If you are a fan of horror and are not already signed up, Shudder has a really well curated collection of titles and exclusives. Some of our favorite recent foreign horror movies have made their way to this platform exclusively! They're still offering a free month if you sign up now.
DEMON WIND: This extremely entertaining knock-off of Evil Dead has some wild practical effects and a magician kicking a beer can that you will never forget.
HELLO MARY LOU: PROM NIGHT 2: We screened this during the re-model of the Trylon a few summers ago, so you may have missed it. Less of a sequel to the original Prom Night (and arguably better for it) this is more of a riff on A Nightmare on Elm street featuring some impressive in-camera effects and the ever wonderful Micheal Ironside.
THE LIFT: An 80's horror film from the Netherlands about a killer elevator featuring fun kills, absurd dubbing, and a heroic elevator repairman! From the Director Dick Maas who also made the amazing Amsterdamned and Sint.
If you've got Prime, these are all included. If not you can rent them here and likely on your preferred platform (don't give the evil emperor any more money than he's already made during this pandemic).
NEVER TOO YOUNG TO DIE: The very first official Tape Freaks title we screened years ago! John Stamos is Stargrove, a young gymnast who's father (George Lazenby) has been killed by the evil "hermaphroditic" gang leader (Gene Simmons), and now Stargrove must team up with Vanity to stop the gang from poisoning the water supply. Trust us it's every bit as enjoyable and wild as that sounds. [The Gene Simmons character is also exactly as problematic as it sounds...]
NINJA III: THE DOMINATION: An evil ninja possesses a telephone repair woman/aerobics instructor. Part ninja movie, part Flashdance, part Exorcist and all amazing. Trust us, you don't need to see the first films in this series to enjoy this one, but you will never look at V-8 the same way again.
THE SEVENTH CURSE: From the same Director as The Cat (1992), and Riki-Oh, his movie features wild kung-fu, monsters, cults, and also stars a young Chow Yun Fat! The copy available on Prime is subtitled, and that might help the film make more sense, but you'll miss out on the hilarious dub job from the version we screened.
Tubi is a free streaming service you can watch on your computer and ROKU that does have occasional ad breaks but also has a surprising selection of movies!
THE STUFF: Larry Coen's fantastic horror film about killer yogurt featuring Garrett Morris and a Michael Moriarty in full "Michael Moriarty" mode.
HOUSEBOUND: What better film to watch at a time like this? If you have not seen this one, don't watch the trailer or read anything about it, just watch it. It's really fun and takes you on a wild ride!
BLOODY BIRTHDAY: If you like 80's films about killer kids, this underrated gem is a blast and features some seriously great performances by the three lead kids.
The best free platform for bad movies is always YouTube, but with the questionable legality of these films being on here, you have to watch 'em before they're pulled. A lot of the films you find up there haven't made it past VHS, so enjoy these gems while you can!
DEMONWARP: This gem features a killer Bigfoot, George Kennedy, fun John Carl Buechler effects, and so much more weirdness we couldn't possibly list it all here. This is a late 80's Vidmark film that feels like it belongs in the Empire/Full Moon catalog, partially due to Buechler's imprint on it. (Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIdGxqgseAo)THUNDER OF GIGANTIC SERPENT: This Godfrey- Ho film is part coming-of-age kids film, part violent-crime drug movie held together with a Kaiju-snake movie. The only known copy is a VHS rip that's dubbed in english and has Greek subtitles. Enjoy! (Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vg7eBNLkJNc)
RAIDERS OF ATLANTIS: An Italian rip off that takes from so many things it turns out to be a unique bit of insanity. It's a little Bermuda Triangle movie, Mad Max and Raiders of the Lost Ark rip-off, but it's also so much more... (Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9QRPcNa808)
