***This is going to be a mid-monthly tradition now, I guess. At least until social distancing standards are completely abandoned. Maybe even after that. Some updates will be bigger than others – it all depends on what differences I can find. I've also added HBO Max selections this month.***
Are you self isolating? Are you thinking about broadening your cinematic horizons? Perhaps you’d like to learn about a specific genre? I’m here to help. Let's talk about some North American (as in the United States and Canada) horror and cult movie titles available to stream RIGHT NOW.
Netflix and Hulu fall short again and Amazon Prime and the various free streaming services available via Roku, Amazon Fire, Chromecast, et cetera, pick up the slack. I compared a bunch and, for the sake of simplicity, I found the best in terms of content and video quality to be Tubi, Midnight Pulp (a "+" will be included wherever subscription fees apply), VUDU’s free selections, The Roku Channel, Shout Factory TV (though most of their titles can also be watched via Amazon Prime), Popcorn Flix, Crackle, Dark Matter TV (again, a "+" will be included wherever subscription fees apply). And, of course, boutique pay services the Criterion Channel, Shudder, and Fandor do well. I've tried to break things down to the popular filmmakers and some underseen titles I'd love people to enjoy for all their quirk and unique beauty/ugliness.
Be warned – all of the free apps have ad breaks (I know, it sucks) and the video quality is inconsistent from app to app. Sometimes it's genuine HD, other times, it's sub-VHS. Apologies if I’ve suggested something with particularly grim A/V quality and be aware that the availability is based on the research I did on May 8, 2020. Given the nature of streaming media, I imagine very few of these titles will be available in perpetuity. I've included links to my own reviews of some of these films and be aware that, despite my classifications below, complete director filmographies are not currently available free/subscription streaming.
The Masters of Horror (so-called)
Clive Barker Movies
I know he’s British, shhhh...
Hellraiser (1987) – Amazon Prime, Shudder, and The Roku Channel
Hellbound: Hellraiser 2 (directed by Tony Randel, 1988) – HULU, Amazon Prime, Shudder, and The Roku Channel
Nightbreed (1990) – Amazon Prime and Shout Factory TV (director’s cut)
Candyman (directed by Bernard Rose, 1992) – Netflix
The Midnight Meat Train (directed by Ryûhei Kitamura, 2008) – Tubi
Book of Blood (directed by John Harrison, 2009) – Amazon Prime and Tubi
John Carpenter Horror Movies
Dark Star (1974) – Criterion Channel and Fandor
Halloween (1978) – Shudder and The Roku Channel
Escape from New York (1981) – Amazon Prime
Body Bags (with Tobe Hooper, 1993) – Amazon Prime, Shudder, The Roku Channel, VUDU Free, Shout Factory TV, and Popcorn Flix
In the Mouth of Madness (1994) – VUDU Free
Escape from L.A. (1996) – Amazon Prime and Tubi
The Ward (2010) – Amazon Prime
Larry Cohen Horror Movies (RIP)
God Told Me To (1974) – Criterion Channel and Shudder
Q: The Winged Serpent (1982) – Amazon Prime, Shout Factory TV, and Popcorn Flix
Special Effects (1984) – HBO Max
The Stuff (1985) – Amazon Prime and Tubi
Maniac Cop (directed by William Lustig, 1988) – Midnight Pulp
Maniac Cop 2 (directed by William Lustig, 1990) – Amazon Prime, VUDU Free, Tubi, and Popcorn Flix
Maniac Cop 3 (directed by William Lustig, 1992) – Amazon Prime, VUDU Free, Tubi, and Popcorn Flix
Body Snatchers (directed by Abel Ferrara, 1993) – VUDU Free
Don Coscarelli Horror Movies.
Phantasm (1979) – Amazon Prime, Shudder, VUDU Free, Crackle, and Tubi
Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead (1994) – Amazon Prime, Shudder, VUDU Free, Crackle, and Tubi
Phantasm: OvlIVion (1998) – Amazon Prime, Shudder, VUDU Free, Crackle, and Tubi
Phantasm: RaVager (directed by David Hartman, 2016) – Amazon Prime, Shudder and Tubi
Bubba Ho-Tep (2002) – VUDU Free
John Dies at the End (2012) – VUDU Free, The Roku Channel, and Tubi
BONUS: The Beastmaster (1982) – Amazon Prime
Wes Craven Horror Movies (RIP)
The Last House on the Left (1972) – Popcorn Flix
The Hills Have Eyes (1977) – Shudder
The Hills Have Eyes Part 2 (1984) – Amazon Prime and Shudder
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) – HBO Max
Invitation to Hell (1984) – Amazon Prime and VUDU Free
Chiller (1985) – Amazon Prime
Scream (1996) – Tubi
Scream 2 (1997) – Tubi
Scream 3 (2000) – Tubi
David Cronenberg Horror Movies
Shivers (aka: They Came From Within, 1975) – Popcorn Flix and Tubi
Rabid (1977) – Amazon Prime, Shout Factory TV, and Dark Matter TV
The Brood (1979) – Criterion Channel and HBO Max
Scanners (1981) – HBO Max
The Dead Zone (1983) – Amazon Prime
Dead Ringers (1988) – Amazon Prime, Popcorn Flix, and Shout Factory TV
Brian De Palma Horror Movies/Thrillers
Sisters (1972) – Criterion Channel and HBO Max
Obsession (1976) – Amazon Prime
Raising Cain (1992) – Netflix
Snake Eyes (1998) – HULU
Passion (2012) – Amazon Prime and VUDU Free
Stuart Gordon Movies (RIP)
Re-Animator (1985) – Shudder and Midnight Pulp+
Daughter of Darkness (1990) – Tubi
The Pit and the Pendulum (1991) – Tubi
Castle Freak (1995) – Shudder and Tubi
Dagon (2001) – Tubi
King of the Ants (2003) – Amazon Prime, VUDU Free, and Popcorn FX
Edmond (2005) – Amazon Prime, VUDU Free, and Tubi
Stuck (2007) – Shudder
BONUS: Bride of Re-Animator (Brian Yuzna, 1995) – Amazon Prime, Shudder, and Midnight Pulp+
Tobe Hooper Movies (RIP)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) – Shudder
Eaten Alive (aka: Slaughter Hotel; 1976) – Amazon Prime
Lifeforce (1985) – HBO Max
Invaders from Mars (1986) – Tubi
Body Bags (with John Carpenter, 1993) – Amazon Prime, Shudder, The Roku Channel, VUDU Free, Shout Factory TV, and Popcorn FX
The Mangler (1995) – VUDU Free
Sam Raimi Movies
The Evil Dead (1981) – Netflix
The Quick and the Dead (1995) – Crackle
The Gift (2000) – Amazon Prime and Popcorn FX
George A. Romero Movies (RIP)
Night of the Living Dead (1968) – Criterion Channel and HBO Max (best transfer), Amazon Prime, Shudder, VUDU Free, The Roku Channel, Midnight Pulp +, and Dark Matter TV
Season of the Witch (aka: Hungry Wives, 1972) – Amazon Prime, Shudder, and Midnight Pulp
The Crazies (1973) – Amazon Prime, VUDU Free, and Midnight Pulp
Knightriders (1981) – Amazon Prime, VUDU Free, The Roku Channel, Popcorn Flix, and Shout Factory TV (including commentary track version)
Day of the Dead (1985) – The Roku Channel, Popcorn Flix, and Tubi
Two Evil Eyes (Italian: Due occhi diabolici; co-directed with Dario Argento, 1990) – VUDU Free and Popcorn Flix
Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990) –Crackle
Bruiser (2000) – VUDU Free and Tubi
Survival of the Dead (2010) – Tubi
Vincent Price Movies
(I realize some of these are British-made)
The Baron of Arizona (1950) – Criterion Channel
House on Haunted Hill (William Castle, 1959) – Amazon Prime, Fandor, Dark Matter TV, and Midnight Pulp
The Tingler (William Castle, 1959) – Tubi and Popcorn Flix
Tales of Terror (1962) – Amazon Prime
The Comedy of Terrors (Jacques Tourneur, 1963) – Amazon Prime
Diary of a Madman (Reginald Le Borg, 1963) – Amazon Prime
The Last Man on Earth (Ubaldo Ragona and Sidney Salkow, 1964) – Amazon Prime, Fandor, Popcorn Flix, Midnight Pulp, and Dark Matter TV
Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs (Italian: Le spie vengono dal semifreddo; Mario Bava, 1966) – Amazon Prime
The Oblong Box (Gordon Hessler, 1969) – Amazon Prime
Cry of the Banshee (Gordon Hessler, 1970) – Amazon Prime
Theatre of Blood (Douglas Hickox, 1973) – The Roku Channel
Madhouse (Jim Clark, 1974) – Amazon Prime
The Monster Club (Roy Ward Baker, 1981) – Amazon Prime and Shout Factory TV
From a Whisper to a Scream (Jeff Burr, 1987) – Amazon Prime
Dead Heat (Mark Goldblatt, 1988) – Amazon Prime and Shudder
The Masters of Trash (so-dubbed by myself)
Al Adamson Movies
Psycho a Go-Go (1965) – Fandor
Brain of Blood (1971) – Amazon Prime
Herschell Gordon Lewis Movies
Blood Feast (1963) – Shudder, Criterion Channel, Fandor, and Midnight Pulp +
Two Thousand Maniacs (1964) – Criterion Channel
Moonshine Madness (1964) – Amazon Prime
Color Me Blood Red (1965) – Criterion Channel
The Gruesome Twosome (1967) – Criterion Channel
Blast-Off Girls (1967) – Amazon Prime
How to Make a Doll (1968) – Midnight Pulp
She-Devils on Wheels (1968) – Amazon Prime
The Wizard of Gore (1970) – Criterion Channel
The Gore Gore Girls (1972) – Criterion Channel
Frank Henenlotter Movies
Basket Case (1982) – Midnight Pulp +
Brain Damage (1988) – Shudder and Midnight Pulp
Ted V. Mikels Movies
The Astro-Zombies (1968) – Amazon Prime (Amazon Prime and Midnight Pulp also have the modern sequels)
The Corpse Grinders (1971) – Amazon Prime,Fandor, and Midnight Pulp
Blood Orgy of the She Devils (1973) – Fandor and Midnight Pulp +
The Doll Squad (1973) – Midnight Pulp +
10 Violent Women (1982) – Fandor
Angel of Vengeance (1987) – Amazon Prime
The Corpse Grinders II (2000) – Midnight Pulp
Cauldron: Baptism of Blood (2004) – Midnight Pulp
Andy Milligan Movies
The Body Beneath (1970) – Amazon Prime
Guru, the Mad Monk (1970) – Amazon Prime
Blood (1973) – Amazon Prime
Carnage (1986) – Amazon Prime
Must-See North American Underground Horror Classics
These are a series of relatively deep cuts that offer unique, sometimes surrealistic alternatives to the more popular American (and Canadian) horror movies of the ‘70s (and early ‘80s). I can’t guarantee everyone will like them, but, for better or worse, I think of them as vital pieces of Americana and, uh, Canadana(?).
Spider Baby (Jack Hill, 1967) – Amazon Prime, Fandor, Midnight Pulp, and Popcorn Flix
Let’s Scare Jessica to Death (John D. Hancock, 1971) – Popcorn Flix
Images (Robert Altman, 1972) – Amazon Prime, Shudder, and Midnight Pulp
Grave of the Vampire (John Hayes, 1972) – Amazon Prime and Midnight Pulp
Blacula (William Crain, 1972) and Scream Blacula Scream (Bob Kelljan, 1973) – Shudder (I'm not the biggest Blacula fan, but the sequel is fantastic)
Ganja & Hess (Bill Gunn, 1973) – Amazon Prime, Shudder, and Popcorn Flix
Messiah of Evil (Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, 1973) – Amazon Prime, Midnight Pulp, Dark Matter TV, and Popcorn Flix
The Baby (Ted Post, 1973) – Amazon Prime, Fandor, Shudder, and Midnight Pulp
Sugar Hill (Paul Maslansky, 1974) – Shudder
Deranged (Jeff Gillen & Alan Ormsby, 1974) – Amazon Prime
Deathdream (aka: Dead of Night; Bob Clark, 1974) – VUDU Free
Devil Times Five (aka: People Toys; Sean MacGregor, 1974) – Amazon Prime
Alice Sweet Alice (aka: Communion; Alfred Sole, 1976) – Amazon Prime, The Roku Channel, and Midnight Pulp +
The Witch Who Came from the Sea (Matt Cimber, 1976) – Amazon Prime and Midnight Pulp +
Cathy’s Curse (Eddy Matalon, 1977) – Popcorn Flix
Rituals (aka: The Creeper; Peter Carter, 1977) – Fandor and Midnight Pulp +
Death Bed: The Bed that Eats (George Barry, 1977) – Amazon Prime and Midnight Pulp
Tourist Trap (David Schmoeller, 1979) – Shudder and Tubi
Christmas Evil (Lewis Jackson, 1980) – Shudder, The Roku Channel, VUDU Plus, and Midnight Pulp
Franchise Horror
Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th (Sean Cunningham, 1980) – Amazon Prime and Crackle
Friday the 13th Part 2 (Steve Miner, 1981) – Amazon Prime and Crackle
Friday the 13th Part III (Steve Miner, 1982) – Amazon Prime, HULU, and Crackle
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (Joseph Zito, 1984) – Amazon Prime and HULU
Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (Danny Steinmann, 1985) – Amazon Prime and Crackle (remember to watch this one with Gabe and Patrick's commentary track)
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (Tom McLoughlin, 1986) – Amazon Prime and Crackle
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (John Carl Buechler, 1988) – Amazon Prime and Crackle
Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (Rob Hedden, 1989) – Amazon Prime and Crackle
Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (Adam Marcus, 1993) – HBO Max
Jason X (James Isaac, 2001) – HBO Max
Freddy vs. Jason (Ronny Yu, 2003) – HBO Max
Friday the 13th (Marcus Nispel, 2009) – HBO Max
A Nightmare on Elm Street
A Nightmare on Elm Street (Wes Craven, 1984) – HBO Max
A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge (Jack Sholder, 1985) – HBO Max
A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 3: Dream Warriors (Chuck Russell, 1987) – HBO Max
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (Renny Harlin, 1988) – HBO Max
A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (Stephen Hopkins, 1989) – HBO Max
Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (Rachel Talalay, 1991) – HBO Max
New Nightmare (Wes Craven, 1994) – HBO Max
Freddy vs. Jason (Ronny Yu, 2003) – HBO Max
A Nightmare on Elm Street (Samuel Bayer, 2010) – HBO Max
Halloween
Halloween (John Carpenter, 1978) – Shudder and The Roku Channel
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (Dwight H. Little, 1988) – Shudder
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (Dominique Othenin-Girard, 1989) – Shudder
Child's Play
Child's Play (Tom Holland, 1988) – Netflix, Amazon Prime, The Roku Channel, and VUDU Free
Child's Play 2 (John Lafia, 1990) – HBO Max
Cult of Chucky (Don Mancini, 2017) – Netflix
Child's Play (Lars Klevberg, 2019) – Amazon Prime and HULU
Final Destination
Final Destination (James Wong, 2000) – HULU and HBO Max
Final Destination 2 (David R. Ellis, 2003 – HULU and HBO Max
Final Destination 3 (James Wong, 2006) – HBO Max
The Final Destination (David R. Ellis, 2009) – HULU and HBO Max
Non-Franchise Slashers and Other Mad Killers
Invasion of the Blood Farmers (Ed Adlum, 1972) – Amazon Prime and Midnight Pulp +
Black Christmas (Bob Clark, 1974) – Shudder, VUDU Free, The Roku Channel, Shout Factory TV, and Popcorn Flix
Drive-In Massacre (Stu Segall, 1976) – Amazon Prime and Midnight Pulp +
Savage Weekend (David Paulsen 1979) – Amazon Prime
Driller Killer (Abel Ferrara, 1979) – Amazon Prime, The Roku Channel, and Midnight Pulp +
Maniac (Bill Lustig, 1980) – Shudder, Amazon Prime, and VUDU Free
Prom Night (Paul Lynch, 1980) – Shudder, VUDU Free, Popcorn Flix, and Crackle
Terror Train (Roger Spottiswoode, 1980) – Amazon Prime
Madman (Joe Giannone, 1981) – Amazon Prime, Shudder, and The Roku Channel
Bloody Birthday (Ed Hunt, 1981) – Shudder and Midnight Pulp
The Dorm that Dripped Blood (Stephen Carpenter and Jeffrey Obrow, 1982) – Midnight Pulp
Sleepaway Camp (Robert Hiltzik, 1983) – The Roku Channel, VUDU Free, and Shout Factory TV
Slumber Party Massacre (Amy Holden Jones, 1983) – Amazon Prime, Shudder, Shout Factory TV, and Popcorn Flix
The Final Terror (Andrew Davis, 1983) –– Amazon Prime, Shout Factory TV, and Popcorn Flix
Curtains (Richard Ciupka, 1983) – Amazon Prime and VUDU Free
The Mutilator (Buddy Cooper, 1984) – Amazon Prime and Shudder
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (John McNaughton, 1986) – Shudder
Sorority House Massacre (Carol Frank, 1986) – Amazon Prime and Shout Factory TV
Blood Rage (John Grissmer, 1987) – Amazon Prime and Shudder
Doom Asylum (Richard Friedman, 1987) – Midnight Pulp
Slaughterhouse (Rick Roessler, 1987) – Amazon Prime and VUDU Free
Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II (Bruce Pittman, 1987) – Amazon Prime, Shudder, VUDU Free, Crackle, and Popcorn Flix
Slumber Party Massacre II (Deborah Brock, 1987) – Amazon Prime, Shudder, and Shout Factory TV
Jack's Back (Rowdy Herrington, 1988) – Amazon Prime and Shout Factory TV
White of the Eye (Donald Cammell, 1988) – Amazon Prime and Shout Factory TV
Intruder (Scott Spiegel, 1989) – Midnight Pulp and Tubi
Underseen (?) American Creature Features
Squirm (Jeff Lieberman, 1976) – Midnight Pulp (worms)
Shriek of the Mutilated (Michael Findlay, 1974) – Amazon Prime and Popcorn Flix (yeti)
Track of the Moon Beast (Richard Ashe, 1976) – Amazon Prime and Dark Matter TV (lizard man)
The Incredible Melting Man (William Sachs, 1977) – Amazon Prime (melting man, naturally)
Slithis (aka: Spawn of the Slithis; Stephen Traxler, 1978) – Amazon Prime, Shout Factory TV, and Popcorn Flix
Night of the Demon (James C. Wasson, 1980) – Amazon Prime (penis-tearing Bigfoot)
Rana: The Legend of Shadow Lake (Bill Rebane, 1981) – Amazon Prime (WARNING: this killer frog movie is quite, quite terrible)
The Slayer (J.S. Cardone, 1982) – Midnight Pulp (dream monster)
Nightbeast (Don Dohler, 1982) – Amazon Prime (janky alien)
The Being (Jackie Kong, 1983) – Amazon Prime (toxic waste monster)
Neon Maniacs (Joseph Mangine, 1986) – Amazon Prime and Shout Factory TV (mutants)
The Nest (Terence H. Winkless, 1988) – Amazon Prime (giant cockroaches)
The Terror Within (Thierry Notz, 1989) – Amazon Prime (mutant creature)
Shakma (Hugh Parks, 1990) – Amazon Prime, Shout Factory TV, and Popcorn Flix (baboon)
Project: Metalbeast (Alessandro De Gaetano, 1995) – Amazon Prime (seriously if you only watch one movie on this list, watch this one, it’s about a genetically engineered, bulletproof werewolf)
Beneath (Larry Fessenden, 2013) – Amazon Prime (giant lake fish)