Read more about the best movies coming to HBO Max in March 2023
Read more about the best movies coming to AMC+ in March 2023
Another month, another fresh selection of movies from the horror streaming platform Shudder. What’s in store for fans of the platform, though? This month sees them adding some classics alongside the weird and fantastical. Some real atmosphere-building movies are included in this batch, which is exciting for fans of well-crafted worlds.
What do any of the names mean, though? Why should you care about any of these titles? That’s what we’re here to discuss. Which ones are worth your time. Or at least, which ones will give you the best dreams as you drift off to sleep.
The Blair Witch Project (March 31)
Starting off strong with the movie that repopularized the found footage genre. This movie spawned about a thousand similar-style films that were ultra-low-budget attempts at horror.None of them quite topthe raw nature of the original venture in 1999. What makes it so scary, though? The film stars three college students, all covering a small-town legend of a witch out in the woods. As part of their documentary, they go into the woods to try and find the remains of her house or any other signs of her passing. The forest becomes the real menace as they become increasingly desperate to find a way out of the hell they’ve found themselves trapped in. An unending loop of the same trees and streams with no immediate danger in sight other than the screams that keep them up at night. It’s about tension and fear of the unknown. The horror isn’t ever actually even seen, so the real spooks here come courtesy of your imagination. Or it just may be all the ugly crying and snot flying done by the main cast.
Related:The Best horror movies based in the Midwest
The Fog (March 31)
If you’re a John Carpenter fan, this one is worth at leastone watch. Although it may be his weakest entry in his string of untouchable 80s movies, this is still worth the time. What makes it unique, though, is the inescapable gloom of the fog rolling in. It’s a horror in everyday life, a ghost story come true. A fog rolls into a coastal town 100 years after a shipwreck, and the ghosts of the sailors rise again to exact revenge upon the town. People show up brutally murdered, windows start shattering, and no one knows how to stop the madness you’re able to’t even perceive. It’s a rare film that builds atmosphere rather than relying on cheap scares and lots of CGI.
An ultra-low budget forces you to get creative. If you end up hating the film, you’d be lying if you said you also hate the Carpenter soundtrack. As with most of his other movies, Carpenter scores his own scenes, and the results are typically phenomenal. This one in particular feels like alternate attempts that came out of trying to create the main theme forHalloween(1978). Heavy piano, a healthy amount of 80s synth, and a pulsating knock all characterize the haunting main melody.
After Blue (March 27)
When was the last time you sat down to watch a French movie? They’re always a real treat if you like bizarre trips into madness.Titanewas easilyone of the best filmsto come out of 2021, with French director Julia Ducournau heading up her previous horror filmRawwith an equally interesting vision. But this film has a sort of fantastical dream look to it. You would be forgiven for thinking it might be an Italian horror the way that they use such striking colors that dominate the visuals. The pitch is that our main character Roxy finds a woman named Kate Bush buried out in the sand and frees her from her prison. This allows her to seek vengeance on the all-female Polish police force on this distant planet. Yes, it’s very, very weird. People have crystals on their faces, and the movie’s creative aesthetic makes Guillermo Del Toro’s stuff look pretty tame. Even cigarettes wiggle like caterpillars in this universe. Turn on if you want an artsy film that gives you your double dose of culture.
Related:The Best Performances in John Carpenter’s Movies, Ranked
The Unheard (March 31)
So this is a Shudder exclusive and hasn’t been rated yet. The premise is that a girl begins to have visual and auditory hallucinations after undergoing experimental therapy for her damaged senses. Execution can always be mixed, but the idea has promise. Not knowing what’s real and what’s imagined is a perfect place for horror movies to be. It may be a letdown, but it feels like it could be worth a shot.
Holidays (March 13)
And what list would be complete without a horror anthology themed aroundholidays? Blood vomiting, killer bunny rabbits, hearts cut out for Valentine’s day, weird cults in the woods, they packed all of it into this one. ThinkTrick R Treat,and you won’t be too far off the mark with this one. The anthologies run 15–20 minutes each, making this an easy-to-digest episodic if you’re on the go. Not exactly scary but darkly amusing, to be sure. And if you don’t like one particular story, you’re able to always skip it in favor of the next one.
Best Movies Coming to Major Streaming Services in March 2023
