October 2023 Programming Lineup Spotlight: Shudder

Written by John Edward Betancourt

This piece was written during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the actors currently on strike, the shows and movies being covered here wouldn’t exist.
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Truly, October is the most wonderful time of the year for horror fans. Simply because, this is it, this is go time, a whole month dedicated to the celebration of every creature that goes bump in the night, and well… for a horror fan what could be better? Especially when one considers that horror has never been more popular than it is right now. Because that means that horror programming during this time of year is at its absolute peak, and everywhere you turn, there’s something terrifying to enjoy on every network out there. But of course, while it is wonderful to flip on the ol’ television and find something spooky to watch, let’s be honest… there is only one streamer/network that is leading the charge with horror programming this Halloween season… Shudder.

Because Shudder just understands horror fans and harbors many a horror fan behind the scenes in the programming department and well, in conjunction with its parent network family this year, AMC Networks, Shudder’s October programming lineup is nothing short of epic. Since FearFest is now spreading across the AMC Networks family, courtesy of Shudder’s vast library, and to top it all off… there are some amazing movies and shows coming to Shudder this October, and since you’re eager to plan your spooky viewing experience, here is that programming guide, courtesy of the finest horror streamer out there.

V/H/S/85

V/H/S/85 Directed by David Bruckner, Scott Derrickson, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Natasha Kermani, and Mike P. Nelson. Photo Courtesy of Shudder. A Shudder Release.

Directed by David Bruckner, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Natasha Kermani, Scott Derrickson, Mike P. Nelson
 
Streaming on Shudder October 6
(Available in US, CA, UKI, ANZ)

Synopsis
The next installment in the infamous found footage anthology franchise, V/H/S/85 is an ominous mixtape blending never before seen snuff footage with nightmarish newscasts and disturbing home video to create a surreal, analog mashup of the forgotten 80s. Starring Freddy Rodriguez, Dani Deetté, Justen Jones and Rolando Davila-Beltran.

The Puppetman

Brandon Christensen's THE PUPPETMAN. Photo Courtesy of Shudder. A Shudder Release.

Directed by Brandon Christensen
 
Streaming on Shudder October 13
(Available in US, CA, UKI, ANZ)

Synopsis
The Puppetman is a convicted killer on death row. He has always maintained his innocence saying it was an evil force controlling his body as he slaughtered his victims. Now Michal, the killer's daughter, begins to suspect that there may be some truth to her father’s claim when those around her begin to die in brutal ways. All hope rests on her shoulders to break The Puppetman's curse. Written and directed byBrandon Christensen and starring Michael Paré, Caryn Richman, Alyson Gorske.

Night of the Hunted

Camille Rowe as “Alice” in Franck Khalfoun’s NIGHT OF THE HUNTED. Photo Courtesy of Troy Harvey. A Shudder Release.

Directed by Franck Khalfoun
 
Streaming on Shudder October 20
(Available in US, CA, UKI, ANZ)

Synopsis
When an unsuspecting woman (Camille Rowe, No Limit) stops at a remote gas station in the dead of night, she’s made the plaything of a sociopathic sniper with a secret vendetta. To survive she must not only dodge his bullets and fight for her life, but also figure out who wants her dead and why…

When Evil Lurks

Demián Rugna’s WHEN EVIL LURKS. Photo Courtesy of Shudder. A Shudder Release.

​Directed by Demián Rugna
 
Streaming on Shudder October 27
(Available in US, CA, UKI, ANZ)

Synopsis
Shudder’s first Spanish-language Original from Demián Rugna (Terrified) is a rural possession thriller revolving around timeless horror concepts and adding contemporary twists. Set in a remote village, two brothers find a demon-infected man just about to give birth to evil itself. After warning the neighbors in town, they decide to get rid of the man but merely succeed in helping him to deliver the inferno. Starring Ezequiel Rodríguez, Eduardo Salomón and Silvia Sabater.

Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor

A Pair of Clowns Haunt Carmichael Manor in ‘Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor’. Photo Courtesy of Shudder and Terror Films Releasing. A Shudder Release.

Directed by Stephen Cognetti
 
Streaming on Shudder October 30
(Available in US, CA, UKI, ANZ)

Synopsis
In 2021, a group of internet sleuths travel to the remote Carmichael Manor, deep in the woods of the Rockland County, NY, site of the infamous 1989 Carmichael family murders have gone unsolved to this day. What they discover are secrets that have been hidden away for decades and a terror that has been lurking in the shadows long before Hell House LLC.

SHUDDER ORIGINAL SERIES & SPECIALS

Creepshow - Shudder Original Series
Season 4 Binge Premieres Friday, October 13

Key Art from ‘Creepshow’ Courtesy of Shudder.

​Based on the 1982 horror comedy classic returns for a new season and is still the most fun you’ll ever have being scared. Executive produced by showrunner Greg Nicotero(The Walking Dead), Creepshow is a comic book coming to life in a series of vignettes, exploring terrors ranging from murder, creatures, monsters, and delusions to the supernatural and unexplainable. You never know what will be on the next page…

The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula - Shudder Original Series
Season 5 Premieres Tuesday, October 31

Key Art for Season 5 of ‘The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula’ Courtesy of the Boulet Brothers and Shudder.

​Horror’s new icons The Boulet Brothers’ are on the hunt to find the world’s next drag monster superstar in this brand new, star-studded fifth season of their hit reality competition show. With new competitors, the challenges, special effects makeup, costumes, and performances promise to be truly terrifying and out-of-this-world.

The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs Specials

Joe Bob Briggs in ‘The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs’. (Photo Courtesy of Aimee Kuge/Shudder.)

​The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs: Halloween (1978) - Shudder Original Special
Premieres LIVE Tuesday, October 10 at 10pm on Shudder TV
Joe Bob celebrates the 45th anniversary of this iconic horror film.
 
Joe Bob’s Helloween - Shudder Original Special
Premieres LIVE Friday, October 20 at 9pm on ShudderTV
Horror legend Joe Bob Briggs and his co-host Darcy the Mail Girl celebrate the spooky season in style - with a demonic double-feature sure to get your blood pumping and one very scary special guest. 

SHUDDER RESURRECTED
**Repertory Titles New to Shudder**

October 1
 
Dead End
Christmas Eve. On his way to his in-laws with his family, Frank Harrington decides to try a shortcut for the first time in 20 years. It turns out to be the biggest mistake of his life.
 
The Gate
Kids left home alone accidentally unleash a horde of malevolent demons from a mysterious hole in their suburban backyard.
 
Lake Mungo
Strange things start happening after a girl is found drowned in a lake.
 
May
A socially awkward veterinary assistant with a lazy eye and obsession with perfection descends into depravity after developing a crush on a boy with perfect hands.
 
Lords of Salem
Radio DJ Heidi is sent a box containing a record – a “gift from the Lords.” The sounds within the grooves trigger flashbacks of her town’s violent past. Is Heidi going mad, or are the Lords back to take revenge on Salem, Massachusetts?
 
Killer Clowns from Outer Space
Aliens who look like clowns come from outer space and terrorize a small town.
 
Evil Dead II
The lone survivor of an onslaught of flesh-possessing spirits holes up in a cabin with a group of strangers while the demons continue their attack.
 
 
October 2
           
Spirit Halloween
When a Halloween store opens in a deserted strip-mall, three friends, thinking they’ve outgrown trick or treating, decide to spend the night locked inside. But their night of spook-filled fun soon turns to outlandish survival.
 
Hell House LLC: The Director’s Cut
Stephen Cognetti presents his Director’s Cut of one of the most popular found footage horror films in the last decade. The special edition has eight additional minutes of footage, director’s intro, deleted scenes, cast auditions, a location scout of the Abaddon Hotel and outtakes.
 
Hell House LLC II: The Abaddon Hotel
It’s been eight years since the opening night tragedy of Hell House, LLC and still many unanswered questions remain. Thanks to an anonymous tip, investigative journalist Jessica Fox is convinced key evidence is hidden inside the abandoned Abaddon Hotel.
 
Hell House LLC III: Lake of Fire
The Abaddon Hotel will once again be open to the public. Russell Wynn has taken his audience-interactive show, Insomnia into the abandoned hotel that is rumored to be haunted.
 
 
October 9
 
Dog Soldiers
A routine military exercise turns into a nightmare in the Scotland wilderness. 
 
All Hallows’ Eve
A babysitter finds a VHS tape which features various sinister murders performed by a psychotic clown.
 
All Hallows’ Eve 2
A woman finds a VHS tape on her doorstep that shows a series of gruesome tales that could be real. But the true danger is the pumpkin-faced killer that’s using the tape to find his next victim.
 
 
October 16
 
Lockdown Tower
The inhabitants of a tower wake up one morning to find that their building is shrouded in an opaque fog, obstructing doors and windows - a strange dark matter that devours anything that tries to pass through it. 
 
 
October 23
 
Kidnapped
Three hooded Eastern-European criminals burst into a home in a Madrid gated community, holding the family hostage in their own home, and forcing the father to empty his credit cards.
 
The Midnight Man
A girl and her friends find a game in the attic that summons a creature known as The Midnight Man, who uses their worst fears against them.
 
 
October 31
 
Saw
Two strangers awaken in a room with no recollection of how they got there, and soon discover they’re pawns in a deadly game perpetrated by a notorious serial killer.
 
Saw II
A detective and his team must rescue 8 people trapped in a factory by the twister serial killer known as Jigsaw.
 
Saw III
Jigsaw abducts a doctor in order to keep himself alive while he watches his new apprentice put an unlucky citizen named Jeff through a brutal test.
 
Saw IV
Despite Jigsaw’s death, and in order to save the lives of two of his colleagues, Lieutenant Rigg is forced to take part in a new game, which promises to test him to the limit.
 
Saw V
Following Jigsaw’s grisly demise, Mark Hoffman is commended as a hero but Agent Strahm is suspicisous and delves into Hoffman’s past. Meanwhile, another group of people are put through a series of gruesome tests.
 
Saw VI
Agent Strahm is dead and FBI agent Erickson draws nearer to Hoffman. Meanwhile a pair of insurance executives find themselves in another game set by Jigsaw.
 
Saw 3D
As a deadly battle rages over Jigsaw’s brutal legacy, a group of Jigsaw survivors gathers to sesk the support of self-help guru and fellow survivor Bobby Dagen, a man whose own dark secrets unleash a new wave of terror.
 
About Shudder
AMC Networks’ Shudder is a premium streaming video service, super-serving members with the best selection in genre entertainment, covering horror, thrillers and the supernatural. Shudder’s expanding library of film, TV series, and originals is available on most streaming devices in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. For a 7-day, risk-free trial, visit www.shudder.com.