When I was young the method for watching movies was very different than it is now. You had to have a physical copy of the film and a device to play it on. I remember digging through our piles of DVDs, finding the movie I wanted to watch, and handing it to my mother so we could watch it. The world has changed quite a bit. Now there are streaming services that allow movies to be played at the tap of a finger. With the internet improving, the amount of horror films that can be discovered is endless. You can find almost anything, even the most disturbing horror films. But with all the streaming services, and so many containing potential triggers, how does one smoothly avoid the horror movies that may be too disturbing for their liking but still find the ones that aren’t? I was lost as a horror viewer until I found the streaming service Shudder, and then later my life was made easier when I found the app Does the Dog Die (DDD). With these discoveries, I found the best combo for myself and my horror movie-loving lifestyle. 

     Shudder is a streaming service that focuses solely on horror movies, shows, and documentaries. There are so many different movies to choose from. They have many different categories on their Featured page that change with the season. They also have a Collections tab to help you find all the subgenres of horror. The A Good Scare collection has many good movies like The Babadook, Skinamarink, and Host. If you go to the browse area you are given even more subgenres to choose from. My personal favorite is, of course, the Pchycologcal Thrillers. There is also a thing called Shudder TV where three channels constantly play films 24/7. Shudder is unique because it only contains horror therefore it appreciates the old and iconic horror that other streaming services seem to forget about. The only problem with Shudder is that it is specifically made for seasoned horror viewers. This can be a problem if, like me,  you’re married to someone that may not enjoy the gore and blood that many of these films contain. So how do we solve that? It is as simple as asking the question, Does the Dog Die?

     Does the Dog Die (DDD) is an amazing app I came across not long after Shudder. DDD is an app that lets you pick all of the triggers you may have. For example, since my wife’s favorite thing to do is watch anything but horror, I can click all her triggers like gore, jumpscares, and eye mutilation, then when I search for the movie in the search bar it will tell me if it has any of that in it. It also allows people to elaborate on certain scenes. An example is if there is gore in a scene sometimes people will comment and tell you when it occurs. They have the opportunity to elaborate and describe the scene so I can advise my wife when to look away. DDD can be used for almost any movie also, not just horror, and has many triggers that they constantly update based on how many people agree on a request. The only potential con is that it can sometimes spoil a movie. That is depending on how important the trigger is to the plot. However, I believe a light spoiler to a film is worth a decent movie experience for my wife and anyone who wants to avoid a specific trigger. 

     With these two apps on my devices, it makes the best combo for my browsing. Even the most seasoned Horror fans have things that make them squeamish and it is okay to avoid those things. With Shudder’s endless amounts of films and using the Does the Dog Die app I believe you will always have a good horror experience that is catered to your needs and wants. Now it’s just up to the filmmakers and actors to make the movie itself worth watching. Shudder is subscription-based and Does the Dog Die costs $3.99 but in my opinion they’re worth it if you love horror as much as I do.