Season 1
No horror icon came out of a filmmaker’s first draft fully formed. There were early drafts, wrong turns, experimentation. Once made flesh (or latex), there’s presentation, impact, audience response and legacy. Each of these steps that nudge a horror creation toward the annals of legend will be explored in Shudder’s BEHIND THE MONSTERS. Each episode examines a horror icon who has broken free of the confines of the film from which it was born and become the stuff of legend.
01 Michael Myers
A cheap film shot in 21 days changed the landscape of horror, made several careers, and gave one actress an iconic role that she’s tweaking 42 years later.
2021-10-27 7.002 Candyman
The genre's first black slasher showed up in 1992, rich with subtext about racial tensions in American history. In 2021, he's coming back - and is perhaps the most relevant horror icon imaginable.
2021-11-03 7.003 Chucky
What started as a nasty spin on 80s consumerism flourished over three decades into an unlikely progressive horror property that refuses to get back on the shelf.
2021-11-10 7.004 Freddy
Perhaps the most recognizable horror icon, Freddy Krueger's one-liners and merchandise has proven to be enjoyed by horror and non-horror fans alike.
2021-11-17 7.005 Jason Voorhees
A look at the accidental creation of a machete-wielding avatar of conservative 1980s morality - one that, absent a new entry, a fiercely loyal fan base has taken to resurrecting on their own.
2021-11-24 7.006 Pinhead
Emerging from a low budget independent film, this character who was simply called "Lead Cenobite" would become the undeniable symbol of pleasure and pain and the icon of the "Hellraiser" franchise.
2021-12-01 5.0
Who is in it
Tony ToddSelf
Robert EnglundSelf
Virginia MadsenSelf
Nick CastleSelf
Brad DourifSelf
Heather LangenkampSelf
Lin ShayeSelf
Ryan TurekSelf
Tom SaviniSelf
Kevin YagherSelf
Bernard RoseSelf
Nia DaCostaSelf