If you haven’t yet checked out the best free streaming services, I implore you to do so. Sure, the likes of Netflix, Prime Video, and Max get new movies before the likes of Tubi and Pluto TV, but the latter platforms are equally well-stocked (if not more so) when it comes to already-released movies to enjoy.
Last week’s roundup of the best free movies to stream included Past Lives, There Will Be Blood, and Battle Royale, and this week’s selection is similarly eye-catching. Below, I’ve highlighted five of the best free movies to stream on Tubi, Pluto TV, Amazon Freevee, and other free streaming services in October.
Coraline (Tubi)
Release date: February 2009
RT Score: 91%
Length: 100 minutes
Director: Henry Selick
Main cast: Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French
Has any ‘kids’ movie terrified children (and adults) quite as much as Coraline? Henry Selick’s stop-motion adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s celebrated novella bowled over critics and audiences upon its release in 2009, and having appeared on many of the best streaming services at various points over the last decade, it’s now streaming for free on Tubi.
Coraline tells the twisted story of a curious 11-year-old (Dakota Fanning) who discovers an alternate universe behind a secret door in her new home. All seems well, until a dark and sinister force begins to rear its ugly head. Teri Hatcher, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, and Ian McShane lend their voice talents to this must-see animation.
Blue Valentine (Plex)
Release date: January 2010
RT Score: 86%
Length: 112 minutes
Director: Derek Cianfrance
Main cast: Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, Faith Wladyka, John Doman
In the mood for a good cry this week? Look no further than Derek Cianfrance’s Blue Valentine, which is now streaming for free on Plex.
Starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, this teary two-hander – best described as The Notebook for grown-ups – chronicles the deteriorating relationship of a married couple, jumping back and forth in time between their initial meeting and the dissolution of their marriage. Both Gosling and Williams received various acting nods for their performances in Blue Valentine, so it’s definitely worth a watch if you haven’t seen it already.
L.A. Confidential (Plex)
Release date: May 1997
RT Score: 99%
Length: 138 minutes
Director: Curtis Hanson
Main cast: Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kim Basinger
One of the most underrated detective movies of the 1990s, L.A. Confidential is now streaming for free on Plex.
Based on James Ellroy's 1990 novel of the same name, this star-studded neo-noir film follows a group of LAPD officers – played by Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, and Guy Pearce – whose investigation into a series of homicides in 1953 reveals (surprise!) corruption in their own department. A classic 1990s thriller for police procedural fans.
Terrifier (Pluto TV, Tubi)
Release date: October 2016
RT Score: 58%
Length: 85 minutes
Director: Damien Leone
Main cast: Jenna Kanell, Samantha Scaffidi, David Howard Thornton, Catherine Corcoran
Just in time for the arrival of Terrifier 3 in theaters, Damien Leone’s original Terrifier movie is now streaming for free on Pluto TV and Tubi.
Made on a shoestring budget of just $50,000 in 2016, this so-bad-it’s-good slasher movie centers on a pair of Halloween partygoers, Tara (Jenna Kanell) and Victoria (Samantha Scaffidi), who become the target of an enigmatic (read: terrifying) serial killer known as Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton). A word of warning: don’t watch this one with the kids.
Arrival (Amazon Freevee – leaving soon)
Release date: September 2016
RT Score: 94%
Length: 116 minutes
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Main cast: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker, Michael Stuhlbarg
Before wowing critics with Blade Runner: 2049 and his two recent Dune movies, acclaimed director Denis Villeneuve waded into the sci-fi genre with Arrival, which is leaving Amazon Freevee soon.
Based on a 1998 short story by Ted Chiang, this complex drama follows the efforts of a talented linguist (Amy Adams) to communicate with extraterrestrials in a bid to avoid interspecies war. Much of Arrival takes place in one location – it’s a thoughtful film, rather than a conventional alien invasion flick – but it’s nonetheless one of the most compelling movies in the modern sci-fi genre. Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker, and Michael Stuhlbarg also star.
For more free streaming coverage, read our roundups of the five movies with over 90% on Rotten Tomatoes on Plex, the five movies with over 90% on Rotten Tomatoes on Pluto TV and the three movies on Amazon Freevee with over 80% on Rotten Tomatoes.
