There’s no need to pay for expensive streaming platforms to give you cinematic scares this spooky season.
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.
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.
9. Final Cut
An ingenious French remake/reimagining/sequel to the much-loved 2017 Japanese horror comedy 'One Cut of the Dead', 'Final Cut' is just as much bloody good fun. It sees a film crew attempt to remake the original zombie film, with similarly gory consequences. It's available to watch now on the BBC iPlayer. | Contributed
It may be billed as a thriller, but for those of us (all of us?) who have a fear of being buried alive it's a full-on horror. Starring a pre-Deadpool Ryan Reynolds, 'Buried' sees him play a man who spends the entire film trapped underground in a wooden coffin. Another one sure to give you bad dreams after watching it on the STV Player. | Contributed
Now regarded as something of a classic, despite a lukewarm reception on its original release in 20220, 'The Mothman Prophecies' is a supernatural horror that claims to be based on actual events that happened in the 1960s. Richard Gere plays a reporter investigating the legend of the mysterious Mothman. It's mysterious and intriguing film that's currently on the STV Player. | Contributed
Written and directed by Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman (who also stars), Ghost Stories is a film adaptation of the pair's smash hit stage show of the same name. It's an anthology horror that follows a man dedicated to debunking the supernatural - and his investigations into three spooky events. Paul Whitehouse, Alex Lawther and Martin Freeman aslo star. It's available to stream on the BBCiPlayer. | Contributed