October is the perfect time to watch horror movies. I’d even argue that half the fun of Halloween is watching all the classic scary movies in the weeks and days leading up to the holiday. There are a few great streaming services like Shudder out there for horror fans, and all the major streamers like Netflix and Max have their own scary movies too, but nothing beats getting to watch one for free.
Luckily, there are tons of free streaming services out there that offer thousands of movies without paying a dime. Tubi in particular has leaned especially hard into the horror genre, giving fans lots of classics, modern hits, and even original movies. This Halloween, check out these five great horror movies, all streaming for free.
We also have guides to the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.
Halloween (2007)
Rob Zombie is a controversial filmmaker. For every hit movie he releases, he makes another few duds. Luckily, his 2007 reboot of Halloween is one of the good ones. We all know the basic story of Halloween: Michael Myers stalks Laurie Strode and her friends on Halloween, killing them one by one.
But Zombie’s version added a great first half that no other film in the franchise has. The first hour of the movie actually focuses on Michael’s life as a child and young man and chronicles his descent into madness, rage, and murder. The movie also has Zombie’s trademark brutality, which actually worked this time around and helped give the 2007 film a fresh and horrifying new feel.
Watch Halloween for free on Tubi.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
When audiences think your movie is a snuff film, you know you’ve made a great horror movie. Set amongst the blaring heat of a central Texas summer, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre sees a group of young travelers stranded when their van runs out of gas. They go out in search of help, only to be confronted by the cannibalistic Sawyer family and their chain-saw-wielding son (affectionately called Leatherface by fans thanks to his trademark mask made of human skin).
What makes The Texas Chain Saw Massacre so terrifying is that it’s everything a horror movie shouldn’t be. Hitchcock popularized using lighting, cinematography, and orchestral scores to help create terror. But Chain Saw used none of that, instead feeling like someone had actually found the lost, grainy footage of a group of friends being brutally murdered. Plus, this year marks the film’s 50th anniversary, so it’s a re-watch is the perfect way to celebrate.
Watch The Texas Chain Saw Massacre for free on Tubi and Freevee.
Candyman (2021)
2021’s Candyman is a sequel to the iconic 1992 film of the same name, taking place almost 30 years later. The legend of the Candyman is revived yet again and the killing spree resumes. Luckily for viewers, the new film gives way more backstory than the original ever did, so you can actually watch the 2021 film as a standalone movie without needing to see the previous films.
The basic premise is that an urban myth is actually a real supernatural curse that gains more power every time innocent Black men are killed for a crime they didn’t commit. The movie was especially timely when it premiered in 2021 but remains a great story today.
Watch Candyman for free on Freevee.
Hellraiser (1987)
Hellraiser is a layered horror movie that gets even more intricate when you learn about its backstory. The basic premise is that a mysterious puzzle box (called the Lament Configuration by fans) opens a portal between the mortal world and a hellish dimension inhabited by Cenobites.
As eternal beings, the Cenobites have no distinction between pleasure and pain and simply seek to experience the most intense feelings possible… which usually doesn’t end well for their human victims. But Hellraiser is a deeply symbolic movie that takes inspiration from a wide range of dichotomic source material, like religion, sexual fetishes, life and death, and queerness.
Watch Hellraiser for free on Tubi and Pluto TV.
All Hallows’ Eve (2013)
Horror anthologies have been a popular part of the genre for decades, from 1982’s Creepshow to 2007’s Trick ‘r Treat, and the long-running V/H/S series, just to name a few. In 2013, the anthology film All Hallows’ Eve premiered, giving audiences three segments — the third being “Terrifier,” which gave birth to the now-famous horror icon Art the Clown.
Since then, All Hallows’ Eve received a sequel, and Art has become a fan-favorite in the horror community, earning himself three films of his own, with the most recent, Terrifier 3, opening No. 1 at the box office. All Hallows’ Eve is a fun way to see how a grassroots horror villain got his start, and its other segments are just as enjoyable.
Watch All Hallows’ Eve for free on Tubi and Roku.
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