Shudder’s Behind the Monsters is a documentary series paying tribute to some of the biggest and most bloodthirsty names in the game. The first trailer is here and it looks like a lot of fun, with Tom Savini, Heather Langenkamp, Doug Bradley, Tony Todd, and other well-known figures chiming in to share their experience and expertise.
If there’s one hallmark of slasher movies, it’s that the killers themselves are the true stars; with very few exceptions, the guys wielding the knives, machetes, razorblade fingernails, angry bees, inter-dimensional torture demons, and other creative weapons are the ones audiences remember most when they leave the theatre. They’re also the ones who return again and again, sequel after sequel. As a new Halloween movie, Halloween Kills, prepares for its theatrical and streaming rollout, Shudder is teasing its latest series celebrating the horror genre. Take a look at Behind the Monsters.
Courtesy of Shudder, here’s the roll call of all the slashers getting the Behind the Monsters treatment, along with some of the folks who’ll be weighing in on their history and cultural impact:
- Candyman, featuring interviews with the original Candyman (1992) director Bernard Rose and stars Tony Todd and Virginia Madsen; Candyman (2021) director Nia DaCosta; and Horror Noire’s Tananarive Due, among others.
- Chucky, with interviews with Child’s Play (1988) creator/writer Don Mancini, director Tom Holland and star Catherine Hicks, along with the voice of Chucky, Brad Dourif, among others.
- Jason Voorhees, including interviews with Kane Hodder, actor/stuntman from Friday the 13th Parts VII & VIII, Jason Goes to Hell and Jason X, and Tom Savini, special effects creator on Friday the 13th Parts I & IV, among others.
- Michael Myers, featuring interviews with actor Nick Castle from Halloween and the new Halloween films from Blumhouse, as well as Halloween (2018) stunt actor James Jude Courtney, among others.
- Freddy Krueger, including interviews with A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) and Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994) stars Heather Langenkamp and Lin Shaye, as well as special effects designer Jim Doyle, among others.
- Pinhead, including an interview with Hellraiser actor Doug Bradley and others.
Behind the Monsters premieres October 27 on Shudder.