10 MORE Horror Movies That You Can Watch (for Free) on Internet Archive

Universal Access to All.

Feb 11, 2025

Since I wrote my first post about the Internet Archive back in 2023, a lot has changed. On September 4 2024, the US Court of Appeals in NY legally sided with the publishers who filed a suit against the Internet Archive a few years prior. This ruling could have a major effect on digital preservation and the internet as a whole. I’m not a copyright librarian, but I do believe in accessibility especially for the advancement of lifelong learning. In those terms, I can’t overstate that The Internet Archive is truly one of a kind. With the motto Universal Access to All, the Internet Archive is not affiliated with a public library system or university, meaning that anyone can borrow and view their material. The Internet Archive also houses the Wayback Machine, a crucial resource in digital preservation since 1996.

Horror has always been a popular mode of storytelling, especially contextualizing the real-life horrors in world history. Therefore, I believe that horror films are essential texts that anyone should have access to, especially in times of trial. My last post on the Internet Archive was about rare horror available to stream for free, but I wanted to go in a slightly different direction. Here are ten horror movies that I believe contain educational and historical value that you can stream for free on archive.org. But don’t worry! They’re scary too.

The Golem: How He Came into the World (1920)

The Golem: How He Came into the World, a German expressionist film by directors Paul Wegener and Carl Boese, has a surprising history. Three films were originally made about this clay creature (cryptid?) from Jewish folklore, activated by the written word. The Golem: How He Came into the World was the only film of the trilogy that survived. It was incredibly successful in both Germany and its US release, causing a “golem cult” in subsequent movies and media (which I picture to be similar to the Nosferatu cult on social media today). You can watch the [unrestored] movie on the Internet Archive.

Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922)

No, I’m not talking about the Robert Eggers flick that took social media by storm in 2024. F. W. Murnau’s Nosferatu was originally a Dracula remake that almost didn’t get released due to its disregard of Bram Stoker’s copyright. I don’t really need to summarize the story of Dracula, but: a real estate agent visits a castle and ends up bringing the plague to Germany while a vampire also mesmerizes his wife. Also fun fact: this was my parents’ first date (a repertory screening, of course, they aren’t 120 years old… they aren’t vampires… I think).

Häxan (1922)

I first heard rave reviews of Häxan from the Evolution of Horror podcast. As a Swedish film (but shot in Demark), you can watch Häxan with English subtitles and see for yourself. Directed by Benjamin Christensen, Häxan is a documentary about witchcraft, but adds elements of historic context with a surprising amount of metatextuality. Critics at the time didn’t really know what to make of it, but it’s grown to be a cult (occult) classic. It also utilizes stop motion, which you know I adore.

The Night of the Hunter (1955)

One of my favorite movies of all time is The Night of the Hunter. Though it was made in 1955, it’s still scary as hell and in my opinion, a perfect film. It is also the only movie that Charles Laughton directed, sadly. This thriller follows two young kids who are being raised by their mother and their new stepfather, a twisted preacher who just came into town. The soundtrack and the cinematography are especially stand-out. My mom told me that when she was a kid sometime in the early 1960’s, she crept downstairs late at night and sat silently watching from the staircase while her parents watched this movie. I love this story in my family’s history and I love this film.

The Masque of the Red Death (1964)

The Masque of the Red Death from 1964 is one of so many of Roger Corman’s movies that are public domain, but this one is getting a remake (with Sidney Sweeney!) and also it’s probably his “best” (though not my favorite) of the Edgar Alan Poe movies. Vincent Price stars as a corrupt king who invites all of the rich folks to quarantine inside his palace at a party, avoiding the plague outside. The beautiful rainbow technicolor and elaborate costumes makes it especially appealing. It’s a pandemic horror without feeling too close to home.

Kwaidan (1965)

I love anthology horror and Kwaidan is simply one of the best. Based on the short stories from Lafcadio Hearn (who introduced the West to Japanese culture and of course, Japanese ghost stories) and directed by Masaki Kobayashi, this film presents 4 short stories of horror. From water-based horror to Yuki-onna, this anthology is full of yokai goodness. But the whole movie is beautifully shot, making it one of the only horror movies nominated for a major Academy Award (Best Foreign Film). Watch the original 3 hour cut with English subtitles.

Daughters of Darkness (1971)

Daughters of Darkness is a Belgian vampire tale that belongs in some sort of LGBTQ+ horror hall of fame. Directed by Harry Kumel, the film centers around two newlyweds as the only residents of a Belgian hotel, who are quickly joined by Elizabeth and her assistant Ilona who (spoiler) end up being lesbian vampires. While lesbian vampirism was all the rage in the 1960s and 1970s, Daughters of Darkness does not feel as exploitative as some, and is rather artistically shot.

Suspiria (1977)

There are lots of giallo films to stream on the Internet Archive, but for the sake of this post, I thought we’d better feature Suspiria. Dario Argento’s masterpiece Suspiria takes place at a German dance studio where girls keep turning up missing or dead. Giallo is an Italian film genre that centers around a murder mystery with a ton of violence and blood, usually with a gloved hand perpetrating the crimes. They also, in my opinion, have the BEST soundtracks, Suspiria included. You can watch it in English with Spanish subtitles.

Ghostwatch (1992)

Ghostwatch is a found footage classic that premiered on BBC1 on Halloween night in 1992. The mockumentary featured a real-life tv personalities and [staged] phone calls from the public. Many people thought the live broadcast was real a la War of the Worlds (the real life story of the broadcast is complicated and tragic). The fictional haunting in Ghostwatch was inspired by the Enfield Poltergeist case, a famous paranormal case that also inspired The Conjuring 2. Content warning to slight transphobia (I just don’t want you to be unpleasantly surprised like I was).

Pulse (2001)

Last but certainly not least, a cult classic techno J-horror of the highest order (but what else would you expect from Kiyoshi Kurosawa). Pulse follows a recent Tokyo transplant who discovers her friends tormented by an internet video, and an economics student who begins to receive chilling messages from his new internet provider. I love a ghost story with an internet plotline and especially with the 2001 of it all, it’s still so relevant today. It doesn’t feel too dated to be spooky. It’s immersive and remarkable, especially for fans of thrillers and J-horror.

When I first wrote about the Internet Archive back in 2023, I was writing as my library was closed due to bomb threats. Today, I’m writing a few weeks into 2025, and a few days after getting emergency training on what to do if I.C.E. enters my library. Factual information on government websites is disappearing right before our eyes. Book banning is at an all time high and it’s only getting worse. At the risk of perpetuating vocational awe, I feel like libraries have gotten even more important in the last few weeks, the Internet Archive notwithstanding. For that reason, I will continue championing archive.org and its resources.