By MICHAEL GINGOLD
The horror streamer has a quartet of new movies coming as Originals and an Exclusive next month; read on for the info and trailers for the quartet.
Premiering Thursday, June 4 as a Shudder Exclusive (also available on Shudder Canada) is SCREAM, QUEEN! MY NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, Directed by Roman Chimienti and Tyler Jensen. The synopsis: “Some have called it the ‘gayest horror movie ever made,’ but for Mark Patton, the star of A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2: FREDDY’S REVENGE, it was anything but a dream come true. 30 years after its initial release, Patton sets the record straight about the controversial sequel that halted his career before it even began. Detailing the homophobia and AIDS-phobia of 1985 as a closeted actor in Hollywood, Mark retraces his obstacles, missteps, and detractors on the pathway to stardom. Confronting the cast and crew for the first time, Mark attempts to make peace with his past as well as embrace his legacy as cinema’s first male scream queen.” Starring Mark Patton, Robert Englund, Kim Myers, Robert Rusler, Marshall Bell, Clu Gulager and Jack Sholder.” Tied to the doc, Shudder is presenting a “Queer Horror” curated series of LGBTQ+ genre films.
The next three films are Shudder Originals. Debuting Thursday, June 11 (also available on Shudder Canada and Shudder UK), WARNING: DO NOT PLAY (pictured above) was directed by Kim Jin-won and stars Seo Yi-ji and Jin Sun-kyu. The synopsis: “Aspiring director Mi-jung struggles to come up with ideas for a new horror film until her friend Jun-seo tells her about a mysterious film rumored to be shot by a ghost. While researching it, she begins to write a new screenplay about her hunt for this ‘ghost film.’ But as she gets closer to the truth, the line between her film and her life begins to blur.”
Coming to the channel Thursday, June 18 (also available on Shudder Canada and Shudder UK) is SCARE PACKAGE, the anthology feature we previously told you about here, with segments directed by Hillary & Courtney Andujar, Anthony Cousins, Emily Hagins, Aaron B. Koontz, Chris McInroy, Noah Segan and Baron Vaughn.
Finally, YUMMY, a Midnighter selection for this year’s SXSW festival, has its premiere Thursday, June 25. Lars Damoiseaux directed, and it stars Maaike Neuville, Bart Hollanders, Benjamin Ramon, Clara Cleymans and Joshua Rubin. The synopsis: “A young couple travels to a shady Eastern European hospital for plastic surgery. The young woman wants a breast reduction. Her mother comes along for yet another face-lift. Wandering through an abandoned ward, the boyfriend stumbles upon a young woman, gagged and strapped to an operating table; she’s the result of experimental rejuvenation treatment. He frees her but doesn’t realize she’s patient zero and he just caused the outbreak of a virus that will change the doctors, patients, and his mother-in-law into bloodthirsty zombies.” To sign up for Shudder, head over to its official site.
