31 Days of Asian Horror: Shudder Picks
Shudder is one of my favorite places for streaming horror, and while they don’t have many international titles compared to the rest of the selection, they do tend to pick up some good ones. I checked out what they currently have in their lineup and picked my top picks to check out that are currently available.
Staring Eun Ji (of APINK), this movie follows a college supernatural club that decides to stay the night at a house that is believed to be haunted and document their findings while they sleep. It’s a sort of campy trip with the familiar setup of kids doing things that lead to bad choices, a classic in horror but I enjoyed it and is definitely a good choice if you are into the supernatural/leaning towards slasher-type movies. Yoo Seon Dong directs this, if you are a fan of the second Death Bell or the drama Uncanny Counter, you might want to check this out.
+ Dead & Beautiful (Taiwan/Netherlands - 2021)
Dead & Beautiful is a co-production between Taiwan and the Netherlands. A group of hot, annoying rich kids turn into hot, annoying rich kid vampires. Technically this more supernatural/thriller than horror but I’m letting it slide for this post. It also has vampires and we all love those.
+ Evil Dead Trap (Japan - 1988)
If you are in need of a true, gory slasher look no further. A TV station sends a crew out to an abandoned place that is said to have been the set for snuff film and things go crazy.
I’m going to make you work for this one to know what I thought about it by checking out a full podcast episode on it. Do you love shamans and letting out evil spirits? I think this might be a winner for you.
Are creepy supernatural buildings your thing with a side of weird kids? Lingering might be the movie for you. Yoo Mi's mother unexpectedly dies leaving her to care for her young sister she ends up at her mom's best friend's lake house and weird shit happens.
+ The Medium (Thailand - 2021)
I wrote a whole non-spoiler review of this one that you can find here, here’s the synopsis: The Medium follows a documentary crew as they travel to Isan in northeastern Thailand to document the life of a local shaman, Nim (Sawanee Utoomma). While there the crew notices how strange her niece, Ming (Narilya Gulmongkolpech), has been acting and starts to focus their attention on her increasing outbursts and aggression, thinking that they might be witnessing her possession by the spirit of Bayan, an ancestral God that has been possessing women in the family for generations, and who currently inhabits Nim.
+ Metamorphosis (Korea - 2019)
An evil spirit invades a family and they all start to turn on each other. The mom is played by Jang Young Nam, who is just always a good choice when you want eery and creepy.
+ Mon Mon Mon Monsters (Taiwan - 2017)
Another film I reviewed during the last 31 Days, this one was a complete shock to me. I didn’t think I’d like it as much when I clicked play but it won me over. I
+ One Cut of the Dead (Japan - 2017)
The only thing you should know going into this movie is that it’s about a film crew shooting a zombie film that just goes…bizarre. It’s so good. I loved it so much.
+ Warning: Do Not Play (Korea - 2019)
I feel like this is one of the first movies I watched on Shudder. It falls into the cursed movie genre that Asian horror loves, with a film maker trying to find a banned film to help her with her own when things go wrong. Classic caper.
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