Shudder has announced its May 2025 streaming highlights today, revealing the exclusive Vampire Hunter D streaming premiere date along with new originals, exclusives and catalogue titles headed our way next month.
The cult classic anime, based on the novel series by author Hideyuki Kikuchi and illustrator Yoshitaka Amano, turns 40 this year. The remaster of the 1985 anime finally makes its streaming premiere next month after receiving a special re-release in theaters earlier this month.
Read on for Shudder’s May lineup:
THE UGLY STEPSISTER
Shudder Original Film
Directed by Emilie Blichfeldt
Streaming On ShudderMay (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. (Our review)
THE SURRENDER
Shudder Original Film
Directed by Julia Max
Streaming On ShudderMay 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. (Our review)
VAMPIRE HUNTER D
40thAnniversary Exclusive Streaming Premiere
Directed by Tayoo Ashida
Streaming On ShudderMay 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.
THE LAST DRIVE-IN WITH JOE BOB BRIGGS
Shudder Original Series
New Episode Premieres LIVE Friday,May 2on 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 ofThe 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 Repertory Titles:
May 1
‘Overlord’
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 40thAnniversary, Very Scary, Very Specia Specialepisode featuringCity of the Deadis also available.
May 5
‘Pieces’
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 Briggsepisode featuringPiecesis 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 Briggsepisode featuringCannibal Holocaustis 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
‘Eyes of Fire’
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
‘Sympathy for Lady Vengeance’
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.
SHUDDER TV HIGHLIGHTS
Watch Parties Every Friday at 9pm ET– featuringnew premieres and curated double featuresincluding:
- Friday, May 2:The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob BriggsSeason 7 New Episode Premiere Watch Party– Films TBA
- Friday, May 9:Body Horror Watch Party–THE UGLY STEPSISTERandSTARRY EYES
- Friday, May 16: Irish Folk Horror Watch Party–FRÉWAKAandTHE HALLOW
- Friday, May 23:Resurrections Watch Party–THE SURRENDERandBIRTH/REBIRTH
- Friday, May 30:Shudder’s Scariest Watch Party–THE DARK AND THE WICKEDandTERRIFIED
