There are a number of channels on YouTube that have licensed a combination of established and recently released copyrighted films, legally providing subscribers with the ability to watch a magnitude of horror content predominantly live on the platform. With hundreds of free films available for the consumption of viewing purposes, the multi-billion dollar business’ ability to offer free content derives from existing partnerships with acclaimed Hollywood studios.

Reinventing themselves after a previous long-term fracture with film production companies, YouTube has shifted the narrative from being viewed as a competitor profiting off of unauthorized clips, to partnering with fellow media conglomerates, offering a wide range of projects under a heavily negotiable third party alliance.

Back in 2010, YouTube first introduced its online service to only rent films, but since then, the corporation has diversified their range of services, unveiling their “free with ads” option to become a major player in the streaming and distribution market long-term. While some other streaming services offer this, such as Tubi and Pluto, nothing has name recognition like YouTube. Growing increasingly over the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic, their popularity has become significantly high among 18 to 29-year-olds, as nearly 95% of them report that they use YouTube’s service regularly. Let’s look at some of the most eccentric and eerie films in the horror genre, movies free to watch on YouTube’s streaming service.

This article was updated by Dara Drapkin-Grossi on October 2, 2022. If you are a fan of horror movies, you are in luck as this article has been recently updated.

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7 Halloween H20: 20 Years Later

     Dimension Films

Halloween H20: 20 Years Later took place 20 years after the original massacre that ensued on Halloween night. The film saw the return of Laurie Strode, reprised by Jamie Lee Curtis, and shows that Laurie now lives under a new identity. The events of Halloween H20 sit closely with what the plot of Blumhouse’s Halloween 2018 intended to follow, only in Steve Miner’s version, Laurie seems to be living a much more productive life. Halloween 2018 is much more well regarded than 1998’s seventh installment to the franchise. H20’s timing of being on YouTube corresponds perfectly for any Michael Myers fans looking to do a complete re-watch before the release of Halloween Ends, the supposed last of the franchise where Laurie and Michael will battle it out one last time.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

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6 Poltergeist

     MGM

Poltergeist easily stands among the greatest ghost films in the horror genre. The film’s commentary on American capitalism and the nuances of cookie-cutter suburbia serve as the backdrop for a classic retelling of a family being haunted. Yet, one of the most alluring attributes that Poltergeist offers viewers, is the overall likability of the Freeling family as a whole, and it is easy to back their decisions on how they are dealing with the disappearance of their daughter Carol Anne (played by Heather O’Rourke). Poltergeist stands among one of the many films that is believed to be cursed, being that a handful of the cast members from both the original and sequel met tragic endings.

5 The Mimic

     Next Entertainment World

Note to everyone: never take in a stray animal, and definitely never allow another person to live in your home without understanding a significant amount of their backstory. The Mimic masters a sense of alertness and paranoia, as parents of a missing child, Hee-yeon (Yum Jung-ah) and Min-ho (Park Hyuk-kwon), decide to take in a lost girl whom Hee-yeon finds in the woods (mistake number one). She later finds that the young girl may not be human, questioning the sort of presence that has been released in the couple’s lives. It’s a creepy and tense horror that will make put you on guard.

4 Threads

     BBC

Any movie related to apocalyptic events have a kind of morbid curiosity to them, especially in the midst of world chaos and uncertainty. In Threads, partners Ruth (Karen Meagher) and Jimmy (Reece Dinsdale) have marriage plans and are preparing for the arrival of their baby when their lives in England become threatened after the Soviet Union and United States go to war (something unsettlingly prescient with Ukrainian events this year). Once a nuclear attack destroys a NATO base 20 miles from their town, the country goes into mass mayhem. As the violence spreads through the region, Ruth and Jimmy become separated as Ruth fights to survive on her own.

3 The Black Hole

     Art Port

Instead of having the urgency to participate in time travel and space visits, how about first dealing with the numerous problems here on earth? Nonetheless, the 2006 film The Black Hole is a cool little exploration of some dark and mysterious things. The film uses the real-life story of CERN’s particle accelerator and its search for the Higgs boson (or ‘God particle’), except in this sci-fi horror scenario from Tibor Takacs (who was behind the underrated horror film The Gate), something terrible happens. A black hole is created in the particle accelerator, and a monstrous creature emerges. Judd Nelson plays a nuclear physicist and Kristy Swanson his partner in this sometimes silly but actually pretty cool little sci-fi horror gem.

2 The Last Exorcism

     Lionsgate

Found-footage horror is extremely popular, and The Last Exorcism is a great example. Two filmmakers follow cleric Cotton Marcus (Patrick Fabian) as he conducts exorcisms, attempting to delegitimize its efficiencies. After years of performing them, Cotton decides to participate in this documentary chronicling his last exorcism. Once at the secluded Louisiana farm of devout Louis Sweetzer, Marcus must perform the religious ritual on Sweetzer’s daughter, Nell, who is believed to be possessed. After his initial tactics fail, Marcus quickly realizes that he has come face to face with the devil and will have to summon all his spiritual faith in order to protect Nell, the others, and himself from the demonic powers at play. Where is Peter Popoff’s Miracle Spring Water when you need it? It’s a genuinely surprising and scary movie.

1 Paranormal Activity

     Blumhouse Productions

Another found-footage film, Paranormal Activity arguably kicked off the second wave of good ones after years of bad attempts at Blair Witch Project magic. This low-budget little scary movie will leave any viewer afraid of the dark; that, and of Sony hand-held recorders. After moving into their suburban tract home, Katie (Katie Featherston) and Micah (Micah Sloat) become petrified by what appears to be a supernatural presence. With hopes of capturing video evidence, they install video cameras in the house but cannot fathom how out of control the demonic activity is, which grows rapidly. Produced for just $15,000, Paranormal Activity went on to gross nearly $200 million (not mention profits from the many sequels and remakes), making it one of the most profitable returns on investment in cinematic history. As a suggestion, before moving in with a romantic partner or anyone for that matter, try visiting a psychic first.