Ya know, I have to admit that I was very, very late to the Tubi game but man alive, I am all in now. Tubi, for those who may not know is a free streaming service (owned by a bigger entity, thus allowing them to exist) that allows you to stream movies for free. We have an app on our television that lets us get it but there’s a website as well and it’s free. FREE! I signed up for an account so I can pop movies into a que but that’s it. Now, these are not the best movies necessarily and they are not the best versions of these films – some look really good, some look like a VHS rip – but man alive, the sheer volume of stuff is impressive.
I have spent the last few hours going through their horror section and it is DAUNTING. I have been looking for found footage films that my wife and I haven’t seen, and it reminds me SO much of going through a mom and pop or non-chain video store of the past and seeing the random and utterly weird stuff they’d have there.
Stuff well off the beaten path, as well as ‘R’ rated cuts of international films. It reminds me of a simpler time where deciding what movie to watch was the biggest decision I had to make of the day.
If you have the time and are into horror then it’s worth a little time to go through the movies they have because it’s a LOT. From DIY shot on film stuff to legendary films to the stuff in between. Looking through there reminded me of stuff I hadn’t thought about for ages. It’s sort of like wandering the library stacks and just looking at ALL of the books that are there. There is so much. And most of it you won’t care about but there’s SO MUCH CONTENT here and it’s free.
Phew.
I decided to put together a small list of some of the movies that are not as well known or remembered these days but which I think are worth a look. These are just a FEW of the movies that are worth seeing on there, but it’s a start. And for found footage fans there is a LOT of content. Not much is great but there’s some really solid stuff. Just know that if you are looking at some of the international stuff – SUSPIRIA, THE BEYOND, the cannibal films – you will wanna double check to see if those are the uncut versions. Like, they have THE GRIM REAPER, which is a fine, weird, gross movie but only if you see the ANTHROPOPHAGUS cut. So, be warned.
And I am sure if I went through all the categories I’d find all manner of weirdo delights but I figured horror was more my speed.
So, my recommendations!
Ed And His Dead Mother – oddball horror comedy starring Steve Buscemi that is sorta hard to find these days. Weird and fun.
Savageland – one of the best found footage movies I have seen. Super interesting and haunting.
Schramm – treat yourself to some German WHAT THE EFF? It’s Jörg Buttgereit’s weirdo ‘masterpiece’ about a creepo doing creepo stuff. It’s not for everyone but it’s something else.
The Ninth Configuration – William Peter Blatty of EXORCIST fame directing and writing and crafting a weird, dark thriller that’s not like anything out there. There’s a longer cut in the wild that, if you dig this, it’s worth tracking down.
Dark Night of the Scarecrow – come on, you saw this, right? The legendary made for television movie that made scarecrows creepy? It’s a low key slow burn that is amazing.
The Mutilator – not sure if this is uncut or not but man, what a dumb, gory slasher! Just fun and gory with a weirdo ending.
Final Prayer – a found footage movie that is really well done but which I didn’t love the ending on. It’s an ending you will love or hate but man, it’s an ending. PHEW!
The Last Lovecraft – buddy horror comedy about Lovecraft lore. Not great but legit fun.
Torso – fantastic giallo. Definitely worth a look if you dig the Italian thriller genre.
Crimewave – much maligned early Raimi movie that mixes madcap, slapstick violence with a weird heist plot. So silly and weird. Not great but SO – MUCH – FUN!
Don’t Torture a Duckling – a Fulci giallo that is grim, grim, grim and his best film.
Day of the Triffids – my favorite sci-fi movie of all time. Giant man-eating plants roam the countryside and it needs to be on blu, darn it.
Hell Night – a super fun pseudo-slasher meets killbillies. Really fun.
And these are just SOME of the ‘good-er’ stuff on here.
And man, if you like shark movies, or serial killer movies, or whatever, you’re set.
PHEW.
Looking through everything I think I need to make a movie and just call it – Scary as Hell! – since so many movies just run with that as their quote.
Is it possible to have TOO much stuff to watch?
Yeah, it is, trust me.
…c…
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The Spooky World of Chris Ringler 