The weather is turning, the leaves are falling, and spooky decorations are being placed around the neighborhood. This means one thing and one thing only: it’s finally Halloween season! After what seems like an eternity, the spooky season is finally here once again, and what better way to celebrate and prepare for all those trick-or-treaters than by an epic horror movie marathon.
As part of CinemaBlend’s ongoing partnership with Plex, we have compiled a list of a dozen horror movies that are streaming for free, including the 2012 anthology film V/H/S. Each of these movies come as part of Plex’s Cheap Thrills and Sugar and Fright collections, which offer all kinds of titles ranging from thrillers to campy horror flicks worth checking out.
V/H/S (2012)
In 2012, movie producer Brad Miska came up with the idea of creating a found footage horror anthology film consisting of shorts written and directed by some of the day’s most promising up-and-coming filmmakers. The result was V/H/S, which follows a group of hooligans as they record themselves breaking into an abandoned house to steal an old VHS tape. Upon entering the home, the group stumbles across a series of mysterious videotapes and decide to give them a watch.
What follows is a series of shorts written and directed by Godzilla vs. Kong director Adam Wingard, the Hellraiser remake’s David Bruckner, X director Ti West, Glenn McQuaid, Joe Swanberg, and Scream (2022) directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett.
Children Of The Corn (1984)
There is a seemingly endless list of Stephen King adaptations that every horror fan should watch, and among them is Fritz Kiersch’s 1984 cult classic Children of the Corn. Sure, it’s not as well-received as other King movies like The Shawshank Redemption, Misery, and The Shining, but it’s definitely worth a watch.
The movie follows a young doctor named Burt Stanton (Peter Horton) and his girlfriend Vicky Baxter (Linda Hamilton) as they become trapped in the small Midwestern town of Gatlin, Nebraska, on a cross-country trip, and find themselves facing off against a mysterious cult of children led by the sinister Isaac (John Franklin) and Malachai (Courtney Gains). Surrounded by corn and mysterious happenings, the couple is in the fight of their lives.
Watch Children of the Corn on Plex.
Night Of The Living Dead (1968)
Next is George A. Romero’s 1968 classic Night of the Living Dead. After she and her brother are attacked by a ghoul in a rural Pennsylvania cemetery, Barbara (Judith O’Dea) takes refuge in an old farmhouse with several other survivors, including Ben (Duane Jones) and Harry Cooper (Karl Hardman). But as the swarms of undead try to get inside the home, it’s those inside who may pose the biggest threat.
There’s never a bad time to watch how Romero changed the horror world with his influential black-and-white horror film, but it’s definitely worth giving another spin during Halloween.
Watch Night of the Living Dead on Plex.
The ABCs Of Death
The 2012 comedy horror anthology film The ABCs of Death, is similar to V/H/S in the sense that it includes various short films created by filmmakers who were on the rise at the time. But unlike V/H/S, which features a handful of shorts, this collection is made up of 26 (hence the name).
Each of the 26 films in the collection focus on a letter of the alphabet, and include titles like A is for Apocalypse from Nacho Vigaldo, M is for Miscarriage by Ti West, U is for Unearthed by Ben Wheatley, and so forth. Each chapter is short and varied in the respective director’s approach, creating a varied and enjoyable experience.
Watch The ABCs Of Death on Plex.
Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever
After making a name for himself as one of the most promising young horror directors with The House of the Devil, Ti West released Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever, a sequel to the 2002 horror comedy Cabin Fever. The movie centers around a group of high school students who become infected by a flesh-eating virus that has come to crash the upcoming prom. Similar to its predecessor, Spring Fever is gory, violent, and extremely offbeat.
For those who discovered Ti West through his more modern work like X and Pearl, this oft-forgotten horror gem is a must-watch.
Watch Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever on Plex.
Killer Klowns From Outer Space (1988)
With its over-the-top antagonists, cotton candy cocoons, and guns that spray popcorn, it's no surprise that Stephen Chiodo’s 1988 science fiction horror film Killer Klowns from Outer Space has become a camp classic in the 34 years since its first release. The basic premise of the film is that a pair of teenagers investigate a comet that came crashing down only to find murderous aliens who have taken on the appearance of circus clowns.
What follows is one of the more ridiculous horror movies on Plex but also one of the most fun. It’s incredibly silly and nonsensical, but it’s something you just have to see. Where else are you going to see alien clowns hunting human victims with a dog made from balloons?
Watch Killer Klowns From Outer Space on Plex.
Phantasm (1979)
Don Coscarelli’s 1979 fantasy horror film Phantasm is a staple of the genre and one of the more unsettling and unnerving movies you’ll see on Plex. After his parents and other members of his small community die under bizarre circumstances, a young boy named Mike Pearson (Michael Baldwin) and his older brother Jody (Bill Thornbury) team up to investigate the occurrences. This leads them to discovering that the local undertaker, known as the Tall Man (Angus Scrimm), could have something to do with it all.
There are few horror movie villains as terrifying as the Tall Man, with his cold demeanor, steadfast walk, and those iconic and nightmarish spheres that do his dirty work.
Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer (1986)
Michael Rooker has a long history in the horror and thriller genre, having landed prominent roles in movies like The Bone Collector, Slither, and The Walking Dead, and it all started with John McNaughton’s 1986 crime film Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. Loosely based on the exploits of convicted killer Henry Lee Lucas, this psychological thriller follows Rooker’s Henry as he is released from prison only to hit the streets and start killing once again.
One of Rooker’s finest performances to date, his take on the character is both frightening and entertaining as the actor explores the mind, impulses, and crimes of a sadistic killer.
Watch Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer on Plex.
Train To Busan (2016)
Yeon Sang-ho’s 2016 zombie thriller Train to Busan is an incredibly exciting, visceral, and surprisingly emotional story of survival and redemption in the face of death. When work-focused father Seok Woo (Gong Yoo) gets aboard a speed train from Seoul to Busan to take his daughter to her mother’s home, he has no idea they will soon have to go up against the army of the dead.
There is no denying that Train to Busan is one of the best additions to the zombie genre in some time as it finds the perfect balance between heart-stopping action and heartbreaking drama, especially as it tackles topics like parenthood, redemption, and survival.
High Tension (2003)
Before making movies like Crawl, Piranha 3D, and even the 2006 remake of The Hills Have Eyes, Alexandre Aja rose to prominence with his frightening and traumatizing 2003 slasher High Tension. The movie follows two best friends — Marie (Cécile de France) and Alexia (Maïwenn) — as they spend a quiet weekend away in the countryside, but the getaway ends up being anything but peaceful for the pair.
When the young women and other inhabitants of the secluded farmhouse become victims of a psychotic stranger, they find themselves in a life-and-death battle of the wills where no one and nothing can really be trusted.
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)
Ana Lily Amirpour’s 2014 black-and-white horror film A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night tells the story of a lonely man named Arash (Arash Marandi) who befriends a mysterious woman (Sheila Vand) who just so happens to be bloodthirsty vampire who feeds on random pedestrians in their Iranian city in the dark of night.
Following a series of unfortunate events and mysterious deaths, the pair form a close bond which causes the vampire, known as The Girl, to become conflicted and torn between love and survival.
Watch A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night on Plex.
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1956)
When all of his patients come in with the same complaint — a family member has been replaced with an identical yet emotionless imposter — Dr. Miles Bennell (Kevin McCarthy) attempts to get to the bottom of the mysterious circumstances in Santa Mira, California. Little does he know, but the doctor is about to make an incredibly dangerous discovery in the quiet town he calls home.
Don Siegel’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers, which was based on Jack Finney’s novel The Body Snatchers, has gone down as one the most memorable and influential horror movies of all time, and has been adapted several times over the years, including the 1978 film of the same name starring Donald Sutherland and Jeff Goldblum.
Watch Invasion of the Body Snatchers on Plex.
These are just a dozen of the selection of horror movies on Plex that are streaming for free throughout the Halloween season, and there are dozens upon dozens of other films in the Cheap Thrills and Sugar and Fright collections worth checking out.
