Overall I thought 2019 was a great year for film all around and horror did not disappoint. There was great horror everywhere you looked in 2019. Mainstream horror hit the theaters and the indie horror scene continued to grow and improve. The streaming world made amazing contributions to horror with Netflix producing several great movies and Shudder continuing to dominate the genre with their Shudder Exclusives and foreign imports. And I need to shout out Hulu and Blumhouse for their spectacular Into the Dark series, in which the streaming service puts out a new seasonal horror film every month. So let’s jump in and see which horror films made the cut…

It’s a great time to be a Shudder subscriber. AMC’s horror and genre streaming service is hitting high gear as we inch closer towards October and Halloween season. Just last week, two Shudder Exclusives — The Cleansing Hour and Blood Machines — are screening at Fantastic Fest, while Hell House LLC III: Lake of Fire premiered on the service a few days ago. Well prepared to get spoiled because this week may be even bigger for Shudder. The eagerly anticipated Creepshow series from The Walking Dead executive producer Greg Nicotero debuts on 9/26. But if you can’t wait till Thursday, how about Tuesday? One of the most successful independent films of all time as well as an awesome and hilarious zombie comedy, One Cut of the Dead, will hit Shudder on Tuesday, 9/24.

One Cut of the Dead
Written, directed, and edited by Shinichiro Ueda
Cast: Takayuki Hamatsu, Mao, Harumi Shuhama, Yuzuki Akiyama, Kazuaki Nagaya, Manabu Hosoi
Shudder | Variance Films
96 minutes | Not Rated
U.S. Release: September 13, 2019 (NY/LA)

Dan O’Bannon’s The Return of the Living Dead from 1985 is the first major case of the “Zom-Com,” the blending of zombie horror and comedy. A seminal classic about punks battling the undead in a cemetery, it’s not hard to find influence for Edgar Wright’s genre redefining Shaun of the Dead from 2004. While the zom-com has become prevalent in recent years with films like Zombieland (2009) and this year’s The Dead Don’t Die from Jim Jarmusch, the best of the lot by a mile is Shinichiro Ueda‘s One Cut of the Dead. The Japanese zom-com first premiered last year, but is making its American theatrical release later this month. The word of mouth has been off the charts and I’m happy to say that all the hype was real and One Cut of the Dead can take its place on the Mount Rushmore of zombie comedies.

Back in April we found out that Shudder had acquired One Cut of the Dead, a Japanese zombie comedy which has received immense praise from critics and currently sits at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Now Shudder has announced they’ll be releasing the movie in theaters for anyone who wants to see it on the big screen.

To go along with the theatrical release announcement, a new trailer for the movie has also been released. You can find all of the info and check out the trailer below.

AMC’s horror streaming service Shudder has been killing it as of late. They made news last year when their Last Drive-In movie marathon with Joe Bob Briggs broke the internet, and led to Joe Bob’s full return as host of the now-weekly Last Drive-In series every Friday. They also have been bringing in tons of Shudder exclusives and originals, including the Nicolas Cage revenge film Mandy, which debuted on the service last year.

Now, Shudder continues to be a step ahead in the horror streaming game, acquiring the international rights to acclaimed Japanese zom-com One Cut of the Dead, from director Shinichiro Ueda.