As if we weren’t spoilt enough with the likes of Netflix, Stan, Foxtel Now and Amazon Prime, you can now add Shudder and Sundance Now to the mix. That’s right—by the end of the year, Australia and New Zealand are set to get two brand new streaming services. And one of them's playing nothing but horror flicks.
If you’re like me and have been bludging off somebody else’s service for a while now (sorry mum), this might be your chance to finally take one for the team.
To help you work out if the direct debit is worth it, we’ve broken them down for you.
Shudder
First up is Shudder. This one’s for the horror movie fans. Shudder is an American screaming streaming service, owned by AMC Networks, that came out in 2015 and has since worked its way over to Canada, the UK, Ireland, Germany and Austria.
The main genres are horror, sci-fi, suspense, thriller and avant-garde cinema, with some added fruity sub-genres like demonic possessions, smart vampire movies (??) and lost classics (just to keep things interesting).
A word of warning though—we recommend reading the synopsis before falling down the rabbit hole, because the service is basically designed to scare the absolute shit out of you. If you’re feeling game, you can stream the service on Apple or Android apps, online or through Amazon Prime Video. Here’s some examples of movies that have been giving people nightmares on Shudder.
Although we don’t know the exact price just yet, we can safely assume it will be relatively cheap. The American service costs about US$4.99 a month, and US$49.99 a year. And good news, students can also abuse the service at a 20 per cent discount through Student Beans. Well played.
Sundance Now
Following Shudder is Sundance Now, another service by AMC Networks that launched in 2010. If the name Sundance rings a bell, it’s because the service is based off the US Sundance Film Festival, which celebrates all things weird and wonderful in the world of indie docos, features and short films.
Like the festival, Sundance Now will offer viewers a curated collection of award-winning independent movies and docos, as well as foreign films, binge-worthy TV series and the usual genre roundups (don’t worry, there’s plenty of rom-coms).
To give you an idea of the type of movies on offer, some of the Sundance flicks have already managed to make their way Down Under and appeared on SBS. So basically, it’s designed to be more mentally stimulating than say, Real Housewives, for example (DW Gina, I still love you).
Streaming, like Shudder, will be offered across the usual websites: Apple and Android apps and Amazon Prime Video. Again, we can’t give you an exact price, but US viewers pay about US$6.99 per month and $59.99 per year, so it’s only slightly dearer than Shudder. Here are some examples of movies that have got a play on Sundance Now.
Need something to stream in the meantime? We can recommend the crap out of Stan's new All American.
Image credit: Revenge