As every new month brings an insane tidal wave of new additions to streaming libraries, it can be tough selecting the perfect watch. Even more so when it comes to Tubi, a streaming platform with a vast, overwhelming selection of titles that include everything from mainstream releases to obscure deep cuts once trapped on VHS.
Because the streaming service excels so well at this with a layout that isn’t always the easiest to navigate when hunting down rare titles or finding the best horror movies on Tubi, we’re here to help.
For February, we’re narrowing it down to twenty horror movies you should watch, from recent gems to required viewing from horror masters. More specifically, this list avoids too many of the obvious classics, like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (also streaming on Tubi), to instead offer a wider variety slightly off the beaten path.
Here are twenty of the best horror movies on Tubi to stream right now.
A Dark Song
Writer/Director Liam Gavin’s feature debut follows a woman determined to complete an 18-month magical ceremony to have her wish granted. Hidden motives and an arduous ritual pose a grave danger, though. Black magic and witchcraft are rarely, if ever, depicted like they are in A Dark Song. That alone makes it a breath of fresh air. But Gavin also demonstrates a knack for crafting an eerie atmosphere and spine-tingling moments of horror. It’s a suspenseful slow-burn with an ending that might prove polarizing, but the devil is in the details of this moody horror movie.
An American Werewolf in London
At the heart of this quintessential werewolf flick is a compelling romance between the eponymous American werewolf, David (David Naughton), and his sweet nurse, Alex (Jenny Agutter). Their whirlwind love story simultaneously charms and increases the stakes as David comes to terms with the monstrous beast he’s becoming. The higher the body count rises, the more David is forced to confront the growing darkness within him. It results in tragedy for the star-crossed lovers; this horror-comedy still has serious bite.
Banshee Chapter
Drawing inspiration from actual government hallucinogenic drug experiments and H.P. Lovecraft’s From Beyond, Blair Erickson’s feature debut is as creepy as mysterious and engaging. After her friend’s sudden disappearance, journalist Anne Roland (Katia Winter) discovers the strange and horrifying links between her friend, a government conspiracy involving a research drug, and an eerie radio broadcast of otherworldly origin. Look for The Silence of the Lambs’ Ted Levine to steal every scene he’s in, but more than that, be ready for some great scares.
Basket Case
Frank Henenlotter’s Basket Case is a comedic yet scary slice of low budget horror. Duane Bradley carries around a large, locked wicker basket in New York City, which contains his deformed Siamese twin Belial. The brothers are seeking revenge against the doctors that separated them against their will, but the only problem is that Duane might have also found love. The rage-filled Belial is having none of it, though, and his resentment toward his normal-looking brother grows. If this lo-fi, sometimes sleazy horror-comedy takes things too seriously for you, then check out the sequels, also on Tubi. Basket Case 2 and Basket Case 3 plunge further into wacky comedy territory as Belial transforms into a family man with mutant babies of his own.
The Beyond
One of Lucio Fulci’s most beloved horror films and the second entry in his unofficial “Gates of Hell” trilogy, The Beyond is also the director’s most influential. Set in Louisiana, a young woman inherits a hotel and discovers it was built over one of the gates to Hell. Bleak, surreal, and dreamlike in its storytelling, The Beyond toes the line between beauty and horror. Essentially, The Beyond is what happens when you cross Fulci with H.P. Lovecraft. The result is a foreboding, apocalyptic horror movie with a tangible sense of doom.
Dead & Buried
A sleepy seaside town has a dark secret in this horror movie by director Gary Sherman and Alien screenwriters Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett. After a series of grisly murders committed by large groups of townspeople against tourists, the bodies begin returning to life. As Sheriff Dan Gillis (James Farentino) races to uncover what’s happening and why, he starts to notice peculiar behavior from those around him, including his wife. Eerie and atmospheric, Dead & Buried bides its time unveiling the skeletons in this town’s closet, but when it does, it packs a visceral punch.
The Descent
One year after a tragic accident, Sarah sets off with her friends on a spelunking adventure. Too bad pal Juno leads the group into an uncharted cave system, which traps them due to a collapse. As if no hope of rescue isn’t bad enough, this cave system happens to be inhabited by man-eating creatures. The fight for survival has never been quite as primal and bloody as it is in Neil Marshall’s fantastic entry in the annals of claustrophobic horror. It’s intense, unnerving, and epic.
The Devil’s Rejects
Rob Zombie’s follow-up to House of 1000 Corpses dropped the vivid neon aesthetic for a far grimier, dustier ‘70s style sequel. The Firefly clan take their depravity on the road in their attempts to flee a vengeful Sheriff, resulting in a trail of bodies in their wake. The Firefly clan dish out as much visceral punishment as they receive, and then some, resulting in one of the most brutal modern exploitation movies to grace the mainstream.
Even the Wind is Afraid (Hasta El Viento Tiene Miedo)
Horror filmmaker Carlos Enrique Taboada (Poison for the Fairies) is regarded as a national talent in Mexican cinema and one of the most influential. Taboada’s eerie, gothic style of supernatural horror played a direct influence on Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth and The Devil’s Backbone. His 1967 supernatural film Even the Wind is Afraid is set at a boarding school haunted by nightmares and visions stemming from an urban legend of a hanged ghost. It marked Mexico’s first PG-13 equivalent horror film as well as it’s first color genre film, helping to further catapult this gem into cult status thanks to its atmospherics and enduring influence on horror.
Hellraiser
Clive Barker’s goopy, bloody classic is available to stream on Tubi along with multiple sequels, allowing for a Hellraiser marathon if you choose. But it’s hard to beat the original, which introduces one of horror’s greatest villains in Julia Cotton. One brief affair with Larry’s husband, Frank, shortly after her wedding day sparked an insane obsession that not even a grotesque resurrection can quell. Julia Cotton is ambitious, ruthless, and ice-cold. It’s a scary thought to be so flippant about assisting in the murder of multiple unsuspecting men, but it’s even scarier when it’s inspired by a skinless dead guy that somehow still stirs lust. Of course, it requires mentioning that the brief appearances by Pinhead (Doug Bradley) and his Cenobites instantly launched them into horror icon status.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
This update of the 1956 sci-fi film Invasion of the Body Snatchers is regarded as one of the best remakes, for good reason. Strange pods land on Earth, grow, and invade San Francisco. They take over humans while they’re asleep, creating emotionless duplicates to take over the world. It’s a story that should feel quite familiar at this point, considering it’s been remade so many times, but it’s hard to shake the imagery from this version. The cast is stacked here, too: Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Veronica Cartwright, Art Hindle, Leonard Nimoy, and Jeff Goldblum star.
Lake Mungo
A haunting portrayal of a family coping with loss after the drowning of 16-year-old Alice during a lake outing leads to some unexpected discoveries about the daughter and sister the family thought they knew. Handled mockumentary style, Lake Mungo uses interviews with the family to help piece together the puzzle of Alice’s secretive life after they suspect she’s haunting their home. It’s not the mockumentary format that makes this one unconventional, but the sharp twists throughout that cause you to question whether Alice is haunting the house or if the family is just haunted by grief. The ultimate answer will break your heart.
The Last House on the Left
Wes Craven came out swinging hard with his first feature film, a grimy shocker based on The Virgin Spring. Two teens head out into the city to attend a concert but wind up kidnapped and brutalized by escaped convicts instead. Things get even deadlier when the psychopaths cross paths with a vengeful mom and dad. It’s brutal, grim, and one hell of an entrance to the world of horror.
The Lighthouse
Thomas Howard (Robert Pattinson) and Thomas Wake (Willem Dafoe) are stationed on a rocky isle to man the lighthouse for a month. Their drastically different personalities cause them to clash constantly. Extreme isolation means things get weird quickly between them, escalating in a nightmarish fashion. Robert Eggers’ hallucinatory tale of two lighthouse keepers struggling to maintain a semblance of sanity during their stint on a remote, isolated New England Isle makes for one hell of a visual journey rife with dread, farts, and mermaids.
Mandy
Panos Cosmatos’s highly stylized, psychedelic revenge thriller delivers vibrant imagery and ultraviolence. It’s grounded by a fantastic cast bringing their A-game, including a raw performance by lead Nicolas Cage. Cage stars as Red Miller, who embarks on one gnarly, drug-fueled quest for vengeance when a cult disrupts his quiet existence with lover Mandy Bloom (Andrea Riseborough). Dropping with neon visuals, mesmerizing score by Johann Johannson, and heavy metal infused storytelling broken into chapters, Mandy is a face melter of the highest order.
Martin
If you’re looking to wade into the world of George A. Romero’s horror, start with Night of the Living Dead. Tubi offers no shortage of different cuts of his seminal zombie classic. But don’t stop there. Be sure to check out the underseen psychological horror movie creepfest, Martin. George A. Romero’s Martin centers on a young man who believes himself to be a vampire. Martin has no pointy fangs and isn’t susceptible to garlic or holy water; he simply wants to slice open his victims with a razor and drink. But it’s so much more skin-crawling than that description suggests. It’s also a bit of a streaming rarity, so don’t skip this one.
Martyrs
Pascal Laugier’s extreme French horror film is not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach but for those wanting to dive into the deep end of New French Extremity. Anna and Lucie’s journey is an uncomfortable descent into madness, from beginning to end. It’s made even more dizzying in that each new act marks a major shift in style, tone, and story. It plays like multiple movies in one, each one somehow much more primitive, bloodier, and extreme than the last. The gore offers no reprieve from the oppressively heavy mood, making for a discomforting watch you won’t forget.
Phantasm (Remastered)
A. Michael Baldwin as Mike Pearson in ‘Phantasm’ (1979)
Written, produced, and directed by Don Coscarelli, this DIY horror film is the very definition of a labor of love. Equal parts horror and sci-fi, and short on definitive answers, the story’s concept came to Coscarelli in a dream. Fitting, as the overall aesthetic feels like one fevered dream. With killer chrome orbs, the iconic Tall Man, and one sweet 1971 Plymouth Barracuda, it’s no wonder that Phantasm launched a franchise even as it defied easy categorization for its dream-like logic and storytelling.
Pulse
Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s supernatural chiller Pulse (Kairo) gives an eerie supernatural spin to the apocalypse. A heavily overcrowded afterlife caused the dead to spill over into the world of the living to a chilling effect. They invade like a viral infection via technology, plunging the globe into hopeless despair and death. Kurosawa spins this tale through two distinct halves, as different groups of characters discover that ghosts are invading through the internet. The more methodical pacing allows the sense of unease to unfurl slowly, eventually stripping away any semblance of hope through terrifying spectral encounters and devastating loss.
Suspiria
Jessica Harper stars as Suzy Bannion, an American newcomer at a prestigious dance academy in Germany who uncovers a supernatural conspiracy amid a series of grisly murders. Director Dario Argento borrowed from a lot of influences when crafting this gorgeous film, including Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Specifically, the vibrant technicolor process, though Argento also considered Suzy as his Snow White. That puts Suspiria into horror fairy tale territory. Either way, this stunner remains an all-time horror great for its visuals, earworm soundtrack, and supernatural terror that kicked off the Three Mothers trilogy.
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