Halloween is just around the corner, but I’m not going to bombard you with a list of spooky-themed movies to stream on the best free streaming services just yet (those will, inevitably, come next week – sorry in advance!).
Instead, below, I’ve highlighted some of the best films (across all genres!) available on subscription-free streamers this October – from Oscar-winning sci-fi adventures to iconic satirical comedies.
1) Apocalypse Now (Plex)
Release date: 2019
Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
Length: 147 minutes
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Main cast: Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper
One of the best Vietnam War movies ever made, Apocalypse Now, is streaming for free on Plex this month (look out for Platoon on Hoopla and Kanopy, too).
Loosely inspired by Joseph Conrad’s 1899 novel Heart of Darkness, this Francis Ford Coppola-directed drama follows the journey of a special operations operative (Martin Sheen) as he attempts to hunt down and kill renegade US Army Colonel (Marlon Brando) during the Vietnam War. Come for the iconic ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ scene, stay for the film’s deep exploration of war’s psychological horror (as well as Brando’s menacing performance).
2) Dune (Tubi)
Release date: 2021
Rotten Tomatoes score: 83%
Length: 155 minutes
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Main cast: Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Zendaya
If you do end up watching Apocalypse Now this week, you may recognize several nods to Francis Ford Coppola’s war epic in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, which is also available to stream for free in October (this time on Tubi).
Part one of Villeneuve’s two-part (and soon to be three-part) adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel series stars Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, a gifted prince whose life is upended when a) he and his family are sent to ward over an unforgiving desert planet, and b) his father (Oscar Isaac) is unceremoniously murdered by the head of a rival house (Stellan Skarsgard). Talk about bad luck!
3) Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (Pluto TV)
Release date: 2004
Rotten Tomatoes score: 66%
Length: 94 minutes
Director: Adam McKay
Main cast: Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell
Moving away from the doom and gloom of the Vietnam War and an apocalyptic vision of interstellar space, Adam McKay’s exceptional workplace comedy Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is now streaming for free on Pluto TV.
This satirical take on the culture of the 1970s centers on a chauvinistic news anchor (Will Ferrell) whose confidence and popularity are upended when an ambitious female reporter (Christina Applegate) joins the team. Anchorman also stars Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, and Ben Stiller, which reads like an all-star comedy lineup in 2025.
4) Spider-Man (Pluto TV)
Release date: 2002
Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
Length: 116 minutes
Director: Sam Raimi
Main cast: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe, James Franco
The one that started it all: Sam Raimi’s genre-inspiring superhero movie, Spider-Man, is streaming for free on Pluto TV this month.
You already know the plot: a shy-but-smart New York City student, Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire), is bitten by a genetically modified spider, which turns him into a web-slinging crime-stopper. But Raimi’s 2002 movie is also worth a re-watch for its masterful pacing, great cinematography, and oddly charming early 2000s vibe. Incidentally, the other two movies in the Spider-Man trilogy are also available on Pluto TV throughout October.
5) Life (Samsung TV Plus)
Release date: 2017
Rotten Tomatoes score: 67%
Length: 104 minutes
Director: Daniel Espinosa
Main cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, Ryan Reynolds, Hiroyuki Sanada
What do you get when you lock Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, and Ryan Reynolds in the International Space Station (ISS) with a man-eating extraterrestrial organism? Well, the answer can be found in Life, which is available to stream for free to owners of the best Samsung TVs this month.
This tightly paced sci-fi adventure follows a six-member crew aboard the ISS as they receive the first evidence of extraterrestrial life on Mars. Soon, though, this shape-shifting creature – which the astronauts nickname ‘Calvin’ – turns out to be about as friendly as any reasonable person would expect a shape-shifting creature from outer space to be (read: not very friendly).
