Every Shudder Original Movie in 2024, Ranked

Movie fans likely already have subscriptions to streaming sites like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. Those who love horror have to make room in the budget for Shudder. Beta testing for Shudder began in the summer of 2015, and back then there were only a handful of titles available to watch. Now, Shudder is more popular than ever with over 1 million subscribers as of 2023.

Shudder has become a household name not only because of its library of classic and foreign horror films but also for its original content. There were many incredible Shudder originals released in 2024, not limited to Oddity, In a Violent Nature, and Late Night with the Devil. Meanwhile, two other films, MadS and Azrael starring Samara Weaving, are due for release on the platform later this month. Some of these movies are stronger than others, but each is worthwhile viewing for any horror aficionado.

14 The Demon Disorder Has Some Solid Moments Worth Watching

Director: Steven Boyle

• Metascore: N/A
• IMDb: 4.8/10
• Rotten Tomatoes:

Three brothers named Graham (Christian Willis), Jake (Dirk Hunter), and Philip (Charles Cottier) return to their father’s home after his death. He died under mysterious circumstances, and while at his house, they discover there was a mutant creature that took over his body. Following this discovery, Phillip is subjected to part possession, part body horror as the entity takes over.

The Demon Disorder is not as strong as other Shudder original movies, which is why it’s ranked in last place of the best of 2024. However, that isn’t to say the movie doesn’t have its strengths. What it lacks in story, it makes up for in moments of great cinematography, gross sound design, and solid creature effects. It’s entertaining and slightly disturbing to watch the globulus entity in the movie slide and squish its way across the floor and ceiling. The auto mechanic scene stands out as being particularly creepy.

13 History of Evil Doesn’t Quite Live up to Its Premise

Director: Bo Mirhosseni

• Metascore: 26
• IMDb: 3.4/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 22%

The year is 2045 and the U.S. is now a neo-fascist state named the North American Federation. Because there are state-sanctioned militias fighting to keep authoritative rule, a group called The Resistance has banded together to oppose their order. One woman named Alegre Dyer (Jackie Cruz) is a key player in this rebel group, but she has to take shelter since there’s a price on her head. Unfortunately, she chooses to hide in a haunted house.

Usually, haunted house movies are immersive. The setting lends itself to a scare-fest, and there’s some kind of interesting backstory about the lost soul or souls that are haunting the home. History of Evil doesn’t quite stick the landing. It’s a slow burn that plays like a post-apocalyptic film, since the people finding refuge in the haunted house seem to be the only ones left alive. The strongest part of the movie is this setup and the moody, oppressive atmosphere inside the house. Overall, it’s ranked last in the list of Shudder originals because it doesn’t have the same fright factor as the other movies released this year.

12 Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever Is Mostly Creepy

Director: Ole Bornedal

• Metascore: 50
• IMDb: 5.9/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 70%

Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever plays like an episode Mindhunter or a 90s serial killer movie. The only difference is that there is a possible possession and two killers with a penchant for scalping their victims. The movie starts off with an interrogation scene featuring one of these characters and then goes backward to show how a medical student named Emma (Fanny Leander Bornedal) fits into the narrative. Everything escalates when Emma starts working the night watch shift in the autopsy room at her university.

It’s hard not to be uneasy while watching a horror movie set in an autopsy room, and with a ton of cadavers as backdrops throughout the movie, Nightwatch is definitely an unsettling movie. The movie ends up losing steam toward the end, which is why it’s not as highly ranked as other Shudder original horror movies. Still, there are some good moments of tension throughout the film. It’s worth noting that Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever is a sequel to the 1994 film by the same director and writer, so it may be better viewing for those who watch the original first.

11 Hell Hole Is a Monster Movie With Fun Practical Effects

Director: John Adams, Toby Poser

• Metascore: 62
• IMDb: 4.4/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 86%

Many creature features start at some kind of work site. Hell Hole, released exclusively on Shudder, follows a crew of men and women who are working on a fracking site in Serbia. Bad weather has left them stranded on the site, which has horrific consequences when they dig up a frozen French soldier from the Napoleonic era. This soldier has been infected by a parasite that bounces around between men, leaving a bloody mess in its trail.

Horror fans can think of Hell Hole like The Thing played for laughs and without the rampant paranoia. It offers the same parasitic monster invading the bodies of the characters, but this time they’re isolated on a fracking site rather than an Antarctic research center. There’s a quirkiness to the pacing and the character interactions that make this Shudder original an interesting watch, especially for a tight 93-minute runtime. Forgiving the clunky, unnatural dialogue, Hell Hole offers plenty of solid campy practical effects, including one man who has tentacles come out of his mouth, nose, and eyes.

10 Daddy’s Head Turns Grief Into a Waking Nightmare

• Metascore: 69
• IMDb: 5.6/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 89%

Isaac (Rupert Tunbull) and his stepmother Laura (Julie Brown) are struggling to live together after the sudden death of James (Charles Aitken), their father and husband respectively. James asks to be buried next to his late wife Suzanne in the garden outside his beautiful home. Soon after, a shadowed creature lurks around in the home, causing tensions to get even higher for Isaac and Laura.

Daddy’s Head has moments of gorgeous cinematography that make it a strong film when it comes to Shudder originals. For instance, there’s a point toward the middle of the movie when the fire marshals are investigating smoke in the forest outside their home and the blue and red lights flash through the large glass windows in the living room. Everything within the house is used to great effect, and the film does a spectacular job at showing how grief affects both of the characters. The ending doesn’t quite live up to the rest of the movie, but Daddy’s Head is still an entertaining horror film, especially for fans of movies like The Babadook.

9 The Devil’s Bath Is an Eerie Folk Horror Film With a Strong Setting

Director: Severin Friala, Veronika Franz

• Metascore: 73
• IMDb: 6.6/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 90%

Set in 18th-century Austria, The Devil’s Bath follows the events of a woman who is sentenced to death for killing her baby. Meanwhile, a couple named Agnes (Anja Plaschg) and Wolf (David Scheid) are struggling in their relationship. It doesn’t help that they’re witnessing marks of evil around their new home, including a corpse sitting upright in a chair at a small altar.

Fans of folk horror movies like Midsommar and The Witch will appreciate The Devil’s Bath. The movie was created by the same filmmakers behind The Lodge, which was one of the best winter horror films in recent memory. They also created Goodnight Mommy, which is a cult classic from Austria. The best elements of both of these films, namely the strong sense of place, is apparent here in The Devil’s Bath. Viewers should keep in mind that the movie is slow-paced and over two hours long. There’s also an extremely disturbing scene right at the beginning where a woman throws a baby over a waterfall. However, it’s moments like this one that make The Devil’s Bath so darkly resonant and hard to shake.

8 Stopmotion Is a Unique Experimental Horror With a Creepy Puppet

Director: Robert Morgan

• Metascore: 65
• IMDb: 5.6/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 91%

Ella Blake (Aisling Franciosi) is a stop-motion animator who inherited the hobby from her emotionally abusive mother. After her mother suffers a stroke, Ella moves into a dingy apartment managed by her boyfriend, Tom (Tom York). Ella’s young neighbor thinks the story is boring and introduces Ella to an imaginary, haunting figure that she calls the Ash Man. Her story spirals out of control as she experiments with drugs and grapples with her complicated feelings about her mother.

Stopmotion tends to be more enjoyable when the ominous Ash Man puppet is on the screen, but there are many other truly creepy moments throughout the movie. The protagonist, Ella, often has to navigate her way through dark shadows within the semi-abandoned apartment that she calls home. There is also a surreal fairy tale element to the psychological horror film that makes the viewer feel like they’re part of a childlike nightmare. Stopmotion is not a movie for everyone’s taste, which is why it’s in the middle of the list of best Shudder original movies from 2024. However, it’s worth a watch for anyone who likes experimental filmmaking.

7 Destroy All Neighbors Is a Fun Splatter Horror

Director: Josh Forbes

• Metascore: 53
• IMDb: 5.3/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 72%

William Brown (Jonah Ray) can’t get any work done because his loud neighbor, Vlad (Alex Winter), is constantly pounding on the walls, yelling, and blasting EDM at night. After finally mustering up the courage to confront Vlad, things quickly spiral out of control and William accidentally kills his neighbor. William has to do damage control as the situation goes from bad to worse, with other neighbors getting entangled in the crime.

Destroy All Neighbors has it all when it comes to fun comedy splatter horror. There is upbeat music, campy deaths, and even lovable zombies. The protagonist, William, is a self-centered hipster who is focused on his music career, but actor Jonah Ray makes him seem likable and relatable. When William accidentally kills Vlad, the entire sequence is comically brutal in its F inal Destination-style sequence of events. The scene is also visually exciting with disco lights illuminating the fight and blood-spurting injury. Destroy All Neighbors is genuinely funny and expertly paced, making it a great Shudder original from 2024.

6 You’ll Never Find Me Is a Creepy Slow Burn

Director: Josiah Allen, Indianna Bell

• Metascore: 82
• IMDb: 5.8/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 81%

You’ll Never Find Me is a quiet horror film without a lot of gore and bloodshed, but it’s extremely effective. The movie follows a lonely man named Patrick (Brendan Rock) who is living in a remote trailer with no more company than his radio. He is surprised when there’s a knock at his door. He opens the door to find a woman who is seeking shelter from a vicious storm that’s fast approaching. She stays with Patrick inside the trailer, waiting for clothes to dry, but starts to become suspicious of his intentions.

At every moment of You’ll Never Find Me, viewers will be second-guessing who is the antagonist and who is the protagonist. There is a palpable tension in the air, even when the characters are doing something mundane like having soup at the kitchen table or playing cards. It’s easy to feel uneasy and isolated in Patrick’s trailer since most of the movie takes place right inside its tight living room and kitchen. It’s difficult to accomplish horror in a single location, but You’ll Never Find Me definitely succeeds.

5 Infested Will Make the Audience’s Skin Crawl

Director: Sébastien Vaniček

• Metascore: 70
• IMDb: 6.3/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 96%

There are many terrific foreign horror films that viewers shouldn’t miss. Take for instance Infested, which was first released in France in 2023 and then made its way to the United States the following year. Millions of people found their fear of spiders brought to the forefront when watching the movie, which follows an infestation inside a rundown apartment. The creepy crawlies are in the drains, on the ground, and even inside gym shoes.

Spiders had a moment in horror in 2024. There was the fun monster movie Sting and then Infested, which was released on Shudder in the United States in April 2024. Many horror fans and critics preferred the latter film since it was more spooky and stomach-turning. It’s hard for viewers not to feel like spiders are crawling all over their skin while watching the movie, especially after the bathroom scene where the arachnids are seen coming out of the drain and crawling up a broom handle.Infested takes insect horror to the next level and remains one of the best Shudder original films of all time.

4 V/H/S/Beyond Is Arguably the Best in the Entire Franchise

Director: Various Filmmakers

• Metascore: 65
• IMDb: 6.1/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 90%

V/H/S/Beyond is the latest entry in the fun found footage anthology series. The movie is made up of five short films, including Stork, Dream Girl, Live and Let Dive, Fur Babies, and Stowaway. The latter two films were respectively directed by Justin Long, a popular actor in the horror genre, and Kate Siegel, the wife of famous horror director Mike Flanagan.

Shudder has become home to the entire V/H/S franchise. In fact, there were a few new editions to the series that were released exclusively on the streaming site, including V/H/S/85, V/H/S/94, and V/H/S/99. By far, it could be argued that V/H/S/Beyond is the best movie of them all. Each of the five short films in the anthology is incredibly well-shot and unique in its execution, but two in particular stand out.Live and Let Dive shows a skydiving trip gone wrong by an alien invasion, and the evil lead character in Fur Babies gives Wilkes a run for her money.

3 In a Violent Nature Offers Memorably Brutal Kill Scenes

Director: Chris Nash

• Metascore: 68
• IMDb: 5.6/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 79%

Horror fans will feel like they’re controlling the protagonist in a third-person video game when watching In a Violent Nature. The movie is told from the vantage point of the villain, Johnny (Ry Barrett), who rises from the dead to retrieve his mom’s prized locket, which was discovered in the charred remains of the fire tower that claimed both their lives. A group of campers aren’t safe when they get directly in Johnny’s path.

In a Violent Nature earned over $4 million at the domestic box office (including the U.S. and Canada). Word of mouth spread because the movie offers some of the most creative kills in recent memory. Audiences won’t soon forget the sight of the girl getting twisted like a pretzel in the now iconic yoga kill. It’s also a quiet slasher. Sometimes the only audible sound is the wind or the crushing of leaves under Johnny’s boots. The unique juxtaposition of beautiful scenery and violence helped In a Violent Nature emerge as one of the best Shudder films of the year.

2 Oddity Is Quietly Haunting and Extremely Creepy

Director: Damian Mc Carthy

• Metascore: 78
• IMDb: 6.7/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 96%

It’s never a good idea to stay in a dark, isolated house alone. Dani (Carolyn Bracken) realizes this the hard way when she’s pursued and murdered by a home invader. Her peculiar twin sister Darcy (also played by Bracken) is understandably devastated by the news. On the one-year anniversary, the late Dani’s husband Ted (Gwilym Lee) stops by Darcy’s Cabinet of Curiosities shop. Darcy visits Ted and his new fiancée Yana (Caroline Mention) at their country house, bearing a strange wooden mannequin.

Oddity places a life-sized wooden mannequin in the main room with the characters and lets this scary, haunted object speak for itself. The audience is waiting on the edge of their seats the entire movie to see what the doll has planned. Meanwhile, the storyline goes hand-in-hand with the doll’s presence since there’s a mystery surrounding Dani’s death at the beginning of the film. Aside from a strong story and a creepy doll, Oddity also emerges as one of the best Shudder originals of the year because of its beautifully eerie sets. Even the mundane moments in the movie feel creepy and ominous.

1 Late Night With the Devil Is One of the Best Horror Films of the Year

Director: Cameron Cairnes, Colin Carines

• Metascore: 72
• IMDb: 7.0/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 97%

Johnny Carson is given a run for his money by Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian) in the outstanding Shudder original, Late Night With the Devil. The movie details the live broadcasting of a late-night TV show called Night Owls. Delroy invites a psychic, a skeptical magician, and a parapsychologist (along with the subject of her latest book). This subject, a 13-year-old girl named Lilly (Ingrid Torelli), claims to be possessed by a demon.

There were many outstanding Shudder original horror movies released in 2024, but in a ranking of the best, credit has to go to Late Night With the Devil. The movie has a unique framing, jumping back and forth between the live set of a late-night TV show to behind-the-scenes with the guests and stars. David Dastmalchian in the lead role as host Jack Delroy proves his acting skills, balancing charm with unhinged instability. It’s impossible to predict what will happen next when an evil demon is unleashed on live television. Late Night With the Devil is arguably the best horror movie not only on Shudder but of the entire year.