In our recent Full Moon Sessions discussions, Watch It Wombat’s Nick posed the question, ‘What are some of the better movies currently streaming on Shudder?” So, with the gauntlet thrown down, I went back into the archives of my reviews taken from their Exclusive and Original movies to see which movies still hung strong in my memory.

Here is my Top 12 Exclusive and Original Movies streaming on Shudder:

12. One Cut of the Dead

Things go badly for a hack director and film crew shooting a low budget zombie movie in an abandoned WWII Japanese facility, when they are attacked by real zombies.

For his debut, director Shinichiro Ueda manages to deliver a fun-ride of a movie, whilst shaking up the zombie comedy genre to great effect.

Fans of horror will delight in the reveal and filmmakers will applaud when the curtain is lifted. It’s a great piece of cinema and Ueda proves a versatile creative and a potential name to keep an eye out for down the track.

11. For The Sake of Vicious

An overworked nurse returns home to find a maniac hiding out with a bruised and beaten hostage. When an unexpected wave of violent intruders descend upon her home, it becomes a fight for survival.

Each character draws upon their internal strengths through an amazing ordeal that is gripping and intense throughout the narrative. I didn’t expect to be so gripped by this film, but the Directing and Writing partnership of Gabriel Carrer and Reese Eveneshen tantalise our expectations of just exactly how far they can push the action and keep the insanity of it all grounded in reality.

10. Prevenge

Widow Ruth is seven months pregnant when, believing herself to be guided by her unborn baby, she embarks on a homicidal rampage, dispatching anyone who stands in her way.

I absolutely applaud Lowe’s tenacity in making this film whilst being 7-8 months pregnant herself. Her drive, or axe to grind, is very apparent in getting this beautifully crafted horror comedy out of her system.There’s a message here deep at the films core…don’t piss off Alice Lowe…EVER!!

9. The Furies

An Australian movie that features a woman who is kidnapped and finds herself an unwilling participant in a deadly game where women are hunted by masked men.

The Furies is a savagely brutal insight into what lies beneath the veil of humanity through this bloody, demonstrative tale of survival. It may be a low-budget affair, but director Tony D’Aquino wrangles out enough disturbing and abhorrent scenes that the audience, like Kayla, must endure to its horrific conclusion. Another fine entry into the Australian horror scene. 

8. The Dark and the Wicked

On a secluded farm in a nondescript rural town, a man is slowly dying. His family gathers to mourn, and soon a darkness grows, marked by waking nightmares and a growing sense that something evil is taking over the family.

Director Bryan Bertino (The Strangers) is clearly drawn to the subject of isolation, fractured lives and what the fear of the unknown can have on the psyche.
Here, he crafts and wrangles out every last ounce of agitation from a small, yet strong cast by wallowing them through grief and the brink of despair until they are consumed by their emotions. It is a slow-burn, but the strenuous ordeal through which both its leads and the audience is drawn through is well worth the payoff.

7. Psycho Goreman

After unearthing a gem that controls an evil monster looking to destroy the Universe, a young girl and her brother use it to make him do their bidding.

Steven Kostanski manages to direct a beautiful love song to the 90s period of home entertainment with a warped and visually appealing feature. Psycho Goreman is peppered with humour and is the dark candy of kids sci-fi adventures of yester-year.
It rekindles the energy of the visual treats we hold dear to our hearts in our childhood and garnishes it with gore-tastic moments that Kostanski and the team have made their signature style. Psycho Goreman should firmly be on your genre-film pulse. Tap into this baby and enjoy its insanity.

6. Skull: The Mask

The feature film is an action-packed horror flick depicting a supernatural serial killer based on pre-Colombian mythology in a hunt for revenge in the metropolis of São Paulo.

The storyline may be a fractured and complex one, but Skull: The Mask more than makes up for its faults by producing a frenzied and energetic slasher flick that taps into the heart of its country’s mythological roots. Its hard-edged approach and cracking SFX make this an enjoyable and crazed journey with some wickedly dark humour along the way, that if you’re willing to let it course through your visual senses, will prove to be well worth your time. Hats off to the creative team Foncesca and Furman. You’ve made a fan out of this writer.

5. Caveat

A lone drifter suffering from partial memory loss accepts a job to look after a psychologically troubled woman in an abandoned house on an isolated island.

It’s a bold and momentous achievement for a directorial debut, and while it doesn’t necessarily tick all the boxes, the performances are faultless, and the fragmented narrative are compelling enough to keep you chained to the storytelling.  It will either grip you, or grind you up. For me, it was a well-constructed tale, that is just the right side of deranged.

4. Mosquito State

Wall Street data analyst Richard Boca sees ominous patterns: His computer models are behaving erratically, as are the swarms of mosquitos breeding in his apartment, an infestation that attends his psychological meltdown.

This movie is highly intelligent and beautifully shot. It’s the kind of film that gets under your skin. It takes a while for it to take effect but once it does it pulls you in and infects you. There are many elements at play with each layer revealing the dark truth behind the powers and money of the world. Mosquito State has successfully infested my mind, a mark for me is always an important ingredient in filmmaking. It still resonates as I find that I’ve fallen for its charm and lulled by the hypnotic score.

3. Revenge

Never take your mistress on an annual guys’ getaway, especially one devoted to hunting – a violent lesson for three wealthy married men.

Beautifully shot by cinematographer Robrecht Heyvaert, with an amazing score by Robin Coudert that compliments the narrative and keeps driving up the tension, Revenge offers some great performances that push their acting to the very limits. Director Coralie Fargeat manages to harness all these elements together whilst providing a stunning movie that elevates itself above the quagmire of sensationalism by using smart and intense drama at its core. A must watch movie.

2. Violation

A troubled woman on the edge of divorce returns home to her younger sister after years apart. But when her sister and brother-in-law betray her trust, she embarks on a vicious crusade of revenge.

Best movie of the year?
Possibly.

Best performance of the year?
With Madeleine Sims-Fewer’s portrayal of the central character Miriam and the violation that occurs combined with the trauma that this leaves on her… Definitely 

Violation is a slow burn, but a perfect exercise in raw performance with a tightly knit script to explore a wrenching-yet-topical subject.

It awakens the senses and projects every ounce of emotion onto the screen. I always fall deep for movies that elicit such a response, and for that, I can’t rate it highly enough.

1. Possessor

An agent works for a secretive organization that uses brain-implant technology to inhabit other people’s bodies – ultimately driving them to commit assassinations for high-paying clients.

From the shocking opening scene, through a brilliantly crafted sci-fi screenplay and an ultimately rewarding conclusion, Brandon Cronenberg has thrown the gauntlet down, commanding our attention as a filmmaker with vision, powerful performances, and a beautifully presented mindfuck.

• Saul Muerte