Shudder recently acquired the rights to upcoming horror film Z, starring Keegan Connor Tracy as a mother spooked by her son's imaginary friend. Owned by AMC, the Shudder streaming service has been steadily increasing its profile over the last few years. It started mostly as a place horror fans could stream classic films on the cheap, but as with every other streaming outlet, Shudder is investing more and more time and money into offering exclusive, original shows and movies.
As with Netflix, Shudder both produces its own content, mostly TV shows so far, and picks up content produced by others that has yet to find an outlet, mostly movies. In doing so, Shudder is rapidly becoming a go-to destination for horror fans looking for new thrills, and continuing to expand its subscriber base. Shows like Creepshow are drawing positive reviews from both critics and audiences, and movies like Haunt are making headlines within the always passionate horror community.
In the case of Z, Shudder's latest movie acquisition, the streamer was inspired to snag it due to the positive reaction to a 2018 Shudder exclusive from the same creative team, entitled Still/Born. Here's everything we know about what Z has in store for Shudder subscribers.
Z Release Date
Z first went out for sale internationally in 2018, and in April 2020, found its U.S. home in the Shudder streaming service. This follows Shudder's 2018 acquisition of Still/Born, the previous horror film from writer/director Brandon Christensen and his co-writer/producer Colin Minihan. Still/Born also concerned a mother and child, and was released just before Mother's Day in 2018. Shudder will do the same for Z, which premieres on the service Thursday, May 7, 2020, right before Mother's Day on May 10.
Z Plot Details
Z stars Keegan Connor Tracy (Bates Motel) as Elizabeth, a mother who comes to believe her troubled son Josh's odd, and eventually dangerous, behavior is due to the fact that his "imaginary friend" Z isn't so imaginary. In fact, there's evidence to suggest Z is some kind of monster or demon. It's not entirely clear from the trailer and plot synopsis if Z is actually real, which may remind some of The Babadook's premise. Veteran character actor Stephen McHattie also appears as Doctor Seagar, who it looks like gets enlisted by Josh's parents to try and help him.
Z Trailer
Along with the announcement of Shudder's acquisition of Z, the streamer also released a full trailer for the film. Truth be told, it doesn't really look like a horror movie set to reinvent the genre, but it does seem to be taking itself seriously, and going for genuine scares. The trailer score also carries a heavy A Nightmare on Elm Street vibe, and one wonders if that was a conscious choice by the marketing team.