Screaming wars: Shudder scares its way into streaming game with cheap, horror-only platform
It no longer has to be Halloween to enjoy a good horror flick. One subscription service is scaring its way into the streaming game with a platform devoted to horror, thriller and suspense genres.
Shudder is meant for anyone who’s "read a Stephen King book" or has "seen a Blumhouse movie," Shudder general manager Craig Engler told Fox Business' Maria Bartiromo.
"We see huge reach for horror," Engler said on Tuesday. "I used to think science fiction was the biggest genre ... but I've realized horror is even bigger."
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Engler said horror-fans-turned-Shudder-customers have been binging all October long, and business is booming.
"We break a new record every day in terms of subscribers acquired, in terms of minutes streamed," he said.
Robert Englund in "A Nightmare on Elm Street." (Zade Rosenthal / New Line Cinema Entertainment, Inc.)
In a very crowded market, Engler has managed to break through by partnering with competitors such as Amazon, Apple and Roku. Engler said he considers them "friends, not enemies."
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Even though Shudder channels are available on these leading services, a subscription alone is only $4.75 per month.
“If you like horror, or the supernatural, and you come to Shudder, every film that we have, every series we have is something that you're interested in.”
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Engler said his service was created for the vast public of fright fans, offering classic horror films and Guillermo del Toro-approved originals.
"You can go to Netflix and you can find a couple of [horror] movies there," Engler said.
But, Engler said, if you want a lot of horror movie options, there aren't many on Netflix, which is where Shudder comes in.
Engler said Shudder's Argentinian original film "Terrified" is the "one of the scariest" movies he’s ever seen.
"It is scary eight minutes in," he said. "And Guillermo del Toro is working with the director to do a remake of it."
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