Tubi has seen its user base grow significantly over the last few years thanks to offering an incredible array of movies completely free of charge thanks to ads. Initially launching in 2014, Tubi is the Fox Corporation’s free-to-access streaming platform, and as of 2024 has over 80 million users.
The best movies on Tubi include some incredibly well-known and blockbuster titles, with the library of available films constantly changing to include fresh titles for users to enjoy free of charge thanks to ad sponsorship. With the movies available on Tubi always changing, it’s always worth checking in to see what the best films on the platform are, as there’s always a solid selection of top-tier titles within the 200,000+ available.
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With so many streaming platforms rising in prices, viewers still have the option to watch their favorite films and tv shows legally, free of charge.
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
Guillermo Del Toro’s Chilling Childhood Fantasy
The 2006 dark fantasy Pan’s Labyrinth isn’t only one of the best movies on Tubi right now, it’s also a career highlight for esteemed director Guillermo del Toro. Set during the start of the reign of dictator Francisco Franco after the Spanish Civil War, Pan’s Labyrinth manages to be both a war movie and fantasy film at the same time, dissecting the perception of the turmoil through the perspective of 10-year-old girl Ofelia. However, it’s not the war commentary that’s ensured the 2006 movie shot to prominence as much as it’s the chilling visuals, such as the blind monster with eyes on the palms of its hands.
Over the course of the movie, Ofelia takes frequent visits to the dark and mysterious realm of the underworld, and meets a variety of strange, fantastical, and often frightening creatures while there. The story is a clear metaphor for a child’s perception of the death and misery inherent to war and political turmoil, though the film commits itself to portraying Ofelia’s adventures as real and not imagined. It’s a truly spellbinding movie that is inarguably among the must-watch films currently in Tubi.
The Mist (2007)
One Of The Best Stephen King Adaptations
2007’s The Mist may not be the most well-known movie adapting a story by legendary horror author Stephen King, but it’s inarguably one of the best (and even the writer himself thinks so). Directed by Frank Darabont, The Mist focuses on the Maine town of Bridgton, specifically on the shoppers of a single supermarket. While going about their daily lives, the townsfolk become trapped by an impossibly thick fog that rolls across every street.
When the first of the shoppers try to leave, it quickly becomes apparent that the titular weather in The Mist contains no shortage of nightmarish creatures that want nothing more than to feast on human flesh. By the time the chilling ending of The Mist arrives, the panicked populace has descended into anarchy, with the former friends and neighbors of central character David (Thomas Jane) and his infant son being just as much of a threat as the eldritch monstrosities lurking in the fog.
V/H/S (2012)
The First Entry Of The Anthology Horror Franchise Makes Its Way To Tubi
There are plenty of great horror movies on Tubi, and one of the latest that’s available for users to watch for free is the 2012 anthology film V/H/S, the first entry in the longstanding V/H/S franchise. The premise of the V/H/S films has ensured each entry is a hit with horror fans, with every movie in the series containing several smaller stories by different directors linked by an overarching narrative.
In the 2012 original, this sees a team of home invaders discovering a collection of cursed videotapes, with the footage on each being one of the short movies that make up the anthology. V/H/S makes for perfect Halloween viewing on Tubi in October, and horror fans who are uninitiated with the franchise will find it a delightful love-letter to the genre. Several of the sequels, such as V/H/S/2, are also on Tubi, and are perfect for a back-to-back movie binge.
Dredd (2012)
The Judge Dredd Movie That Found A New Audience On Streaming
2012’s Dredd may have been considered a box-office flop during its initial theatrical run, but the adaptation of the 2000AD Judge Dredd comics found a much more receptive audience when it began to arrive on various streaming platforms, the latest of which being Tubi. Directed by Pete Travis from a screenplay by Alex Garland (known for Annihilation, Civil War, and the upcoming 28 Years Later), Dredd is a gritty dystopian action sci-fi that paints a chilling picture of America in the aftermath of a nuclear war.
The remaining inhabitants of the U.S. reside in Mega-City One, a crime-ridden metropolis with a population of 800 million. Dredd focuses on the titular Judge Dredd, a law enforcement officer for whom lethality is the go-to solution. While Dredd isn’t the most cerebral sci-fi movie out there, few films on Tubi offer the same level of blockbuster action and carnage throughout, and The Boys star Karl Urban gives a fantasticly gruff performance as Dredd himself.
American History X (1998)
The Timeless Dissection Of Fascism In The U.S.
Tony Kaye’s American History X is perhaps the most historically significant movie on Tubi, especially since the social issues it examined when it released in the 1990s sadly still remain prevalent. The 1998 film is a jarring watch, but a worthwhile one, especially given the performance of Edward Norton as the repentant and reformed Neo-Nazi Derek Vinyard. However, Norton plays Derek both before and after he walks away from his hateful beliefs, and it’s the scenes when the character was at the height of his life as a White Supremacist that make for truly harrowing viewing.
Edward Norton was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance as Derek in American History X, but that’s not the only reason it’s considered by many to be essential viewing. The movie is an unrelenting examination on the mentality of American Neo-Nazi’s in the present-day U.S., with many of the factors leading real-life equivalents of Derek to walk their dark path being just as relevant in the 2020s as they were in 1998.
Threads (1984)
The Viral British Nuclear War Movie
The 1984 nuclear war movie Threads can be watched on Tubi, and is a reason that several users have made their way to the service. While it aired in the UK on the BBC in the 1980s when it was released, Threads has since gained no shortage of infamy thanks to its unflinching exploration of what life during and following a nuclear war would look like. The age of social media and sites like YouTube has reinvigorated interest in Threads, as it’s been dissected and discussed hundreds of times thanks to its many borderline-disturbing scenes.
Threads is often cited as one of the best nuclear war movies ever made, though due to its age and the fact it was a direct-to-TV movie in the UK, it’s been difficult for viewers in the U.S. to track down. Now that Threads is available on Tubi, viewers in the U.S. now have an accessible way to find out why the indie film from the BBC has a reputation that far exceeds that of other movies with a similar budget and initial viewership.
Train To Busan (2016)
The Quintessential Korean Zombie Horror
2016’s Train To Busan released almost a decade ago, and it is still considered by many to be the quintessential zombie movies. Few horror films, whether they’re available to stream on Tubi or anywhere else, can claim to be just as claustrophobic, pulse-pounding, or filled with iconic moments from start to finish. Coming from director Yeon Sang-ho, Train To Busan has a simple premise. Workaholic father Seok-woo is taking his daughter Su-an to Busan to visit her mother via train. However, while on the journey a zombie outbreak occurs, and soon Seok-woo is fighting not only for his own life, but for his daughter’s too.
It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what makes Train To Busan such a solid entry into the zombie horror subgenre. It’s got many endearing qualities, with everything from Gong Yoo’s performance as Seok-woo to Yeon Sang-hos incredible eye for a well-shot scene being among the reasons it continues to be so highly regarded. However, one standout aspect of the 2016 movie is, of course, its zombies, which are absolutely terrifying and acted to perfection by an ensemble horde of extras.
Point Break (1991)
Keanu Reeves And Patrick Swayze’s Unforgettable Action Venture
1991’s Point Break, from director Kathryn Bigelow, remains one of the most easy-watch action movies ever made. It’s gained a cult following in the decades since it released, and Tubi users can now revisit it to find out why. Starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze, Point Break is a film that’s greater than the sum of its parts. The plot doesn’t do anything to reinvent the wheel, and it ticks all the action movie boxes steadily and effectively. However, despite there being little that’s particularly innovative across its 122-minute runtime, Point Break is still considered by many to be essential viewing when it comes to cop movies.
Keanu Reeves starts as rookie FBI agent Johnny Utah. Johnny is tasked with going undercover to investigate a group of bank robbers who call themselves the Ex-Presidents, a name they coined due to wearing rubber masks of former heads of state like Reagan, Nixon, and Carter. It’s on this mission that Johnny meets Bodhi (Patrick Swayze) a laid-back surfer who is secretly the mastermind behind the robberies. Johnny and Bodhi for a bond that makes Reeves’ FBI agent question everything he values, and as bombastic as Point Break is, the story manages to be a surprisingly emotional one.
Donnie Darko (2001)
The Cerebral And Highly Debated Psychological Thriller
Few movies are as misunderstood or as hotly debated as director Richard Kelly’s 2001 sci-fi thriller Donnie Darko. So ambiguous is the plot that there are even disagreements on what Donnie Darko is even about, though this only serves to make the movie even more endearing (and one that definitely counts among the “must watch” titles on Tubi). The story focuses on titular troubled teen Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal), a young man who finds himself consistently at odds with the 1988 suburban community he and his family reside in.
Donnie’s psychological problems cause him to have visions of a man in a grotesque bunny costume who he knows of Frank, who constantly forewarns him about the end of the world. However, when Donnie escapes death by following a vision of Frank to a golf course on the night a jet engine crashes through the ceiling of their family home, Donnie realizes his “visions” may be more prophetic than first appears. Notably, Jake Gyllenhaal’s real-life sibling Maggie Gyllenhaal plays Donnie’s sister Elizabeth, and the pair manage to bring plenty of their shared dynamic to the arguments between the two characters.
Terrifier (2016)
The Feature-Length Debut Of Art The Clown
Director Damien Leone reinvigorated the slasher horror subgenre in 2022 with the sleeper-hit Terrifier 2, which gained notoriety thanks to some of its incredibly brutal scenes. With Terrifier 3 on the way in 2024 and already creating no shortage of conversation, many uninitiated with the villainous antagonist Art the Clown are wondering where the franchise began — and Tubi is one of the best places to catch up thanks to 2016’s Terrifier currently being available to stream on the platform.
It’s a slasher movie that pulls no punches, and Leone’s career history as a practical effects wizard prior to taking the director’s chair is evident throughout.
The plot of Terrifier sees various characters stalked and murdered by the truly diabolical silent killer Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton), a character Leone first debuted in his 2008 short movie The 9th Circle. 2016’s Terrifier is a far grittier and lower-budget movie than Terrifier 2, though it’s quickly gaining its own fanbase thanks to the prominence of the sequel.
It’s a slasher movie on Tubi that pulls no punches, and Leone’s career history as a practical effects wizard prior to taking the director’s chair is evident throughout. While not hugely critically acclaimed upon its release, Terrifier is quickly defining its own legacy years later thanks both to the success of its sequel and its many brutal kills appearing in horror-fandom circles on social media platforms like TikTok and YouTube.
