The Screambox and Shudder Streaming Craze: a Necessary Evil, or a Netflix No-No?

Raise your hands if you're one of the many horror aficionados out there seeing one of those Facebook or Google ads about a particular streaming service called "Screambox" or "Shudder." (RAISES HAND) You're not alone, and more power to you for being potentially one of many signing up for this account and getting the access to a virtually an unlimited source of media in the genre. But here's the question I must ask:

Do We Really Need a Streaming Service Like Screambox or Shudder?

Let me put it in perspective for you: I'm a horror novelist. I love the genre. I live for it. I also have a

Netflix account and Hulu account. And as tempting as it is to get an account with Screambox or Shudder, I have to be honest: I just haven't gotten around to signing up for one.

Please understand, though, that this isn't a downplay on the awesomeness of these two streaming services, especially given the fact that online streaming is now in this day and age the wave of the future. I don't doubt that both give you access to a larger library of choices than Netflix or Hulu can ever dream of.

So when I say "I just haven't gotten around to signing up for one," I mean to say that it's an account I'd love to have, but I certainly don't necessarily need it at this point in time. Don't get me wrong: I get my fair share of horror media streaming on my own; but a little more here and there wouldn't hurt. The question then becomes can it compete with the big boys? Perhaps, but it won't certainly rule the cyberspace airwaves and put Netflix or Hulu out of business.

You Simply Would Have to Determine If You're a Lover of All Media, and Not Just in One Particular Sub-Genre

That's a tough one to gauge, obviously, because it depends on your own demographics, too. Are you single? Do you have kids? Are you married? Are you married to someone who also loves the horror genre? Are you married with kids who also love the horror genre? (And are roughly of the teen years, of course)

I mean, there are just a ton of variables. One thing's for sure, though: streaming services are the rage, no doubt; and in the horror genre, they're our Jason Voorhees and Michael Meyers.