Of all available streaming content that movie buffs can pay to watch, it’s hard to find something good that’s also free. The paid streaming apps are great for those who can afford the added expense of multiple apps and fees. That said, many streaming apps also increase their monthly prices as their content libraries grow and improve.
In general, there will always be movie fans who want to watch great movies for free. Who doesn’t like “free”? Despite having a smaller selection than other premium streaming services, YouTube nevertheless has a sizable collection of free, ad-supported movies across a variety of genres. They also regularly update their free movie selection, so be sure to check back often to see what else has been added. Here are some of the best free movies on YouTube to watch next.
Updated May 9, 2023: If you’re a fan of free movies, you’ll be happy to know that this article has been updated with additional content by Katie Downey.
10 Thunder and the House of Magic (2013)
This cute movie, Thunder and the House of Magic features a magical house in which an elderly magician lives. He takes in poor Thunder, the kitten, when he wanders around the house to escape the rain and introduces him to his magical housemates. The old man is taken to a nursing home against his wishes and it’s up to Thunder and the gang to save him and the house.
This heartwarming feature is one of those obscure animal animations that often get overlooked. Be sure to check this movie out. You won’t regret it, and if you have kids, they’re sure to love this cute movie too.
9 Free Willy (1993)
Free Willy is a great classic about an orca who has lived his life in captivity and desperately desires to be free, and a little boy who is determined to help him get that freedom, no matter what the cost. Keiko the Killer Whale was featured in this fantastic animal welfare film and was also released. This is a truly heart-warming story about the friendship between a twelve-year-old boy and an orca whose fate is predetermined when the aquarium owners decide to kill him. This beautiful film is based on a true story about Keiko the killer whale.
The film was applauded by PETA in hopes that the general public would see the darkness behind the Seaworld tour and boycott it altogether. Sometime after the movie Free Willy was released, another film about the welfare of captive marine animals, Blackfish, was released. The 2013 Sundance movie told the story of Tilikum, an orca responsible for the deaths of three people, and why this should have been avoided by never having forced an orca into captivity to entertain the public.
8 The Accidental Husband (2008)
In The accidental husband, we meet Emma, a sweet but sensible engaged radio show host. It is brought to her attention that a prank has been played on her, resulting in her already being married to a cute firefighter who is her polar opposite. This creates quite a problem for her impending marriage to her predictable and rather dull fiancée. She must find the person responsible for the prank immediately and demand an annulment before her real marriage can take place. Of course, you can probably guess the plot from that point.
This is another one of those overlooked movies with a great cast. Uma Thurman, Colin Firth and Jeffery Dean Morgan star The accidental husband.
7 Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019)
Guillermo del Toro wrote the screen stories for this take on Alvin Schwartz’s children’s book series, Scary stories to tell in the dark. This is a rendition of the award-winning children’s book series that terrified a generation with its chilling and deeply creepy short stories about ghosts, the dead and all things supernatural. This story follows the life of a girl who lives in an extra creepy house and wrote the stories that haunt us today. Although she passed away, her stories and tomb still exist for some children to find.
The books were very creepy many years ago and children were afraid to turn off the lights at sleepovers after reading them. This adaptation of the book has taken on a bit of a new and even creepier twist, with Toro writing his pieces into the stories.
6 My Cousin Vinny (1992)
My cousin Vinny is a story about Vinny Gambini who acts as a lawyer to help his cousin and his cousin’s boyfriend out of trouble when they are falsely accused of murder and robbery. The two were on their way to college when they stopped at a gas station. When the police later apprehend them, they believe they are being arrested for shoplifting. Luckily, Vinny’s cousin knows exactly who to call when he’s in jail.
Vinny has very little experience and has never defended anyone in court, so the comedic tone of this drama is assured. Not even Mona Lisa Vito, his fiancé, can seem to do much right during the time he spends in court or keep her mouth shut.
5 Arrival (2016)
This brilliant and compelling sci-fi film, Arrival, about the arrival of aliens, is definitely worth watching. It’s not like your other alien movies out there and it’s very engaging. We meet linguistics professor Louise Banks who leads a team investigating the recent arrival of alien spacecraft that have landed in numerous locations across the US. Nations stand ready to fight, but Banks does everything he can to communicate with the aliens before that can happen. This is definitely a more intelligent take on communicating with aliens than has been seen in previous movies about it. This is less “blood and guts” and more of what could happen if we approach extraterrestrial life peacefully.
4 Sequoia (2014)
Sequoia is a coming-of-age film about life and death. This is a movie that will definitely make you cry big tears, but it’s also beautiful and has a happy ending. This is an indie presentation and is definitely more artistic than your average big screen movie. The friendship between Riley and Ogden is truly something we all strive for, and when our time is up, we want it by our side.
Riley creates videos during the movie that she plans to send to her absent mother about being diagnosed with oral cancer and more as the movie progresses. Don’t miss this one. This beautiful film about hope stars Aly Michalka and Dustin Milligan, who play the roles of the main characters Riley and Ogden.
3 The girl with all the gifts (2016)
The girl with all the gifts is a fantastic zombie movie because it’s original and not completely focused on zombies. The kids are zombies, but some really want to be good zombies. They are called “hungers”. Some children can retain some of their human emotions and qualities. The school tries to save humanity, even as they torture these zombie kids in brutal experiments. Melanie and her teacher Helen are close, and Helen believes Melanie can help them all after a terrible attack occurs at the school.
The movie will leave you wishing it was longer because it’s actually that good. You can read the book on which the movie is based by Mike Carey. He has also written a sequel to it called The boy on the bridge.
2 Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride (2005)
Corpse bride is just another Tim Burton stop-motion animated masterpiece on his long list of outstanding films. It’s incredibly rare for Burton to even come close to being a disappointment in his films.
This particular movie is based on a 17th century Jewish folktale, which follows a man, voiced by Burton’s friend Johnny Depp, who accidentally marries a corpse bride instead of his real bride as he walks through the woods and practices his vows. The corpse bride was murdered and desperately wants justice and also to be loved. The film is bittersweet and leaves you pondering what-ifs until the very end.
1 The Dark Crystal (1982)
This timeless classic is something most have seen at some point in their lives. Netflix released a sequel not long ago, but nothing can touch the original movie, The dark crystal. While the visuals may be better than the actual storyline, this production from Jim Henson doesn’t disappoint. Watching old-fashioned puppeteer work in a memorable movie is refreshing in a world where we only see computer-animated entertainment. This movie takes you back 40+ years to a simpler time.