Its baaaack! After making its debut in August, Horrors Greatest has returned for more clips and chat about horrors most beloved sub-genres. Season one dug into Stephen King adaptations, giant monsters, Japanese horror, horror comedies, and tropes and clichs (with an emphasis on slasher films)leaving plenty of room for more. This time, its animal attacks, film scores, hidden gems, space horror, and killer dates. A lot of the talking heads repeat; its pretty clear Horrors Greatest filmed both (or who knows how many) seasons back to back, and the list of interviewees again includes David Dastmalchian, Kate Siegel, Joe Hill, As before, the editing is brisk and the clips well-curated, with stop-motion interludes and in-episode asides that break up the discussion in fun ways. One example is the dueling lists of best and worst horror-movie pets in the Animal Attacks episode; you can guess where Cujo falls on that ranking. Though there is some overlap between episodesJaws comes up a lot, for instancetheres enough to cover that Horrors Greatest doesnt feel like its repeating itself or stretching itself too thin. Tananarive Due admits her admiration of Event Horizon in the Space Horror episode. Image: Shudder Since season one focused on slightly more obvious categories, season two is able to get even weirder, which allows Horrors Greatest to traverse some less-familiar turf. This is a bonus for the viewer who gets the chance to learn about more offbeat films, as well as a bonus for the talking heads, whoespecially in the Hidden Gems episode, which is a fun inclusionget to enthuse about overlooked favorites, which include a lot of vintage and international selections, as well as should-be cult classics.The strongest episodes are probably Animal Attacks, which delves into how Jaws launched a wave of copycats but also inspired a taste for films that blend serious-minded environmental concerns and nature strikes back themes with, like, alligators leaping out of sewers and PCP-crazed zoo animals; and Hidden Gems, though that might just be my excitement over seeing praised heaped upon the relatively obscure likes of Lets Scare Jessica to Death and The Psychic. That episode in particular feels like youre getting cant-fail viewing recommendations from a friend who has seen every movie, except that friend is Shudder (and indeed, a lot of the titles are available to stream there after you finish Horrors Greatest). Killer Dates might be the least successful, just because it has the murkiest through-line. It bobs from Carries prom nightmare to Get Outs meet-the-parents nightmare to the fact that movies like Terror Train and Jennifers Body have hook-ups and relationships and romance elements existing alongside their body counts. It just doesnt feel as cohesive as the other episodes, which works against it.Along those lines, by widening its focus a bit, Horrors Greatest season two does tend to drift beyond what many fans might consider strictly horror. Theres a lot more sci-fi included, even outside the Space Horror episode, and the show makes some assertions that might be controversial to some. You may be able to expand your definition of horror to include, as Horrors Greatest would like you to, the 1985 Martin Scorsese film After Hours, about one mans hellish night out in New York City. Or you may not, especially when there are so many Im horror, and proud of it types of films left out of the conversation. Perhaps thats why weve got fingers crossed for a third season? The five-episode second season of Horrors Greatest begins today, December 31, on Shudder, with weekly rollouts Tuesdays through January 28. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, whats next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.