13 Free Book-based Horror Movies Perfect for Halloween

Credit: Pixabay

We're just over two weeks away from Halloween! I've been slowly but surely decorating my house, and lining up my favourite horror fiction to read as well as favourite horror flicks to watch. Many of you have probably been doing similar. You’ve probably also been shopping like mad for the best deals on candy, costumes, decorations and party food. And this Halloween those deals are more important than most years because of the big inflation that's been going on. You may even be struggling to find the best deals on horror movies to rent or stream for Halloween. Well, you can really save some bucks if you look to free streaming movies which, as of this writing, include plenty of scary ones. 

The drawback is that in order for the platform companies to make these films available for free viewing, you need to put up with commercials. Most commercials can get pretty annoying but the good news is that many free streaming platforms' ad breaks aren't as long as broadcast television's. However, if they take too long for your patience then those are perfect times to go get a snack, check your latest text messages or, in the case of the movies I’ve listed here, maybe even glance through the book that movie’s based on to see how closely it sticks to the original story. Yes, is a list of 13 of the best horror movies based on books and that are perfect for free Halloween viewing! Some of these films I've discussed in past Book-To-Movie reviews and so, in case you want more details about them, I’ve provided the links.  

13 Horror Movies Based on Books for Free Halloween Viewing  

1) “The Pit and the Pendulum”, 1961, streaming on Tubi and Pluto: Loosely based on Edgar Allen Poe's short story of the same name, the owner of a castle (Vincent Price) believes he is cursed for the evil deeds of his dead Inquisitionist father and haunted by the spirit of his late wife. 

2) “Nosferatu”, 1922, Tubi and Pluto: The German Expression film version of Bram Stoker’s gothic novel, “Dracula”, with some name changes of the characters. It released nearly 10 years before Bela Lugosi’s version making it truly the original movie adaptation of the novel. 

3) “Dracula”, 1931, Tubi (also in Spanish): The original sound film of Bram Stoker's novel that’s been so easily mistaken for the original film version of all time.

4) “Frankenstein”, 1931, Tubi: The same year Universal Studios released “Dracula”, they also came out with this movie based on that other classic gothic novel which was written by Mary Shelley. 

5) “The Bride of Frankenstein”, 1935, Tubi: One of the many sequels of  the above listed movie, particularly based on a scene from the novel "Frankenstein". This is for those lovers who want to celebrate Halloween with some dark romance. But be forewarned, it ends in tragedy (like "Frankenstein"). 

6) “Interview with the Vampire”, 1994, Tubi: Based on the late Anne Rice's best-seller of the same name. A 200-year-old vampire gives an account of how he was made into the living dead and how he came to regret the eternal "life" he was given. Although he tells his story in modern day San Francisco, much of the movie is set in colonial Louisiana and so can be considered a period film.

7) “The Witches of Eastwick”, 1987, Tubi: A horror comedy based on a novel by John Updike about three New England women who use magic to try and restore their lives to normal. 

8) “Count Dracula”, 1970, Tubi: Christopher Lee, my favourite Dracula actor, plays the count in this one as he did in many Hammer horror films. However, this one isn't Hammer, it was produced by Spanish, Italian and German film companies. However, according to Tubi, this "may be the most faithful film adaptation of Bram Stoker's vampire classic". 

9) “The Last Man On Earth”, 1964, Tubi and Pluto: Based on Richard Matheson’s 1954 novel, "I am Legend", this movie is set in a near post-apocalyptic future, after a deadly plague has wiped out humanity. The only ones who appear to be left on the earth is a scientist (Vincent Price) and the plague's victims--vampires who he must constantly defend himself from. 

10) “Phantom of the Opera”, 1925, on Tubi: The silent, original movie based on Gaston Leroux's gothic novel of the same name (considering the translation from the French, that is). This has to be the best of all the movie versions since nothing can match Lon Chaney's ghoulish and terrifying grin as he plays the Phantom. (Except maybe William Finley's in "Phantom of the Paradise", but that's a different story, or more like a different version of the story, to discuss in a future post.) 

11) Children of the Corn, 1984, Tubi: Based on a short story by Stephen King, a young couple are stranded in a rural town where no adults can be found, only children--who are worshippers of an evil fertility cult. 

12) “The Fall of the House of User”, 1960, YouTube (under the “Movies & Shows” category): The Edgar Allen Poe short story of the same name this movie is based on has popularly been a classic read for Halloween. So why shouldn't the movie be? Vincent Price plays the patriarchal heir to the Usher family mansion--and curse.

13) “Silence of the Lambs”, 1991, Pluto: Based on a novel by Thomas Harris, former Disney teen star Jodie Foster plays an FBI agent who recruits a cannibalistic serial killer (Sir Anthony Hopkins) to track down another serial killer. In my opinion, this is more of a crime/suspense film than a horror one, but many people considered it horror and so if you like horror movies about serial killers you'll probably like this one. 

If you can think of any more horror movies based on books that would are ideal viewing for Halloween, free or otherwise, please list them in the box below! Which horror movies will you be or have been watching for this Halloween season?

Until next time . . .