Shudder is a go-to destination for horror fans, so it makes sense the streamer keeps making clip shows—you know the formula: interviews and movie scenes layered into a blend of cinematic discourse and fan appreciation—that celebrate the genre. Horror’s Greatest takes a broader approach than earlier Shudder Original docs in this format (think Horror Noire , Cursed Films , and Queer for Fear ), though it mitigates feeling too sprawling by targeting five themes. Looking at the genre as a whole, there are so many different sub-topics Horror’s Greatest could have focused on, even leaving out those already covered by the previous series listed above.
But Horror’s Greatest does a good job with its chosen five: “Tropes and Cliches,” “Giant Monsters,” “Japanese Horror,” “Horror Comedies,” and “Stephen King Adaptations.” They are standalone episodes, so if all you want is, say, an overview of Japanese horror cinema, you know where to start and end your watch. That said, because the episodes are only an hour long, they’re not going to read you the encyclopedia.
Not every one of your giant monster buddies is going to get a mention, though you have to give Horror’s Greatest credit for ripping through a rogues’ gallery of mostly Japanese and American critters, and exploring why we’re so fascinated with them—even if you kind of wonder if perhaps a lot of the entries are more sci-fi than horror (including the full range of Godzilla movies). And while t.