Unveiling 6 Shocking Tales That Span the World

New international horror dropping this month!

By Samantha McLaren · @themeatispeople · May 8, 2023, 5:00 PM EDT
international-horror-may2023

April showers may bring May flowers, but they haven’t brought a lot of new horror releases. Still, while May might be a lighter month than its predecessor, there’s plenty of good international horror invading American soil if you know where to look for it!

Shudder kicked off the month in style by adding four classic New French Extremity titles to the platform, so be sure to catch up on High Tension, Inside, Martyrs, and Livid if you have yet to let them traumatize you. Hungry for more round-the-world releases? Check out the new (and new-to-streaming) titles below!

1. The Ancestral (Vietnam)

The Ancestral

Following a limited theatrical release last year, Vietnamese spook-fest The Ancestral arrived on SCREAMBOX.

In the film, a widowed father moves his two daughters into an ancient ancestral home after a family tragedy. But their fresh start doesn’t exactly go to plan as the girls begin experiencing eerie night terrors and sleep paralysis. Dad turns to a local psychologist for help, and it isn’t long before sinister secrets start coming to light. Lam Thanh My, Quang Tuan, and Mai Cát Vi star in The Ancestral, which was directed by Le-Van Kiet.

2. Huesera: The Bone Woman (Mexico)

Huesera the Bone Woman

Previously featured in our February round-up, director Michelle Garza Cervera’s superb pregnancy horror Huesera: The Bone Woman is now on Shudder!

Natalia Solián stars as Valeria, a young woman pregnant with her first child who has to contend with society’s suffocating expectations around motherhood. Well, that and the horrifying supernatural entity stalking her. Crack your knuckles and press play on this one, you won’t regret it.

3. Project Wolf Hunting (South Korea)

Project Wolf Hunting

Writer-director Hongsun Kim’s high-octane action-horror film Project Wolf Hunting got a digital, DVD, and Blu-ray release a few months ago, but if you haven’t bathed in the film’s bloody waters yet, you can catch it on SCREAMBOX and Hi-YAH!

Seo In-guk, Jang Dong-yoon, Jeong So-min, and Sung Dong-il star in Project Wolf Hunting, which is set on board a cargo ship transporting dangerous criminals from the Philippines to South Korea. When they lead a violent escape attempt, they unwittingly unleash something far worse from the darkness below deck… Pick up the latest issue of FANGORIA for a deep dive into the film.

4. Consecration (United Kingdom)

Consecration

Jena Malone continues her genre streak with Consecration, a film that takes full advantage of Scotland’s gorgeous Isle of Skye. Malone plays Grace, a young eye doctor who travels to a remote convent on the island in the hopes of understanding her priest brother’s alleged suicide. Her investigation unearths all manner of unholy secrets and bloody sacrileges…

Triangle’s Christopher Smith directed Consecration from a script he co-wrote with Laurie Cook. The film had a limited theatrical release in February, but if you say five Hail Marys, you’ll also find it on Shudder. In the meantime, check out FANGORIA’s interview with Smith and Malone.

5. Walking Against the Rain (United Kingdom)

Walking Against the Rain

The feature directorial debut of Scott Lyus, who also wrote the flick, Walking Against the Rain stars Sophia Eleni and Reece Douglas as Blair and Tommy, two strangers traversing an empty landscape in search of one another. Their battery-operated radio mics are about to die, cutting off their only form of communication. To make matters worse, something evil is hot on their heels.

Promising old-school, full-body practical creature effects from FX designer Dan Martin, whose previous credits include Infinity Pool, In the Earth, and Censor, Walking Against the Rain comes to VOD platforms.

6. Cracked (Thailand)

Cracked

Something is up with Grandpa’s paintings in Cracked, a haunted house movie with an artful twist. Chayanit Chansangavej plays Ruja, who travels to her late father’s home in Thailand with her young daughter to handle his estate. A multimillionaire wants to buy his paintings, but they need a little TLC first. Art restorer Tim (K-Pop star Nichkhun Horvejkul) is brought in to handle the work, but craquelure is about to be the least of Ruja’s worries.

First-time filmmaker Surapong Ploensang wrote and directed Cracked, which opened across Southeast Asia last year. The film is set to crack the US VOD market.

That’s it for May, but be sure to check back next month for more macabre movies from around the globe.