10 Horror Movies That You Can Watch for Free on Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is one of the greatest resources we have available online, and many people don’t even know that it exists.
Originally published on chloesnotscared.com on October 12th 2023, and remains the highest trafficked post on that site at time of publishing.
The Internet Archive is one of the greatest resources we have available online, and many people don’t even know that it exists. Internet Archive is a nonprofit digital archive founded in 1996, that provides access to millions of books, web pages, photos, live concert recordings, movies, and more. Their motto is Universal Access to All, providing free research for any scholar, researcher, historian, or even just the general public. It also created the WayBack Machine, which catalogs iterations of web pages so that we can see what websites looked like at certain points in time, even if they’ve since been deleted.
As a librarian, I’m a huge fan of Internet Archive. One of the most pressing concerns in the Information Science field is what we are going to do with all this digital content. How are we going to save it? Once we save it, how are we going to upkeep it? Files go out of date pretty quickly. Think of all the VHS’ in your parents house, or MP3’s from the iPod shuffle days. How would you archive that content? If you don’t know the answer, you’re not alone.
Luckily Internet Archive is helping us out, granting access to anyone with a wifi connection. I personally like Internet Archive for movies that are in the public domain. Here are my top picks that I found on archive.org that I could hardly find anywhere else.
1. The Haunting (1963)
A loose adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, the movie The Haunting (1963) follows a group of strangers spending the night investigating a supposedly haunted house. This movie is notable in many ways, including being one of the first mainstream haunted house movies with ahead-of-its-time practical effects and lesbian characters, which was revolutionary at the time. As stated in Mark Gatiss’ A History of Horror, director Robert Wise made The Haunting between West Side Story and The Sound of Music, so this horror was blessed with a big budget.
2. Scream of Fear (1961)
Scream of Fear, also called Taste of Fear (1961) is one of Hammer Horror productions most profitable and interesting films. The plot follows a woman in a wheelchair who has just inherited a mansion from her estranged father. As she waits for his arrival, she begins to experience strange happenings in the old house. This one is really hard to find and hardly ever streaming, except on Internet Archive.
3. Let’s Scare Jessica to Death (1971)
Let’s Scare Jessica to Death (1971) is a small budget folk horror and psychological thriller. The film follows Jessica and her husband who buy a rural farmhouse on the outskirts of town. Jessica was recently released from a psychiatric hospital and she thinks that slow living and nature may help her condition. When the couple and their friends are moving in, they find a mysterious drifter named Emily already living there. Being hippies, they invite her to stay. What could go wrong?
4. Dead of Night (1945)
Dead of Night (1945) is one of my favorite movies ever, and I’m so glad to see it on the Internet Archive. This is an anthology movie with an awesome throughline, dealing with the psychology behind dreams (very Fruedian), where a group gathers at a house to share stories of paranormal experiences they’ve had throughout their life. While most people say that the dummy entry is the best, I personally really like the homage to the short story “Smee” by A.M. Burrage, where a group of people play hide and seek in a giant house. Dead of Night is often credited with kickstarting the obsession of horror anthologies in cinema.
5. Possession (1981)
Possession (1981) is another favorite, and I saw it for the first time on Internet Archive. At its core, it’s a divorce horror, but really it’s a psychological creature feature with some of the most intense acting I’ve ever seen, in horror and otherwise (hashtag Stanislavski method for all you theater nerds). Sam Neill and Isabelle Adjani give performances of their lifetime as a couple stuck in a messy divorce in West Berlin. But don’t get me wrong, there’s a paranormal aspect as well! Just… don’t look it up beforehand.
6. House (1977)
House (1977) is a wild ride. Also called Hausu, this Japanese fever dream is a psychedelic haunted house movie that is a favorite amongst artists for its colorful look and kooky vibes. Apparently, it was released in the United States when I was in college, so yes all my creative artsy friends are obsessed with it. A girl named Gorgeous invites her six friends to vacation with her at her aunt’s house. It is now considered a cult classic in the comedy horror genre.
7. Eyes Without a Face (1960)
I know I’m called Chloe’s Not Scared, but Eyes Without a Face (1960) scared me. Truly. My dad showed me this movie (also referenced as Les yeux sans visage) after I told him that I was interested in The Twilight Zone. A plastic surgeon attempts a face transplant on his daughter who had trauma from a car accident. Of course, he gets a little evil. The music is so strangely carnivalesque and while there is almost no blood or gore, this movie is so disturbingly visceral that it made me slightly sick to my stomach.
8. Ganja and Hess (1973)
I first learned about Ganja and Hess (1973) because Spike Lee made a remake of it called Da Sweet Blood of Jesus in 2014. It’s pretty similar, but Ganja and Hess is the real deal, called one of the more important movies made by Black creators at the time. The plot is as romantic as it is sad. An anthropologist accidentally gets turned into a vampire due to an ancient artifact. His assistant’s wife falls in love with him and also decides to become undead. Interpersonal relationship issues don’t stop even when you’re a vampire.
9. Poison for the Fairies (1984)
Poison for the Fairies, also called by its Spanish name Veneno Para Las Hadas, is a 1984 film by the great director Carlos Enrique Taboada. Due to the Internet Archive, you can watch Taboada’s best film for free with English subtitles. Flavia and Veronica are best friends, despite Flavia being kind of a “bad seed” and Veronica being an orphan. The girls begin to dabble in witchcraft. I recently discovered Taboada’s wonderfully Gothic films this year and I encourage everyone to seek them out!
10. Over the Garden Wall (2014)
I’m cheating a little bit with this last one, because it is technically a tv show, but since it’s been wiped from all streaming services this Halloween, I thought I would tell you that the show Over the Garden Wall (2014) is available on the Internet Archive as well. Two brothers go on a quest through the enchanted woods, and seemingly get lost in time in this surprisingly scary autumn classic inspired by Americana folk art. Also, amazing voice acting from Elijah Wood, Melanie Lynskey, John Cleese, Tim Curry, Chris Isaak, Christopher Lloyd, Bebe Neuwirth and more.
Internet Archive has recently been under fire who do not think that author’s work should be publicly accessible online. Personally, I’m torn on this issue. As a pro-union baddie, I do think that artists deserve fair compensation for their work. But as a librarian, I also believe that the general public should be allowed to read material for free, even if they can’t get to a library. I’m writing this article as my workplace is closed due to a bomb threat, as anti-LGBTQIA+ folks are banning books and calling in falsified bomb threats to libraries around the country (due to resources and services like books featuring gay families or drag queen storytime). Educators are under attack, and where can we freely receive information if not the internet itself?
I don’t necessarily have the right answer regarding the Internet Archive, but I do know that readily available resources are essential in a time when our democracy is threatened. What do you think?
**Please note that all links were correct at time of posting (October 2023) and that they may not work whenever you are reading this**