5 Free Horror Movies to Stream Tonight
If you’ve been craving a good scare but don’t feel like shelling out for another streaming subscription, I’ve got you. There are some absolute bangers you can stream completely for free right now, and I’ve rounded up five that are 100% worth your time.
Whether you’re flying solo or planning an impromptu watch party, these picks range from iconic slashers to bizarre horror comedies and everything in between. Grab your snacks, dim the lights, and let’s get into it.
1. Barbarian (2022)
Let’s kick things off with a heavy hitter. Barbarian was one of the most talked-about horror releases of 2022 — and for good reason. It’s dark, clever, unpredictable, and absolutely refuses to play by the rules. It starts off feeling like one thing and then flips the script on you more than once.
With director Zach Cregger’s next film Weapons headed to theaters this summer, now is a great time to revisit the movie that put him on the horror map. If you somehow haven’t seen it yet, don’t read too much about it — just press play. It’s better that way.
2. Hush (2016)
📺 Streaming on Tubi and Prime Video
If you’re in the mood for something stripped-down and incredibly tense, Hush delivers. It follows a Deaf writer living in seclusion who becomes the target of a masked intruder. What unfolds is a quiet, brutal game of cat-and-mouse, told through brilliant sound design and minimal dialogue.
Mike Flanagan directed this one (you know, the guy behind The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass), and his fingerprints are all over it. It’s intimate, unsettling, and a showcase of how powerful silence can be in horror when used right.
We covered it (again) in Episode 182.
3. Student Bodies (1981)
Now for something completely ridiculous. If you’re a fan of Scary Movie, this is the forgotten gem that walked so Ghostface could run. Student Bodies is one of the earliest slasher parodies — it came out in 1981, right when the genre was still finding its formula.
It pokes fun at every trope in the book: from horny teens and strange weapon choices to absurd kill counts and red herrings galore. It’s weird, it’s campy, and it’s the perfect palate cleanser if you need a break from more intense fare. Highly underrated and criminally underseen.
4. Prom Night (1980)
Let’s be honest — it’s not spring without a prom-themed slasher. Prom Night stars a post-Halloween, pre-Trading Places Jamie Lee Curtis as a high schooler dealing with teen drama, disco fever, and a masked killer out for revenge.
It’s definitely a slow burn, but it’s got charm, atmosphere, and some iconic dance moves (plus a glorious chase scene that feels like pure ‘80s magic). I like to watch it while pretending it’s set in an alternate timeline where Laurie Strode grew up and went to prom instead of fighting off Michael Myers.
We compared it to its 2008 remake in Episode 98.
5. Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II (1987)
This one is absolute chaos — in the best way. Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II ditches the first film’s tone entirely and dives headfirst into the supernatural. It’s got ghosts, possession, exploding lockers, and enough dream sequences to make Freddy Krueger proud.
It’s essentially Carrie meets A Nightmare on Elm Street, with a side of high school melodrama. While it has nothing to do with the original plot-wise, it still makes for an excellent prom-season double feature with the first Prom Night.
So… what’s your pick?
All five of these films are free to stream, so whether you’re in the mood for something nerve-wracking, nostalgic, or just plain weird, there’s no excuse not to fire one up tonight.
If you’ve already seen some of them, give them a rewatch. They’re the kind of movies that get better with repeat viewings, especially when you’re in on the twist, the satire, or the camp.
Let me know which one you end up watching — or which you think deserved a spot on this list.
Happy haunting.
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