As a film critic and horror fanatic, I feel as though I have seen it all, which makes it hard to just chill on a Friday night with a good flick. Luckily for me, we have come a long way from the VHS and Blockbuster Video and options seem to abound through websites, on demand, and now apps on the top sets like the Roku. I thought it would be fun to share with The Critic’s Den fans where I go to find some great horror, from the ridiculous and obscure to classics, and even some newer stuff. The best part is, all of these apps are free to use.
Crackle
I feel like Crackle is a hidden gem when it comes to content providers. Not only do they have a large selection of completely free movies, but they have a lot of original content, too. Some of their original content even falls under horror like the Dead Rising series. I am always surprised at the quality of movies that they have on Crackle, but I guess it only makes sense since the app is backed by Sony. Content changes monthly and you are sure to be able to find at least one movie that you want to watch or re-watch.
TubiTV
I swear this is not a paid advertisement for TubiTV, but I love this app. It is entirely free, completely legal, and even better than Netflix in some ways. TubiTV has some amazing classics available to re-watch along with some hidden gems you may have never heard of. They even have a healthy amount of foreign horror films that may open up entirely new realms for the casual horror fan. You do have to put up with commercials, but it is a small price to pay for such a huge selection.
Midnight Pulp
Midnight Pulp is an app for the Roku that has a nice mixture of movies for the horror connoisseur. As the name would suggest, you will find a lot of grind house stuff here mixed with some classic horror and a lot of foreign films. If you are looking for newer or higher quality horror, this is probably not the app for you, but it is still fun to poke around in every once in a while.
Fright Pix
If you are looking for an app that is all horror all the time, I would have to suggest Fright Pix. This app has a great selection of horror ranging from old classics to some surprisingly newer stuff. Their selections rotate fairly frequently, and there is always something different to discover. The app is ad supported, but that allows it to stay free and offer such a wide selection. If you could choose only one horror app for Roku, I would have to suggest this one.
Pluto TV
Pluto TV is a diamond in the rough that not a lot of people know about. It is unlike any other app that you have seen on the Roku and functions like your regular cable service. The catch is that Pluto TV does not have standard channels, but rather channels that they have created. The good thing about that is that they have multiple channels where you can go to get your horror fix. I like popping in every once in a while, just to see what’s playing. Pluto also has the added benefit of having hundreds of other channels if you are not in the mood for horror for some insane reason. You can even get local channels for free on Pluto, which is just one more reason why this app is so great.
There are so many horror movies available through these apps that you won’t ever have to get out of bed again; though we don’t suggest that. Most of them are ad supported, but it is a small price to pay for such a huge, free selection. My household is a Roku house, so that is the only over the top operating system that I can speak for, but I do know that most of these apps are available on other systems like Amazon Fire and PlayStation.