Tubi didn’t just make the best Super Bowl ad ever. They also have the best library of absolutely free horror movies. Not only do they have arguably the most comprehensive collection of movies, but they also have the weirdest and most underrated movies out there. With the plethora of paid streaming services out there right now, it’s nice to know there’s one more place that’s 100% free. When streamers are free, they usually lack depth, but that’s not the case with Tubi. Everyone loves a good slasher, but psychological terror sometimes stays with you for weeks or even years. Fear cannot be forgotten. It’s always the perfect time to scare yourself with the best psychological horror movies on Tubi.
Table of Contents
The Belko Experiment
In a deranged social experiment, eighty Americans are locked in their high-rise office building in Bogotá, Colombia, and ordered by an unknown voice from the company’s intercom system to engage in a deadly game of kill or be killed.
What a sick ride this is. Just when you think you’ve got it all figured out, the film’s final moments question everything you thought you knew. The ending begs for a sequel that hasn’t happened yet, but a girl can dream. It’s the best workplace horror movie out there. It also leaves some really cool breadcrumbs that lead you to dark places.
The Poughkeepsie Tires
In an abandoned house in Poughkeepsie, New York, homicide investigators uncover hundreds of tapes showing decades of work by a serial killer.
This disturbing found footage film is a bizarre montage of gruesome murders committed by a serial killer in Poughkeepsie, New York. There’s very little story, but what this movie lacks in plot it makes up for in psychological torture. Mental warfare is the best word to describe this hard-to-watch movie. There’s one particular scene you can’t undo. If you spend any time on TikTok, you know what I mean.
The Babadook
A single mother and her child fall into a deep pit of paranoia when a creepy children’s book titled “Mister Babadook” manifests itself in their home.
This slow burn requires a little patience, but it’s worth the extra effort. It’s a beautifully conceived and shot film that is the very definition of spooky. It’s unfair compared to a lot of movies like The Shining and We Need To Talk About Kevin. No rip-off of those films, The Babadook stands alone as a chilling portrait of the monstrous power of grief.
The emptyness
Shortly after a patient is taken to an understaffed hospital, a police officer experiences strange and violent events that seem to be connected to a group of mysterious hooded figures.
This humble cosmic horror example defies all expectations. It is a visually gripping film with a lot of atmosphere and gore, which is a rare combination. I’ve described it as a hybrid of Prince of Darkness and In The Mouth Of Madness, which is high praise in my book. John Carpenter was clearly an influence, but I also feel a little bit of Clive Barker’s The Great And Secret Show. If any of those references are your thing, you’ll love The Void.
Yellow stone road
1940: The entire population of Friar, New Hampshire walked up a winding mountain path, leaving everything behind. 2008: The first official wilderness expedition attempts to solve the mystery of the lost citizens of Friar.
One of my all-time favorite movies is a trippy mix of Lynchian weirdness, folklore and nasty violence. It’s an underseen and underappreciated gem that stays with you, requiring multiple watches to catch even a fraction of the craziness in its ninety-minute runtime. It’s the kind of movie that requires a Reddit profile for post-watch discussions.
Lake Mungo
After 16-year-old Alice Palmer drowns at the local dam, her family experiences a series of strange events that lead them to discover that Alice was leading a secret double life.
This movie really sneaks up on you. It subverts the expected and haunts until the very last moment. This is the kind of movie that relies on atmosphere and psychology to scare and is best enjoyed knowing as little as possible. It’s a paranormal movie about so much more than ghosts. Click here for all the information you need after watching.
possum
After returning to his childhood home, a disgraced child puppeteer is forced to confront his evil stepfather and the secrets that have haunted his entire life.
There is no grittier movie than this one. This is a dark, dark hole that is hard to climb out of, so watch your emotional bandwidth before diving headlong into this black hole. You’ll never look at dolls the same way again – pure fuel for nightmares. You can read our full explanation here.
martyrs
A young woman’s quest for revenge against the people who kidnapped and tormented her as a child leads her and a friend, who is also a victim of child abuse, on a terrifying journey into a living hell of depravity.
The original French version is much better than the remake. This gruesome film is a good example of the new French extremism that Gaspar Noe is known for. While not as brutal as Noe’s elaborate rape scene in Irreversible: The Tsraight Cut or the chronologically reversed original, it’s still not for the faint of heart. It’s an ugly ride for those who like gritty movies, but many clever comments feel from the same universe as Brandon Cronenberg’s Infinity Pool. Depraved, bored people who do terrible things because they desperately want to feel that something should be a subgenre all its own.
Dumplings
Aunt Mei’s famous homemade dumplings offer amazing aging properties that are popular with middle-aged women. But her latest client, a fading actress, is determined to find out what the secret ingredient is.
Be warned. This movie should come with a huge trigger warning. Obsession with beauty and youth kills in this depraved foreign film. While the basic theme and concept have been done before, you’ve never seen anything like it. It will definitely ruin dumplings for you forever, so make sure you eat enough before you watch.
The invitation
A man accepts an invitation to a dinner party hosted by his ex-wife, a disturbing affair that opens old wounds and creates new tensions.
This 2015 film by Karun Kusama should not be confused with the new film which will be released on August 26, 2020. They are very different movies. Kusama’s movie is a perfect example of psychological horror, and it’s disturbing in a way that few movies are. It weaves in elements of the best cult movies and another dinner from hell Coherence.
Sator
Isolated in a desolate forest, a broken family is observed by Sator, a supernatural entity seeking to claim them.
This rural horror family drama is steeped in suspense and destroyed people. It’s an underplayed movie that deserves more love than it gets. Jordan Graham’s almost one-man show is an impressive feat, proving that you don’t need a big budget or a lot of backing to produce something that’s deeply sweeping.
Whatever happened to baby Jane
A former child star torments her paralyzed sister in their dilapidated Hollywood mansion.
I consider this the best psychological horror film of all time. Joan Crawford and Bette Davis are great, and there’s no better example of psychological torture right now. It portrays it all without using gore or violence and still manages to terrify audiences sixty years later. What happens to Baby Jane? Click here to find out.
They look like people
A troubled man suspects that those around him are turning into evil creatures and wonders if he should protect his only friend from impending war or from himself.
I’m a fan of writer/director Perry Blackshear’s work. His latest, When I Consume You, just premiered and is a perfect example of the kind of films he makes. Horror as a metaphor for mental illness is popular, but when done right, it’s chilling. Blackshear has a firm grip on this subgenre.
The girl next door
Follows the unspeakable torture and abuse of a teenage girl in the care of her aunt and the boys who witness the crime and fail to report it.
Don’t confuse this with the 2004 rom-com or you’ll get a rude awakening. Based on Jack Ketcham’s book, this is what real horror looks like. It’s a painfully impressive watch that you’ll never be able to completely shake off. The idea that people and situations like this actually exist is sickening. There is no way to prepare yourself to watch innocence be brutally exterminated. You have been warned.
Good night mom
Twin boys move into a new house with their mother after she has face-changing cosmetic surgery, but underneath the bandage is someone the boys don’t recognize.
This creepy psychological thriller takes family drama to a whole new level. Everyone loves potentially bad kids, and the twins in question here are definitely odd. But so is their fully connected mother. It’s a beautifully shot foreign film that holds your attention, and the young actors are excellent.
Wait for further instructions
A family’s Christmas takes a strange turn when they wake up to find themselves trapped inside and begin to receive mysterious instructions over the television.
The film is compelling and claustrophobic until the very end, which is admittedly a pretty serious blunder. However, the premise and intense suspense this movie creates are enough to make it worth watching. It’s especially a nice watch right before you head home for the holidays.
As editor-in-chief of Signal Horizon, I enjoy watching and writing about genre entertainment. I grew up on old fashioned slashers, but my real passion is television and all weird and ambiguous stuff. My work can be found here and Travel Weird, where I am the editor-in-chief.
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