A new streaming service that specialises in horror films and TV shows is now available in New Zealand after developing a cult following overseas.
Shudder launched in the US in 2015 and has now expanded to Australia, Canada, Germany, the UK and Ireland. It 'soft launched' in Aotearoa recently, but on Monday officially announced its availability to Kiwis.
The platform offers a broad range of horrors and thrillers, but also produces its own original content, including movies The Beach House, Lake of Death, Impetigore, Blood Machines, Blood Quantum and Host, which is currently the highest-rated horror of 2020 on Rotten Tomatoes.
"If you love horror movies, you must love the Shudder streaming service. It would be impossible not to as [it's] loaded with genre fare from the present through decades past," exclaimed a Film School Rejects article that ranked Shudder's original films.
The Guardian called Shudder the "gold standard [of] finely curated on-demand services tailored to specific genres", adding it "is one of the easier to navigate ones out there, featuring highlighted selections divided into neat subgenres such as giallo, queer horror, revenge and so forth".
However, Kiwi horror fans should note that the full library of what's on offer to Shudder users in the US won't be available in Aotearoa.
Shudder's general manager Craig Engler says he's thrilled to bring the service to "New Zealand audiences just in time for Halloween season, where we feature our biggest and best programming of the year".
"These new launches continue our growing international expansion and our commitment to offer premium genre entertainment to a global audience."
As with other streaming services like Neon, Netflix and Disney Plus, Shudder offers a free trial period for customers to check it out before they commit to a paid subscription.
Plans in New Zealand start at NZ$6.67 per month, the company says, and it's offering a 20 percent discount for new members who use the promo code ShudderANZ while buying an annual subscription.
