Yahoo Movies The 23 best horror movies on Tubi
RLJE FILMS; Well Go USA; EVERETT COLLECTION Nicolas Cage in 'Mandy'; TRAIN TO BUSAN 2016 CR: Well Go USA; Noah Wiseman in 'The Babadook'
Whether you're craving ballet-dancing witches, vengeful scarecrows, or cackling clowns, the titles on this list are likely to induce chills, nightmares, fever dreams, a tinge of sadness, or just linger in your psyche for a while. To help you indulge your horror fandom, here are EW's picks for the 23 best genre films currently streaming (for free) on Tubi, as of October 2023.
<em>I Saw the Devil</em> (2010)
This 2010 South Korean thriller blends action and horror elements into one unforgettable experience. Kim Soo-hyun (Lee Byung-hun), an agent from the National Intelligence Service, goes rogue to hunt for the serial killer who murdered his fiancée. Through his pursuit, Soo-hyun goes down a dark path as he stops at nothing to seek revenge. The film features a wild turn from Oldboy's Choi Min-sik, who plays the serial killer, Jang Kyung-chul. As EW's critic wrote in her review, "Choi goes to town as the embodiment of murdering, torturing evil." This, plus some light cannibalism, the breaking of a jaw, and more make for a vivid movie-watching adventure. —Kevin Jacobsen
Where to watch I Saw the Devil: Tubi
EW grade: B (read the review)
Director: Kim Jee-woon
Cast: Lee Byung-hun, Choi Min-sik, Oh San-ha, Kim Yoon-seo, Jeon Gook-hwan, Chun Ho-jin
Related content: 28 great revenge movies
<em>Ma</em> (2019)
In the grand tradition of acclaimed actresses like Bette Davis or Joan Crawford finding new life in the world of campy horror, 2019's Ma allowed Octavia Spencer to delve into the macabre. The Oscar winner plays Sue Ann, a.k.a. Ma, a middle-aged woman who lures a group of teenagers into her basement and proceeds to terrorize them. Why she's taking such actions is gradually revealed over the course of the film, but it's best to keep Ma's bloody intentions a secret going into it. Unfolding with a tongue-in-cheek sense of dark humor, Ma is a delicious showcase for Spencer, who revels in the opportunity to turn her sweet, trusting image on its head. "Even as the story descends into full bloody camp at its crescendo," wrote EW's critic, "Spencer holds the more ludicrous plot threads together." —K.J.
EW grade: B (read the review)
Director: Tate Taylor
Cast: Octavia Spencer, Diana Silvers, Juliette Lewis, Luke Evans, Missi Pyle, Allison Janney
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<em>They Live</i> (1988)
They Live is one of many titles on this list that received a mixed to poor reception at the time of release but have since been reclaimed as cult classics. John Carpenter's trenchant social commentary tells the story of a drifter (Roddy Piper) who realizes upon wearing special sunglasses that many of his fellow citizens are actually aliens. He comes to discover that these secret invaders are trying to control the populace through subliminal messages, in an effort to deplete Earth's resources. Released at the time as a commentary on "Reaganomics," the film continues to resonate all these years later as the planet faces growing crises on a daily basis. —K.J.
Where to watch They Live: Tubi
Director: John Carpenter
Cast: Roddy Piper, Keith David, Meg Foster
Related content: They Live Blu-ray review
<em>The Fog</em> (1980)
John Carpenter at his most atmospheric, The Fog unfolds like a true ghost story, telling a tale of revenge and terror in a small town. The film centers on a coastal town that is about to celebrate its 100th anniversary, only to be haunted by ghosts of the past — literally. As it turns out, the town was founded with plundered gold, and the seafarers they stole it from are ready to seek vengeance. The quiet, respectable lives of the townspeople are thus interrupted, and they'll do whatever is necessary to slam the door shut on the past. Blending Carpenter's economical filmmaking with compelling social commentary, The Fog holds up marvelously even all these decades later, especially for its eerie synth piano score. —K.J.
Director: John Carpenter
Cast: Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis, John Houseman, Janet Leigh, Hal Holbrook
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<em>In the Mouth of Madness</em> (1994)
This mind-bending '90s horror film is an underrated entry in John Carpenter's filmography, yet another to have a mixed critical reception initially but has come to be appreciated more with time. Sam Neill stars as an insurance investigator looking into the disappearance of celebrated horror author Sutter Cane. After learning of the dangerous effect of Cane's novels on unsuspecting readers, he somehow ends up in the fictional town that serves as the setting for many of Cane's works, and discovers untold horrors that shift his entire perspective on reality. Fans of surreal horror will enjoy the trippy descent into madness here, with Neill serving as the perfect skeptic reckoning with his entire belief system. —K.J.
Where to watch In the Mouth of Madness: Tubi
EW grade: C (read the review)
Director: John Carpenter
Cast: Sam Neill, Julie Carmen, Jürgen Prochnow, Charlton Heston
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<em>Evil Dead II</em> (1987)
Widely regarded as the best Evil Dead film, this second installment in the franchise operates as both a sequel and a reboot of the 1981 original. This time around, Ash (Bruce Campbell, in peak slapstick mode) has another fateful experience in that dreaded cabin in the woods, where an evil spirit kills and takes control of his girlfriend. Further mayhem ensues when a foursome comes to inhabit the cabin, leading to a delightfully bloody climax featuring killer trees, possessed body parts, and a chainsaw where a hand should be. EW ranked Evil Dead II as the best film in director Sam Raimi's filmography, noting that he "uses every trick in his book to maintain an utterly unique energy, tone, and frenzied style we've never seen done the same way since." —K.J.
Where to watch Evil Dead II: Tubi
Director: Sam Raimi
Cast: Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry, Dan Hicks, Kassie Wesley, Richard Domeier
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<em>Hellraiser</em> (1987)
Hollywood has returned again and again to the Hellraiser well — with a whopping nine sequels and a 2022 reboot — but nothing beats the original. Clive Barker's adaptation of his own novella, The Hellbound Heart, introduced us to one of the scariest cinematic baddies, Pinhead, leader of a group of sadomasochistic demonic beings who are summoned by humans either accidentally or in pursuit of pleasures of their own. Frank Cotton (Sean Chapman) falls into the latter category in the original film, learning the hard way of Pinhead and the Cenobites' twisted sensibilities. After escaping their clutches, his sister-in-law — with whom he's also had an affair — learns of his unusual fate and takes extreme measures to revive him. Even after all these years, the film holds up in spectacle and substance, with EW's critic calling it "a nauseatingly gooey visual effects epic as well as a character drama with an unexpected emotional hook." —K.J.
Where to watch Hellraiser: Tubi
Director: Clive Barker
Cast: Andrew Robinson, Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence, Sean Chapman
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<em>Goodnight Mommy</em> (2015)
A mother (Susanne Wuest) returns home after cosmetic facial surgery, leaving her twin sons (Elias and Lukas Schwarz) unnerved by her heavily bandaged appearance in this Austrian psychological horror film. When their mother starts to exhibit strange behavior, the twins conclude that she's not their real mother, but, in fact, an impostor. The boys begin testing this presumed interloper, going to extreme lengths to prove her wrong, despite her protestations. Featuring a wild twist ending, Goodnight Mommy gets under your skin while exploring themes of family trauma and fear of the unknown. EW's critic hailed the film as "brilliantly sinister," and, "a mad, malevolent adventure through the minds of its three characters and the house they inhabit." An American remake starring Naomi Watts was released in 2022, but, like with most horror films, you're better off sticking with the original. —K.J.
Where to watch Goodnight Mommy: Tubi
EW grade: A (read the review)
Director: Veronika Franz, Severin Fiala
Cast: Susanne Wuest, Elias Schwarz, Lukas Schwarz
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<em>The Texas Chain Saw Massacre</em> (1974)
One of the true granddaddies of the horror genre is as terrifying now as it was to moviegoers in 1974. The film follows a group of unsuspecting young friends who travel through Texas and come across a depraved family of cannibals hellbent on making them their next victims. As the friends are taken out one by one, the dread amplifies all the way through the blood-soaked finale. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre not only spawned a franchise (with nine feature films, to date) but proved massively influential on horror in the decades to come. The low-budget slasher proved you didn't need big studio money or high-profile stars to make an impact. Director Julia Ducournau, who mastered the art of body horror with films like Raw and Titane, cited The Texas Chain Saw Massacre as the preeminent Halloween film. —K.J.
Where to watch The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: Tubi
Director: Tobe Hooper
Cast: Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow, Gunnar Hansen
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<em>The Babadook</em> (2014)
"If it's in a word, or it's in a look, you can't get rid of the Babadook." This chilling rhyme, read from a pop-up book called Mister Babadook, could also apply to our feelings on the film itself. It's hard to forget Jennifer Kent's feature directorial debut, which explores a widow's grief as she struggles to raise her son — while also contending with a mysterious humanoid monster that insists on tormenting them. Critics were rapturous in their praise for The Babadook, with special mentions for its layered portrayal of horror and grief, as well as Essie Davis' central performance. EW's critic, who compared the film to the 1965 classic Repulsion, wrote in his review, "In an age when horror movies have mostly become lazy and toothless, here's one with ambition and bite." As if that weren't enough, let's not ignore the fact that Babadook himself has reached gay icon status. —K.J.
Where to watch The Babadook: Tubi
EW grade: B+ (read the review)
Director: Jennifer Kent
Cast: Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman, Hayley McElhinney, Daniel Henshall, Barbara West, Ben Winspear
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<em>Nosferatu</em> (1922)
Horror wouldn't be what it is today without Nosferatu, which celebrated its 100-year anniversary in 2022. F.W. Murnau's gothic silent film is essentially an unofficial take on Bram Stoker's Dracula, with the names changed. Max Schreck plays Count Orlok, the Dracula analog who preys upon Hutter, a visiting estate agent. Hutter eventually realizes his client is, in fact, a vampire, and Hutter's wife may be the key to saving him and their community. While the limitations of technology at the time naturally prevent the film from delivering the dread-inducing jump scares that modern audiences may crave, the atmosphere of Nosferatu is enough to get under your skin. A century later, there have been too many depictions of Dracula and other blood-sucking vampires to count, but as EW's critic notes, Schreck's remains "the creepiest of vampire turns." —K.J.
Where to watch Nosferatu: Tubi
Director: F.W. Murnau
Cast: Max Schreck, Gustav von Wangenheim, Greta Schröder, Alexander Granach, Ruth Landshoff, Wolfgang Heinz
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<em>Night of the Living Dead</em> (1968)
Our modern understanding of zombies can be traced back to George A. Romero's landmark horror classic. While the undead walkers in Night of the Living Dead are never referred to as "zombies," they have all the trademarks of the horror movie staple. A group of humans, drawn together out of necessity, try to ward off a pack of ghouls who intend to feast on them — thus turning them into ghouls themselves. While the film remains an effective horror experience, its historical context makes it all the more fascinating. Analysts have cited Night of the Living Dead as a subversive commentary on the Vietnam War, which was raging at the time of the film's release. It also features a Black man as the central hero when race relations were being examined more than ever before in American society. Even without that context, though, Night of the Living Dead operates as an enthralling horror movie in and of itself. —K.J.
Where to watch Night of the Living Dead: Tubi
Director: George A. Romero
Cast: Judith O'Dea, Duane Jones, Marilyn Eastman, Karl Hardman, Judith Ridley, Keith Wayne
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<em>The Invitation</em> (2016)
Have you ever been to a dinner party that feels a little...off? Such is the case in The Invitation, which stars Logan Marshall-Green as Will, who attends a soiree thrown by his ex-wife, with whom he has a shared trauma. Will becomes unsettled as he learns of his ex-wife and her new boyfriend's recent induction into a cultish group called the Invitation. To say much more would be to ruin the wild twists and turns that unfold as the night marches onward. The Invitation marked a welcome return to indie filmmaking for director Karyn Kusama, previously known for Girlfight (2000), Aeon Flux (2005), and the perpetually misunderstood Jennifer's Body (2009). Filled to the brim with slow-burn dread, The Invitation earned raves from critics, with EW's critic noting that the ending is "as chilling and as perfect as anything Twilight Zone impresario Rod Serling dreamed up in his sting-in-the-tail prime." —K.J.
Where to watch The Invitation: Tubi
EW grade: A– (read the review)
Director: Karyn Kusama
Cast: Logan Marshall-Green, Tammy Blanchard, Michiel Huisman, Emayatzy Corinealdi, Lindsay Burdge, Michelle Krusiec, Mike Doyle, Jay Larson, John Carroll Lynch
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<em>Mandy</em> (2018)
Mandy is Nicolas Cage at his most Nicolas Cage, playing Red, a logger who seeks revenge on a religious cult that kidnapped his artist girlfriend, Mandy (Andrea Riseborough). But Red must also contend with a demonic biker gang, the mind-altering effects of LSD, and so much more on his phantasmagorical journey. "There's an element of how-weird-can-we-go-with-this-thing daredevilry to Mandy," noted EW's critic in his review. "It's the definition of 'not for everyone.'" The action-horror experience is certainly a trip, with Cage fully committing to the bit as only he can, and composer Jóhann Jóhannsson delivering one of the most memorable scores of the 2010s. —K.J.
EW grade: A– (read the review)
Director: Panos Cosmatos
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Andrea Riseborough, Linus Roache, Ned Dennehy, Olwen Fouéré, Richard Brake, Bill Duke
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<em>Dark Night of the Scarecrow</em> (1981)
In a small southern town, a mob led by postman Otis Hazelrigg (Charles Durning) hunts down and murders Bubba (Larry Drake), who is developmentally disabled, after mistakenly believing he hurt a local girl who was in fact mauled by a dog. Not long after Bubba's funeral, the men who killed him begin to perish in a series of mysterious accidents. Frank De Felitta's made-for-TV chiller is a searing indictment of mob violence and personal prejudice that only gains relevance as the years go on. It also happens to be one of the most frightening films of the era. The Guest and You're Next scribe Simon Barrett describes it to EW as one of his "go-to, creepy, spooky Halloween movies." It's a film that seems to say, in the end, the most monstrous villains are not supernatural vengeance-seekers, but rather everyday men in pursuit of power. —Declan Gallagher
Where to watch Dark Night of the Scarecrow: Tubi
Director: Frank De Felitta
Cast: Larry Drake, Charles Durning, Tonya Crowe, Jocelyn Brando, Lane Smith
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<em>Train to Busan</em> (2016)
Su-an (Kim Su-an) has one wish on her birthday: to spend it in Busan, with her mother, as opposed to staying in the city with her largely absent father Seok-woo (Gong Yoo). Seok-woo relents, in an effort to repair the relationship, but their weekend trip is derailed when an epidemic sweeps across the country and through their train car, turning those in its path into ravenous zombies. Yeon Sang-ho's first installment in his ongoing franchise (with an American remake on the way) uses the template of classic disaster films to create a haunted house thrill ride that EW's critic praises as "first-class throughout." It helps that the trip is topped off with a hefty dose of well-earned emotional stakes. Train to Busan is a full-throttle horror film, a kinetic action picture, and one of the only movies about the undead that may let you off with a lump in your throat. —D.G.
Where to watch Train to Busan: Tubi
EW grade: B+ (read the review)
Director: Yeon Sang-ho
Cast: Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi, Ma Dong-seok, Kim Su-an, Choi Woo-shik, Ahn So-hee, Kim Eui-sung
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<em>Pieces</em> (1982)
Genre stalwart Christopher George stars as a detective investigating a series of chainsaw murders at a Boston university in this gonzo gorefest. Joining George in his fight to stop the slasher are a particularly suspicious student (Ian Sera) and a famous tennis pro (Lynda Day George) who, bored with the celebrity touring circuit, decides to join up as an undercover detective. The unabashed silliness of the plot does little to dilute the entertainment value of director Juan Piquer Simón's sleazy, cheesy fever dream. Amongst moments of dubious dubbing and peculiar acting, the film delivers some genuinely suspenseful sequences, and Juan Mariné's cinematography is colorful and well-polished. Simón made the film in response to the Friday the 13th series, which he felt would often soft-peddle the gore. If you're in it strictly for the viscera, you will leave satisfied, and possibly even a bit exhausted, by the splattery shenanigans on display here. —D.G.
Director: Juan Piquer Simón
Cast: Christopher George, Paul Smith, Edmund Purdom, Linda Day
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<em>High Tension</em> (2003)
Horror baron Alexandre Aja's divisive entry in the New French Extremism movement follows best friends Alex (Maïwenn) and Marie (Cécile de France) on a weekend getaway to the country. Before they can even unpack, a hefty creep (Philippe Nahon) turns up and slaughters nearly everyone before escaping with a bound-and-gagged Alex. Marie follows in an effort to rescue her friend, kicking off a breakneck chase across the French countryside. High Tension is unflinchingly violent and distressingly taut in a way few films dare to be. The nauseating practical effects come courtesy of Giannetto De Rossi, and it's clear that no expense was spared on the red stuff. Aja approaches sequences of mayhem — such as a concrete buzzsaw interacting with the sternum of an unfortunate motorist — with the procedural eye of a documentarian. The real power, though, lies in his breathlessly staged sequences of suspense woven between the more visceral set pieces. —D.G.
Where to watch High Tension: Tubi
EW grade: C– (read the review)
Director: Juan Piquer Simón
Cast: Cécile de France, Maïwenn, Philippe Nahon
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<em>Next of Kin</em> (1982)
Linda (Jacki Kerin) returns to her Australian hometown in the wake of a family death to oversee her inheritance: Montclare, a creaky old mansion that functions as a retirement home for the community. Before long, bodies of residents begin turning up, and diary entries from Linda's mother expose dark secrets from the past. Next of Kin is a brilliantly constructed slow burn, an old-fashioned gothic spine-tingler of the highest caliber. Director Tony Williams masterfully curates a mood of oppressive dread from the opening minutes through the bloody climax and explosive final frames, making this one of the very best Australian horror films of all time. —D.G.
Where to watch Next of Kin: Tubi
Director: Tony Williams
Cast: Jackie Kerin, John Jarratt, Gerda Nicolson, Alex Scott
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<em>Suspiria</em> (1977)
Back in 2017, Scott Derrickson, the noted director behind Sinister, told EW that Suspiria, the tale of American Suzy Bannion (Jessica Harper) and her encounter with a coven of witches at a prestigious German dance academy, was "the most influential horror film on me, personally... Every time I see it, its influence on me continues to grow." Dario Argento's sublime horror film (streaming in a luminous new transfer) was originally written for a cast of young children. When scripting issues necessitated older characters, Argento built the sets to appear large next to his adult actors. Through this sly trick, where doorknobs rise to noses and walls tower high above the hairline, Argento sketches a vision of witchy terror akin to early works of German surrealism. Suspiria sees Argento at the height of his powers, and contains some of the most eye-popping production design ever committed to celluloid. —D.G.
Director: Dario Argento
Cast: Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini, Flavio Bucci, Miguel Bosé, Barbara Magnolfi, Susanna Javicoli, Eva Axén, Alida Valli, Joan Bennett
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<em>Lake Mungo</em> (2008)
Given that everything natural on the continent is designed to kill you, Australia seems an ideal setting for a horror movie. But in the psychological horror film Lake Mungo, the fear isn't borne from external foes, but rather from the terror required to succumb to the depths of human feeling. Lake Mungo begins with the accidental drowning of 16-year-old Alice Palmer. Upon returning home, her brother Matthew believes he sees Alice's ghost, but further investigation from the Palmer family reveals that Alice was seeing premonitions of her death. Far from providing closure, the family begins to realize that the more they learn about Alice's personal life, the less they understand about what happened to her. Lake Mungo is, at its core, a horror movie about human behavior and navigating grief. Containing only one overtly scary scene, Lake Mungo is the perfect horror film for people who understand that the gore we internalize is often scarier. —D.G.
Where to watch Lake Mungo: Tubi
Director: Joel Anderson
Cast: Talia Zucker, Rosie Traynor, David Pledger
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<em>Audition</em> (1999)
From the same Japanese production company that made the 1998 film Ring and inspired the American remake, The Ring (2002), comes Audition. Released in 1999, just four years after dating apps started infiltrating the internet, Audition offers an alternative — but still terrifying — approach to meeting dating prospects. The film follows a widower who sets up a phony casting call in the hopes of meeting a new wife. But when the widower becomes infatuated with one of the women he auditions, he finds himself willing to overlook a number of red flags as he attempts to learn more about her. Directed by Takashi Miike, Audition is described as a "masterpiece" by filmmaker Quentin Tarantino. Clocking in at just under two hours, Audition uses barely-simmering tension to propel itself toward a finale that is torturous to watch (in the best way possible). —D.G.
Director: Takashi Miike
Cast: Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina
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<em>Dolls</em> (1987)
When Stuart Gordon (of Re-Animator glory) began production on his 1987 horror film Dolls, he had recently finished reading The Uses of Enchantment, whose thesis posits that fairy tales should be scary. It was through this lens that Gordon began building a horror film inspired, he told EW, by the classic story of Hansel and Gretel. Employing a thematic and moral framework that might prove familiar to fans of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Dolls kicks off during a thunderstorm as a motley crew of unfortunate souls seek shelter in a nearby mansion. Owned by an older couple who work as toymakers, the building is filled with beautiful dolls — that turn feral when provoked. With an aesthetic borrowed from a terrifying encounter Gordon experienced while locked in Wisconsin's Historical Society with a collection of Victorian figurines, Dolls is a fairy tale packed with explosive death scenes — and only a few happily ever afters. —D.G.
Director: Stuart Gordon
Cast: Stephen Lee, Guy Rolfe, Hilary Mason, Ian Patrick Williams, Carolyn Purdy-Gordon, Cassie Stuart, Bunty Bailey, Carrie Lorraine
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