.jpeg?trim=0,0,0,0&crop=&width=640&quality=65&enable=upscale)
Sometimes it seems like you need to have about 100 subscriptions to catch the best films and television - a costly business in these straitened times.
While it’s true that many films are exclusive to channels like Netflix and Disney+, there’s also an option that you’ve probably already paid for without thinking about it.
For the price of a TV Licence you get access to a large library of ever-changing films on the BBC iPlayer, while the likes of 4 on Demand, the STV Player, and My5 also have a catalogue of movies to choose from.
In the runup to Halloween, we’re looking at the best horror films you can catch without paying a penny - from classics of the genre, to cult gems and recent chillers you might have missed.
Here are 12 to get you hiding behind your sofa cushions.
1. Threads
One of the most terrifying films ever made, 'Threads' is an account of the aftermath of nucleur war in the English city of Sheffield. Originally released in 1984, if anything it's scarier now than it was then. If you don't mind having nightmares, you can watch it on the BBC iPlayer. | BBC
.jpeg?crop=3:2&trim=&width=800)
2. Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin
Perhaps the most reliably scary found footage horror franchaise of recent years 'Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin' is the seventh in the series. It follows a documentary film crew making a film about an Amish community where they discover something is very, very wrong. It's streaming now on 4 on Demand. | Contributed
.jpeg?crop=3:2&trim=&width=800)
3. Alien
Ridley Scott's 1979 masterpiece Alien is pretty much the perfect horror/scifi. It follows a spaceship crew who investigate a derelict spaceship only to find a deadly extraterrestrial creature - led by Sigourney Weaver iconic character Ellen Ripley. If you've never seen it before now is the perfect time - it's available on the BBC iPlayer. | Contributed
.jpeg?crop=3:2&trim=&width=800)
4. Werewolves Within
The best-reviewed film based on a computer game in history (according to review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes), 'Werewolves Within' perhaps never got the audience it deserved due to a bafflingly limited theatrical run in 2021. It's set in the snowed-in town of Beaverfield where the residents gather in the local inn. A newly-arrived forest ranger soon realise that something is awry and that the source is supernatural. It's currently available to watch on 4 on Demand. | Contributed