The Best Movies And TV Shows Coming To Shudder November 2021

October is almost over, which means Halloween – the best holiday of the year – is almost over, too. I always get a little misty-eyed when Halloween has ended, because I love it so much. But I also don't need Halloween as an excuse to dive into the world of horror movies, because horror movies are good year-round, not just during one month. And Shudder understands that, too. The horror-centric streaming service keeps on keeping on, even after Halloween ends, and they've just announced their line-up for November 2021. And what a solid line-up it is! See for yourself. 

Nicolas Cage has delivered some unhinged performances throughout his career, so when he said that "Prisoners of the Ghostland" was possibly the "wildest movie" he's ever made, people got curious. And on top of that, "Prisoners of the Ghostland" also has Cage working with legendary cult director Sion Sono. The end result: an odd movie! "Prisoners of the Ghostland" is not nearly as wild and crazy as Cage made it sound, and it's not one of Sion Sono's best works, either. But "Prisoners of the Ghostland" is a unique experience; a cartoonish sci-fi horror Western where Cage is forced to wear a leather jumpsuit rigged to blow up his testicles if he doesn't commit to a mission to save the grandaughter of a warlord. And that's not the type of movie you see every day, folks. 

This slow-burn chiller from writer-director Adam MacDonald is just waiting for more people to discover it. In "Pyewacket," teenager Leah (Nicole Muñoz) likes to dabble in black magic. You know, just for fun. However, the fun doesn't last long. After a particularly nasty argument with her mother (Laurie Holden), Leah heads to the woods with the hope of summoning a demon to kill her mom. The spell doesn't seem to work, and Leah is relieved, feeling guilty about wishing for her mother's demise. But then all sorts of strange, scary, inexplicable things begin to happen. Are there demonic forces at work? Is Leah losing her marbles? And what the heck kind of title is "Pyewacket" anyway? 

Ben Wheatley's "Kill List" is a blend of crime pic and folk horror, following two contract killers who find themselves questioning their current gig. Not out of any sort of moral objection, mind you – these guys are cold-blooded killers. But everything feels off about this current job, including moments where victims offer the killers thanks just before they're violently dispatched. Wheatley and co-writer Amy Jump keep everything deliberately vague and off-kilter, creating an unnerving, brutal experience culminating in an all-time-great finale that will leave you stunned. Wheatley has made some other enjoyable films since "Kill List," but none have come close to capturing the malevolent energy on display here. 

Another slow-burn (sorry kids, I like what I like!), "A Dark Song" finds a grieving mother (Catherine Walker) teaming with an occultist (Steve Oram) to help contact her dead son. But this won't be as simple as using an Ouija board. No, the summoning involves a grueling amount of preparation and commitment, and getting through it won't be easy – or painless. "A Dark Song" builds dread effectively and keeps the viewer on edge even when nothing outwardly scary is happening, because we can always sense that something bad is going to happen at any minute. 

One of the most infamous horror movies ever made, "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" remains so chilling because it feels so real. The grainy, cinéma vérité-style makes the whole thing feel like a documentary; like we're eavesdropping on some truly depraved people. Michael Rooker plays a (heavily fictionalized) version of real-life serial killer Henry Lee Lucas, who talks his buddy Otis (Tom Towles) into joining him on a senseless killing spree. Finished in 1986, "Henry" mostly played film festival circuits until 1990, where it finally got a home video release and was unleashed on an unexpecting public. 

NEW SHUDDER ORIGINAL & EXCLUSIVE FILMS

Dead & Beautiful – Premieres November 4

(Available on Shudder US, Shudder CA, Shudder UK and Shudder ANZ)

Five rich spoiled Asian twenty-somethings (Gijs Blom, Aviis Zhong, Yen Tsao, Philip Juan, Anechka Marchenko) are suffering from upper class ennui, unsure how to spend their days when so little is expected from them. In search of excitement, the five friends form the "Circle," a group where they take turns designing a unique, extravagant experience for the others. But things go wrong when the privileged urbanites awaken after a night out, to find they have developed vampire fangs and an unquenchable thirst for flesh, blood, and adventure at any price.

Great White – Premieres November 11

(Available on Shudder US and Shudder CA)

A blissful tourist trip turns into a nightmare for five passengers when their seaplane goes down near a shipwreck. Stranded miles from shore in an inflatable life raft, they find themselves in a desperate fight for survival as they try to make it to land before they either run out of supplies or are taken by a menacing pack of sharks lurking just beneath the surface. Great White stars Katrina Bowden (Piranha 3DD, 30 Rock), Aaron Jakubenko (Tidelands), Kimie Tsukakoshi (Riptide), Tim Kano (Neighbours), and Te Kohe Tuhaka (Love and Monsters, The Dead Lands). Written by Michael Boughen (Dying Breed), the film was featured directorial debut of Martin Wilson.

Prisoners of the Ghostland – Premieres November 19

(Available on Shudder US, Shudder UKI)

In the treacherous frontier city of Samurai Town, a ruthless bank robber (Nicolas Cage) is sprung from jail by a wealthy warlord, The Governor (Bill Moseley), whose adopted granddaughter Bernice (Sofia Boutella) has run away. Strapped into a leather suit that will self-destruct within five days if he doesn't find the missing girl, the bandit sets off on a journey to find the young woman — and his own path to redemption.

The Strings – Premieres November 23

(Available on Shudder US, Shudder CA, Shudder UKI, and Shudder ANZ)

In the dead of winter, Catherine (Teagan Johnston), a talented musician who, having recently broken up her successful band, travels to her aunt's remote coastal cottage to work on new material in solitude. Once there, she and local photographer Grace (Jenna Schaefer) spark up a budding romance while visiting an abandoned farmhouse with a disturbing past. Soon after, strange and seemingly supernatural occurrences begin to manifest at the cottage, escalating each night and dangerously eroding Catherine's sense of reality.

ONGOING SHUDDER SERIES

The Boulet Brothers Dragula – Premieres every Tuesday

The groundbreaking Shudder Original series follows ten drag artists from around the world competing for a $100,000 grand prize – the largest in show history. Season four guest judges includeVanessa Hudgens (High School Musical film series), Harvey Guillén (What We Do in the Shadows), Kristian Nairn (Game of Thrones), Misha Osherovich (Freaky), Queer country music icon Orville Peck, pop metal star Poppy, Ray Santiago (Ash vs. The Evil Dead), Bob the Drag Queen (We're Here) and more. 

Behind the Monsters – Premieres every Wednesday

(Available on Shudder US, Shudder CA, Shudder UKI and Shudder ANZ)

Behind the Monsters takes an in-depth exploration of the creation of favorite horror icons including Candyman, Chucky, Michael Myers and Freddy Krueger. No horror icon came out of a filmmaker's first draft fully formed. There were early drafts, wrong turns, experimentation. Once made flesh (or latex), there's presentation, impact, audience response and legacy. Each episode examines a horror icon who has broken free of the confines of the film from which it was born and become the stuff of legend.

NEW ADDITIONS TO SHUDDER'S MOVIE LIBRARY

November 1

• Wait Until Dark

(Available on Shudder US)

A recently blinded woman is terrorized by a trio of thugs while they search for a heroin-stuffed doll they believe is in her apartment.

• Blood on Satan's Claw

(Available on Shudder US)

Horror thriller set in 17th century England about the children of a village slowly converting into a coven of devil worshipers.

• The Velvet Vampire

(Available on Shudder US)

A newlywed couple is delighted to be invited to spend some time at their alluring neighbor's beautiful home, but the excitement quickly turns to horror when they discover that she is actually a predatory vampire.

• The Dark

(Available on Shudder US)

A haunting and deeply intense atmospheric film about love, monsters and revenge that is being compared to the spine-chilling 'Let the Right One In'.

• The Closet

(Available on Shudder US)

Following the death of his wife and disappearance of his daughter, a successful architect enlists the help an exorcist to help him find his daughter.

• Prom Night

(Available on Shudder US)

A masked killer stalks four teenagers who were responsible for the accidental death of a little girl six years earlier, at their high school's senior prom.

• Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II

(Available on Shudder US)

Thirty years after her accidental death at her 1957 senior prom, the tortured spirit of prom queen Mary Lou Maloney returns to seek revenge.

• Leatherface

(Available on Shudder US)

A teenage Leatherface escapes from a mental hospital with three other inmates, kidnapping a young nurse and taking her on a road trip from hell, while being pursued by a lawman out for revenge.

November 8

• Tailgate

(Available on Shudder US)

A cocksure, road-raging man on a family road trip finds himself pursued and terrorized by the vengeful van driver he chooses to tailgate.

• The World of Kanako

(Available on Shudder US)

As former detective Akikazu searches for his missing daughter, Kanako, he soon learns she has a mysterious secret life.

• The Visitor

(Available on Shudder US)

An intergalactic warrior battles alongside a cosmic Christ figure against a demonic 8-year-old girl and her pet hawk, as the fate of the universe hangs in the balance.

• Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

(Available on Shudder US)

Arriving in Chicago, Henry moves in with ex-con acquaintance Otis and starts schooling him in the ways of the serial killer.

• Darlin'

(Available on Shudder US)

Found at a Catholic hospital filthy and ferocious, feral teenager Darlin' is whisked off to a care home run by The Bishop and his obedient nuns, where she's to be rehabilitated into a "good girl" as an example of the miraculous work of the church. But Darlin' holds a secret darker than the "sins" she is threatened with; The Woman who raised her, equally fierce and feral, is ever present in the shadows of Darlin's psyche and is determined to come for her no matter who tries to get in her way.

November 11

• Honeydew

(Available on Shudder US)

Strange cravings and hallucinations befall a young couple after seeking shelter in the home of an aging farmer and her peculiar son.

November 15

• Kill List

(Available on Shudder US)

Nearly a year after a botched job, a hitman takes a new assignment with the promise of a big payoff for three killings. What starts off as an easy task soon unravels, sending the killer into the heart of darkness.

• A Dark Song

(Available on Shudder US)

A determined young woman and a damaged occultist risk their lives and souls to perform a dangerous ritual that will grant them what they want.

• The Hallow

(Available on Shudder US)

A family who moved into a remote mill house in Ireland finds themselves in a fight for survival with demonic creatures living in the woods.

• Pyewacket

(Available on Shudder US)

Feeling isolated and hopeless, Leah turns to Black Magic to release her anger. She naively performs an occult ritual found in a book on her bedroom shelf to invoke the spirit of a witch to kill her mother.

• The Isle

(Available on Shudder US)

When three shipwrecked sailors land on an island abandoned except for four sole residents, one sailor starts to question what happened on the island. He must uncover the truth while he battles to save his own life and escape the isle.

• Fender Bender

(Available on Shudder US)

A teenage girl who just got her driver's license gets into her first fender bender, innocently exchanging information with an apologetic stranger, a serial killer who stalks the streets, hungrily searching for his next unsuspecting victim.

November 16

• Blood Rage

(Available on Shudder US)

As kids, Todd is institutionalized for a murder whilst his twin goes free. 10 years later, on Thanksgiving, Todd escapes and a killing spree begins in his neighborhood.

• Etheria Season 1

(Available on Shudder US)

From post-apocalyptic westerns to demented comedies to terrifying horror and gore, ETHERIA serves up the perfect blend of mind-bending and panic-inducing excitement from the best emerging women genre directors in the world. Each episode showcases a vision of the fantastic in this new anthology series created to introduce amazing directors to devoted genre fans.

November 22

• Exorcist III

(Available on Shudder US)

A police Lieutenant uncovers more than he bargained for as his investigation of a series of murders, which have all the hallmarks of the deceased Gemini serial killer, leads him to question the patients of a psychiatric ward.

November 29

• Wake in Fright

(Available on Shudder US)

A British schoolteacher's descent into personal demoralization at the hands of drunken, deranged derelicts while stranded in a small town in outback Australia.