Found footage has never been the horror subgenre that completely won us over. We understand why people love it, and there have certainly been some great films made using the format, but somewhere between the shaky cameras, frantic running and characters who apparently never learned how to hold a camera steady, we tend to start feeling a little queasy. Cloverfield may have delivered some fantastic monster mayhem, but it also taught us that watching an entire movie through the world’s most violently operated handheld camera can be a rough experience.
Shudder may finally have something capable of pulling us back into the format. Infirmary arrives October 2 as a Shudder Original, and the trailer introduces a disturbing mystery involving an abandoned psychiatric hospital, a missing security guard and bodycam footage that captures events nobody can adequately explain.
The trailer doesn’t seem interested in showing us everything it has in store, which is probably for the best. There are enough unsettling glimpses to suggest that whatever happened inside the hospital is considerably worse than a routine disappearance. The bodycam perspective also gives the whole thing an appropriately uncomfortable quality, particularly when the person behind the camera has no idea what they’re walking into.
WATCH THE TRAILER FOR “INFIRMARY” BELOW
Paul Syre, Mark Anthony Williams and Danielle Kennedy star in the film, with Nicholas Pineda directing.
We’re still going to approach this one cautiously because our relationship with found footage remains complicated. However, an old psychiatric hospital and unexplained footage is a pretty damn good combination for Halloween viewing, and Infirmary looks like it understands that sometimes what you don’t see can be considerably more effective than what you do.
Infirmary is premiering as part of Shudder’s Season of Screams, the streaming service’s massive Halloween celebration running through the end of the year. The event features new movies, series, specials, screening events and live watch parties, with new premieres arriving every Friday throughout the season.
Among the upcoming releases are Parasomnia, V/H/S/Mixtape, Bloody Tennis, The Cycle, Hallowarrior, the third season of The Creep Tapes, the 2026 FANGORIA Chainsaw Awards and Joe Bob’s Halloween House Party.
So yes, we’re willing to give found footage another shot. Just don’t expect us to watch Infirmary while operating heavy machinery afterward.
Infirmary premieres October 2 exclusively on Shudder.
