3 top-tier horror movies you can stream for free on Plex — including Robert Eggers' gothic folk nightmare with 91% on Rotten Tomatoes
Spooky season is just around the corner, but finding great horror movies on the best free streaming services can sometimes feel like digging through a bargain bin of low-budget knockoffs. Every now and then, though, a platform quietly drops a lineup that rivals any paid subscription. Plex just did exactly that — adding three modern horror masterpieces guaranteed to keep you up at night, available to stream for free.
- "The Witch": Robert Eggers’ haunting 17th-century debut starring Anya Taylor-Joy that's a masterclass in folk horror and slow-burn dread.
- "Under the Skin": Jonathan Glazer’s deeply unsettling sci-fi horror starring Scarlett Johansson as an alien predator hunting John across Scotland.
- "Sinister": Scott Derrickson’s modern horror classic about disturbing Super 8 home footage that unlocks a family's worst nightmare.
Need to know more before you dedicate your precious streaming time? I get it. Here is why each of these critical darlings are worth your time. So grab some popcorn, dim the lights, and get ready to lose some sleep. Here is why these three horror film on Plex deserve a spot at the top of your watchlist.
'Sinister' (2012)
A decade before he terrified us as the Grabber in the phenomenal "The Black Phone," Ethan Hawke was having a horror protagonist moment in the early 2010s between "The Purge" and "Sinister." In the latter, he plays a struggling true-crime writer battling severe writer’s block who relocates with his family to a new house only to find a nightmare waiting for them.
While settling in, he stumbles on a box of old film reels hidden in the attic, strange home movies that he soon realizes depict a string of brutal murders that have gone unsolved for decades. Though horrified, Ellison becomes obsessed, convinced he may have found the key to his next bestselling novel. But as he digs deeper, forces beyond his understanding twist his psyche, and even after they flee their new home, he can't escape the evil that has its claws in his family.
Watch "Sinister" on Plex with ads now
'Under the Skin' (2013)
Based on Michel Faber’s 2000s novel of the same name, “Under the Skin” definitely leans more sci-fi thriller than traditional horror, but it has some genuinely unsettling scenes that have been seared into my memory. And I've seen a lot of horror movies over the years. Between its haunting visuals, Scarlett Johansson's impressive lead performance, and plenty of deeper layers to unravel, it's well worth a watch for any horror fan.
Johansson stars as an unnamed woman driving through Scotland, where she roams the countryside picking up unsuspecting men. Her intentions seem straightforward enough at first, but it quickly becomes clear that she's not looking for a good time. She’s actually an extraterrestrial in disguise, searching out prey with far more sinister motives than her victims could ever imagine.
Watch "Under the Skin" on Plex now
'The Witch' (2015)
Before Robert Eggers' "Werwulf" comes out this Christmas, you owe it to yourself to start the spooky season off right with the film that put him on the map: "The Witch." This 2015 chiller cemented the filmmaker as a talent to watch, a reputation he's only proven true in the years since. While its slow pacing and period-accurate speech might be a turn off for some folks, if you're willing to sit with it, I promise you "The Witch" is a horror film you won't soon forget.
Set in 17th-century New England, it centers on William (Ralph Ineson) and his family after they’re banished from their settlement and forced to start over on a remote farm bordering a forest. When their youngest son, Samuel, goes missing, suspicion falls on the eldest daughter, Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy). Along with the winter's cold, paranoia sets in, and William grows convinced that something evil is lurking in the woods — and that Thomasin may be to blame.
Watch "The Witch" on Plex with ads now
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