3 underrated horror movies to stream free on Plex right now — no subscription needed
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Alyse Stanley is a news editor at Tom’s Guide, overseeing weekend coverage and writing about the latest in tech, gaming, and entertainment. Before Tom’s Guide, Alyse worked as an editor for the Washington Post’s sunsetted video game section, Launcher, where she also wrote about indie games you shouldn’t miss, how to tackle your gaming backlog, and all things Nintendo. She previously led Gizmodo’s weekend news desk covering breaking tech news and has written game reviews and features for outlets like Polygon, Unwinnable, and Rock, Paper, Shotgun. A recent Chicago-area transplant born and raised in Virginia, Alyse is a big fan of horror movies, cartoons, and roller skating. She's also a puzzle fan and can often be found contributing to the NYT Connections coverage on Tom's Guide
You don't need to add another streaming subscription service to your monthly budget to get your horror fix this spooky season. Plex has a surprisingly solid lineup of free movies, including a few chilling gems added this month that deserve way more attention than they got. And I say that as a huge fan of the genre who's seen tons of horror movies over the years.
Whether you're in the mood for supernatural scares, deeply unsettling folk horror or a brutal slasher, I've picked out three underrated horror movies you can stream on Plex right now without paying a dime.
From the nightmarish twists of "Talk to Me" to the sun-drenched dread of "Midsommar" and Rob Zombie's peak aughts vibes in his divisive 2007 "Halloween" remake, these horror movies deserve a spot on your watchlist — just don't blame us when you have to sleep with the lights on.
"Talk to Me's" haunting mother-daughter story hit me at exactly the right time; after wowing audiences in Australia, it landed in theaters stateside in 2023 just a few months after my mom passed away. It follows a group of friends who play a "Bloody Mary" style party game with an embalmed hand, only to discover it's actually a ritual for summoning spirits. As hokey as I found the premise at first, "Talk to Me" ended up being one of the best horror movies I'd seen in years — something its 94% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes speaks to.
At first, the friends are thrilled to let spirits temporarily possess their bodies, treating it like a game. That is, until Mia (Sophie Wilde), a teenager still grieving the death of her mom, accidentally takes things too far and unleashes something far more sinister. With the boundary between the living and the dead wearing thin, their reality unravels into a waking nightmare as Mia and co. scramble to make things right.
Watch "Talk to Me" free on Plex now
Have I already plugged Ari Aster's phenomenal "Midsommar" multiple times in this month's column of free movies to stream? You bet your ass. And I shall continue to yap about how good it is — at least until spooky season is over. One of my all-time favorite horror movies, "Midsommar" is a disturbing descent into the dangers of groupthink that can lead desperate folks to leave their humanity behind. Aster dramatically breaks away from the usual horror aesthetic, setting the bulk of the movie in a picturesque meadow under the bright Swedish summer sun.
Florence Pugh stuns as a final girl for the history books: Dani, a grieving American student who tags along on a trip to a remote Swedish village with her boyfriend and his friends to experience a once-in-a-lifetime midsummer festival. At first, the community seems welcoming, and its unusual traditions intrigue more than terrify. But as the festivities continue, things take a bloody turn, and members of the group begin disappearing. I joke that this is the perfect girls' night horror movie, though if gore isn't your thing (it really ain't mine either; I just keep my eyes closed for those parts), you may want to skip this one.
Watch "Midsommar" on Plex free now
I'm not a die-hard "Halloween" fan by any means, which may explain why I have a soft spot for Rob Zombie's ill-judged remake just as much as I do for John Carpenter's original 1978 masterpiece. I have a lot of nostalgia for slasher movies in their messiest era , and I think Zombie’s more reflective take on Michael Myers is far more interesting than it gets credit for. The 2007 "Halloween" remake fleshes out the killer with a moody backstory that's peak aughts, showing a young Michael (Daeg Faerch) neglected and bullied as his mother Deborah (Sheri Moon Zombie) struggles to protect him.
One Halloween night, Michael finally snaps, leaving his family shattered while he's carted off to a psych ward. Under the care of Dr. Samuel Loomis (Malcolm McDowell), Michael retreats into an unsettling silence over the years. Seventeen years later, the grown Michael (Tyler Mane) escapes and stalks through his hometown in search of his baby sister, who was adopted and raised as Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton). As Michael carves another bloody path on Halloween night, Loomis races to track down his former patient before Laurie and her friends become his next victims.
Watch "Rob Zombie's Halloween" free on Plex now