Shudder in May: THE UGLY STEPSISTER, THE SURRENDER, VAMPIRE HUNTER D and More

May 2025 Programming Highlights 

 

Here's what's coming to Shudder next month!

 

FILMS

 

 

THE UGLY STEPSISTER

 

Shudder Original Film

 

Directed by Emilie Blichfeldt

 

Streaming On Shudder May (Date TBA)

 

Available in US, CA, AU, NZ, UK&I

 

Synopsis

 

A sinister twist on the classic Cinderella story, The Ugly Stepsister follows Elvira as she prepares to earn the prince’s affection at any cost. In a kingdom where beauty is a brutal business, Elvira will compete with the beautiful and enchanting Agnes to become the belle of the ball.

 

 

THE SURRENDER

 

Shudder Original Film

 

Directed by Julia Max

 

Streaming On Shudder May 23

 

Available in US, AU, NZ, UK&I

 

Synopsis

 

A fraught mother-daughter relationship is put to a terrifying test when the family patriarch dies, and the grieving mother hires a mysterious stranger to bring her husband back from the dead. As the bizarre and brutal resurrection spirals out of control, both women must confront their differences as they fight for their lives - and for each other.

 

 

VAMPIRE HUNTER D

 

40th Anniversary Exclusive Streaming Premiere

 

Directed by Tayoo Ashida

 

Streaming On Shudder May 30

 

Available in US, AU, NZ, UK&I

 

Synopsis

 

In the year 12,090 A.D. technology and the supernatural have overtaken the world, leaving the land desolate and despotic. The remnants of humanity are scattered into small communities and live in fear of vampires who compose the ruling Nobility. When Count Magnus Lee tastes the blood of Doris Lang, she is forcibly chosen to be his next wife. In an effort to escape her ill-gotten fate she hires a mysterious vampire hunter known only as D, who comes from a peculiar lineage.

 

 

TV SERIES

 

The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs

 

Shudder Original Series

 

New Episode Premieres LIVE Friday, May 2 on Shudder TV Beginning at 9pm ET;

 

Debuts on-demand Sunday, May 4; Double Features Premiere the First Friday Every Month

 

Available in US and CA 

 

Synopsis

 

Lock your doors and crank the volume for a brand-new season of The Last Drive-In. Join Joe Bob Briggs and Darcy the Mail Girl the first Friday of every month for all-new, bone-tingling double-features sure to delight horror buffs and video hounds alike, proving once again that the drive-in will never die. 

 

 

SHUDDER TV HIGHLIGHTS

 

Watch Parties Every Friday at 9pm ET – featuring new premieres and curated double features including:

 

Friday, May 2: The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs Season 7 New Episode Premiere Watch Party – Films TBA

Friday, May 9: Body Horror Watch Party – THE UGLY STEPSISTER and STARRY EYES

Friday, May 16: Irish Folk Horror Watch Party – FRÉWAKA and THE HALLOW

Friday, May 23: Resurrections Watch Party– THE SURRENDER and BIRTH/REBIRTH

Friday, May 30: Shudder’s Scariest Watch Party– THE DARK AND THE WICKED and TERRIFIED

 

 

 

 

SHUDDER RESURRECTED 

 

**Repertory Titles New to Shudder** 

 

 

 

May 1

 

 

Overlord

A small group of American soldiers find horror behind enemy lines on the eve of D-Day.

 

Jacob’s Ladder

Mourning his dead son, a haunted Vietnam War veteran attempts to uncover his past while suffering from a severe case of dissociation. To do so, he must decipher reality and life from his own dreams, delusions and perception of death.

 

They Call Her Death

Molly Pray is on a bloody crusade against the criminal forces who have wronged her. Her mission strikes at the myth of manifest destiny, but for Molly with the embodied specter of Death on her side, this isn’t political. This is personal.

 

Tremors

Natives of a small, isolated town defend themselves against strange underground creatures which are killing them one by one.

 

The Devil’s Business

At the horse of their target, two hit men bide their time waiting for the kill, only to find the death already arrived in the shape of black magic, devilish spirits and the occult.

 

Itim (The Rites of May)

During a return to his provincial home, a young man gets involved with a woman who is ultimately possessed by her sister’s spirit, paving the way to revealing the painful truth about her unsolved disappearance.

 

 

May 3

 

 

City of the Dead (1960)

A young college student arrives in a sleepy Massachusetts town to research witchcraft; during her stay at an eerie inn, she discovers a startling secret about the town and its inhabitants.

 

*Elvira’s 40th Anniversary, Very Scary, Very Special Special episode featuring City of the Dead is also available.

 

 

 

May 5

 

 

Venom (1981)

Terrorists in the process of kidnapping a child get trapped in a house with an extremely deadly snake.

 

Pieces

The co-eds of a Boston college campus are targeted by a mysterious killer who is creating a human jigsaw puzzle from their body parts.

 

*The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs episode featuring Pieces is also available.

 

Cannibal Holocaust

An anthropologist ventures into the Amazon rainforest on a rescue mission, where he recovers footage shot by a film crew documenting their disastrous encounters with local cannibal tribes.

 

*The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs episode featuring Cannibal Holocaust is also available.

 

Cannibal Ferox

Three friends embark on a trip through the Amazon jungle to disprove cannibalism, where they meet a pair of fugitive drug smugglers forcing a vicious cannibal tribe to harvest cocaine.

 

A Night of Horror Vol 1

Ten filmmakers. One night of horror.

 

Contracted

After being drugged and raped at a party, a young woman contracts what she thinks is an STD; but, it’s actually something much worse.

 

 

May 12

 

Rust Creek

An overachieving college student gets lost on her way to a job interview. A wrong turn leaves her stranded deep in the Kentucky forest.

 

Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched

A thorough overview and dissection of the subgenre of ‘folk horror,’ with contributions from many of the major creators and clips from cinema all over the world.

 

Eyes of Fire

A preacher is accused of adultery, and he and his followers are chased out of town. They become stranded in an isolated forest, which is haunted by the spirits of French colonists controlled by evil.

 

The White Reindeer

A newlywed woman goes to the local shaman to get some help with her love life, but instead she gets turned into a white reindeer vampire.

 

Litan

Married couple Jock and Nora visit the town of Litan during its Carnival celebration. After having a nightmare of Jock’s death, Nora sets out to find him but encounters strange people and dangerous event erupting all over town.

 

Blood on the Stars

Shadrach Smith and his school choir do their best to ensure that the local celebrities hired to appear at a concert in a village hall don’t make it to the stage and slaughter anyone they believe is getting in their way.

 

Coda

A maniac is stalking and killing female students at a university.

 

Lady Stay Dead

A young woman is looking after her sister’s house, unaware that her sister and neighbor have been murdered by their handyman who also happens to be a serial killer.

 

Pontypool

A radio host interprets the possible outbreak of a deadly virus which infects the small Ontario town he’s stationed in. 

 

 

May 19

 

Lady Vengeance

After being wrongfully imprisoned for thirteen years and having her child taken away from her, a woman seeks revenge through increasingly brutal means.

 

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance

A recently laid off factory worker kidnaps his former boss’ friend’s daughter, hoping to use the ransom money to pay for his sister’s kidney transplant.

 

The Whip and the Body

The ghost of a sadistic nobleman attempts to rekindle his romance with his terrorized, masochistic former lover, who is unwillingly betrothed to his brother.

 

Dead End Drive-In

In a dystopian future Australia, a health nut and his tag-along girlfriend become trapped in a drive-in cinema that has become a concentration camp for delinquent youths and refugees.