows teenage runaway Sarah (Julia Sarah Stone) who enlists in a sleep study to make extra cash. As she takes part in the study, she begins to have terrible nightmares and starts to question her reality. Other sleep study volunteers begin to experience similar issues, claiming to see the same shadowy figure at the foot of their beds. While the people conducting the study are able to visualize the images of the participants’ dreams, they don’t seem to take any of their concerns seriously, despite several incidents resulting in injury. This movie will make you think twice before enlisting in any kind of experimental study.
Stay tuned here to see what Shudder has in store for the best month of the year for horror movies!
