It’s becoming a lot harder to find quality films that you can stream for free. Almost every streaming service asks viewers to sign up or pay money to watch their vast libraries. Fortunately, frugal-minded consumers have another option: YouTube. The Google-owned video site has a selection of free movies and TV shows that rotates every month, even though Google does very little to promote this. Regardless, you can find some top Hollywood films here, but usually only for a limited time. So now that you know where to look, check out the best free movies that you can watch on YouTube right now. Because at the end of the month, many of these titles will be gone.
Looking for more stuff you can watch for free? Check out our guides to the best free shows on YouTube and the best sites for watching free movies online.
Recently added to YouTube
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Chronicle2012 -
Shaolin Soccer2001
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Corpse Bride2005
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The Last Unicorn1982
Chronicle (2012) new
84m
Genre
Science Fiction, Drama, Thriller
Stars
Dane DeHaan, Alex Russell, Michael B. Jordan
Directed by
Josh Trank
How do you make a superhero flick into a found-footage film? Josh Trank’s Chronicle solves that quandary by letting the story’s subjects film themselves as their lives are changed forever. Dane DeHaan stars as Andrew Detmer, a put-upon high school student who lives in despair until he and two other students, Matt Garetty (Alex Russell) and Steve Montgomery (Michael B. Jordan), are exposed to otherworldly forces that grant them telekinetic powers. The trio put their new abilities to the test, but Andrew soon finds himself losing to the temptation to do more. When Andrew goes too far, it falls to his friends to confront him before events spiral out of control.
Shaolin Soccer (2001) new
113m
Genre
Action, Comedy
Stars
Stephen Chow, Zhao Wei, Ng Man-tat
Directed by
Stephen Chow
Shaolin Soccer is one of the most widely known kung fu movies in America, largely because it is freakin’ wild. Stephen Chow as Sing, a former Shaolin monk who wants to popularize kung fu around the world. That’s why he recruits a few of his former Shaolin brothers to form a new super soccer team that can beat almost any rivals with their kung fu-inspired powers. Under the tutelage of a former player named Fung (Ng Man-tat), Sing’s team appears unbeatable even as he breaks the heart of Mui (Zhao Wei), a woman who has come to love him. But when Sing and his brothers face Team Evil on the soccer field, they discover that even their abilities can be overcome.
Corpse Bride (2005) new
77m
Genre
Romance, Fantasy, Animation
Stars
Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Emily Watson
Directed by
Tim Burton, Mike Johnson
If Corpse Bride gives you A Nightmare Before Christmas vibes, it’s not a coincidence. Tim Burton created and produced both stop-motion animated classics, but he actually co-directed Corpse Bride with Mike Johnson. The story follows Victor Van Dort (Johnny Depp), a young man in Victorian England who has been placed in an arranged marriage to Victoria Everglot (Emily Watson). Against the odds, Victor and Victoria actually love each other. But when Victor flubs the wedding rehearsal, he absentmindedly places the ring on a tree that was the final resting place of Emily (Helena Bonham Carter), who instantly awakens and claims Victor as her husband before spiriting him away to the land of the dead. Can Victor get back to Victoria without breaking Emily’s heart?
The Last Unicorn (1982) new
92m
Genre
Fantasy, Animation, Family, Adventure
Stars
Alan Arkin, Jeff Bridges, Mia Farrow
Directed by
Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin, Jr.
The Last Unicorn is often overlooked because it’s not a Disney animated film and it’s 40 years old this year. Trust us when we say that this is an animated classic that deserves to find a new audience. Mia Farrow stars as the titular unicorn, the last of her kind. After befriending a human magician named Schmendrick (Alan Arkin), he transforms her into a human girl to save her from a mystical red bull. As “Lady Amalthea” the unicorn discovers human emotions and needs, she falls for Prince Lir (Jeff Bridges), the son of the evil King Haggard (Christopher Lee). This forces the unicorn to question if she should give up her immortal existence in favor of loving a mortal man who will eventually die.
School of Rock (2003)
110m
Genre
Comedy, Music, Family
Stars
Jack Black, Joan Cusack, Mike White
Directed by
Richard Linklater
Jack Black’s experience in the band Tenacious D served him well in School of Rock, which cast him as Dewey Finn. After Dewey is dumped by his band and threatened with eviction, he impersonates his roommate, Ned Schneebly (Mike White), and lands a substitute teacher gig at a prep school called Horace Green. Although Dewey is not a natural teacher, he quickly notices that his new students are musically gifted. That’s why Dewey decides to recruit his entire fourth-grade class into a new rock band in the hopes of showing up his ex-band and winning a competition. Now, Dewey and his students just have to maintain the deception within the school before the battle of the bands.
A Fistful of Dollars (1964)
99m
Genre
Western
Stars
Clint Eastwood, Marianne Koch, Gian Maria Volonté
Directed by
Sergio Leone
Clint Eastwood may not have realized it at the time, but traveling to Europe to star in Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars is one of the reasons why Eastwood became iconic in the age of the Western. This was the first of three movies featuring Eastwood as the Man with No Name, an antihero who wanders into a border town controlled by two warring criminal families: The Rojos and the Baxters. The Man soon realizes that he can make more money by playing both families against each other. Unfortunately, the Man also places his own life in jeopardy when he helps a local woman named Marisol (Marianne Koch) escape from the Rojos’ custody.
Train to Busan (2016)
118m
Genre
Action, Horror, Thriller
Stars
Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi, Ma Dong-seok
Directed by
Yeon Sang-ho
Train To Busan is a Korean action film that may be the best zombie movie of the last 10 years. So much so that the American remake is already in the works, with the less memorable title of The Last Train To New York. In the original film, Seok-woo (Gong Yoo) regrets his personal failures as a father, which is why he takes his daughter, Su-an (Kim Su-an), on a trip to Busan to see his estranged ex-wife (and Su-an’s mom) on her birthday. Wouldn’t you know it, but a zombie plague breaks out on the bullet train right at the same time it’s happening everywhere else. But inside the train, there’s less room to run. Seok-woo, Su-an, and the others also come to realize that their fellow survivors may become threats as well.
The Illusionist (2006)
110m
Genre
Fantasy, Drama, Thriller, Romance
Stars
Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Biel
Directed by
Neil Burger
The Illusionist beat the similarly themed film, The Prestige, to theaters by about two months, but Christopher Nolan’s movie is the superior of the two. Regardless, The Illusionist has its charms, largely in the core trio of Edward Norton, Jessica Biel, and Paul Giamatti. When they were young, Eduard Abramovich (Nortan) and Duchess Sophie Von Teschen (Biel) had a passion for each other that was forbidden by her parents. Upon adulthood, Edward reinvented himself as Eisenheim The Illusionist and reunited with Sophie before she could be married to the malevolent Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell). When Sophie is murdered, Chief Inspector Walter Uhl (Giamatti) is unnerved when Eisenheim appears to be able to summon Sophie’s spirit at will.
Cube (1997)
90m
Genre
Thriller, Science Fiction, Mystery
Stars
Nicole de Boer, Nicky Guadagni, Maurice Dean Wint
Directed by
Vincenzo Natali
In the sci-fi thriller Cube, a group of strangers find themselves trapped in an enigmatic cube filled with death traps. Police officer Quentin McNeil (Maurice Dean Wint) takes the lead and compels Joan Leaven (Nicole de Boer), David Worth (David Hewlett), and Dr. Helen Holloway (Nicky Guadagni) to follow him. They soon encounter Kazan (Andrew Miller), a mentally disabled man whose brilliant mind may hold the key to escape. But as tempers flare, the group’s secrets begin to come out. And they may have more to fear from each other than from the cube itself.
The Secret of NIMH (1982)
82m
Genre
Family, Animation, Fantasy, Adventure
Stars
Derek Jacobi, Elizabeth Hartman, Arthur Malet
Directed by
Don Bluth
The Secret of NIMH is the darkest G-rated animated movie that you will ever see. Former Disney animator Don Bluth wanted to make his mark with his directorial debut, and he delivered with this classic. Elizabeth Hartman leads the movie as Mrs. Brisby, a widowed field mouse who is desperate to save her family and her home. To do so, she needs the help of Nicodemus (Derek Jacobi) and the rats of NIMH, all of whom have near-human level intelligence thanks to the experiments that were performed on them. The rats are also threatened by NIMH, and the malevolent Jenner (Paul Shenar), a rat guard who wants to seize their power for himself. To rescue her family, Mrs. Brisby must push herself to her absolute limits.
Z for Zachariah (2015)
97m
Genre
Science Fiction
Stars
Margot Robbie, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Chris Pine
Directed by
Craig Zobel
The adaptation of Z for Zachariah takes some liberties with Robert C. O’Brien’s novel while ramping up the sexual tension between Ann Burden (Margot Robbie) and John Loomis (Chiwetel Ejiofor). In a nuclear post-apocalypse, John finds sanctuary on Ann’s secluded farm. Over time, they become very close and intimate. But before their relationship can become a romance, a stranger named Caleb (Chris Pine) appears … and his connection with Ann cannot be denied. Can the trio coexist without jealousy destroying what little they have left in this world?
Dear Mr. Watterson (2013)
89m
Genre
Documentary
Stars
Seth Green, Berkeley Breathed, Stephan Pastis
Directed by
Joel Allen Schroeder
If you’ve never read the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, then you’ve missed out on one of the all-time greats. Writer and artist Bill Watterson ended his incredible creation in 1995 and stepped away from a life in public. Nearly a quarter century later, documentarian Joel Allen Schroeder’s film Dear Mr. Watterson explores the ongoing impact of Calvin and Hobbes even years after its conclusion. Don’t expect any on-camera interviews with Watterson himself. He was quite serious about not wanting to be a public figure any longer. But several of Watterson’s colleagues and admirers do share their perspective on his seminal work.
Fanboys (2009)
90m
Genre
Adventure, Comedy
Stars
Carrie Fisher, Christopher McDonald, Sam Huntington
Directed by
Kyle Newman
Fanboys is both a love letter to Star Wars and a spoof of all things sci-fi and fandom. Chris Marquette stars as Linus, a diehard Star Wars fan who has only months to live due to cancer. Since Linus won’t live long enough to see Star Wars: Episode 1, his friends Windows (Jay Baruchel), Harold “Hutch” Hutchinson (Dan Fogler), Eric Bottler (Sam Huntington), and Zoe (Kristen Bell) hatch a plan to break into Lucasfilm Ranch and screen the film for Linus. Along the way, their friendships are tested, and several familiar faces show up in unexpected roles.
More Streaming Roundups
Free to Play (2014)
75m
Genre
Documentary
Stars
Benedict Lim, Danil Ishutin, Clinton Loomis
Directed by
Valve Company
More than a year after the Overwatch League was founded, e-sports are still carving out a niche and establishing itself as a legitimate form of entertainment. Those who don’t game on a competitive level might not understand the level of dedication required for such endeavors, not to mention the physical and mental tolls placed on young players who train for hours on end each day. Free to Play, a documentary from game developer/distributor Valve Entertainment, focuses on two athletes and one coach who are competing in the 2011 International Defense of the Ancients (DotA) tournament. It explores the stresses the players are forced to deal with and deftly compares the struggles of e-sports athletes to those of traditional athletes.
Nosferatu (1922)
94m
Genre
Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Stars
Max Schreck, Gustav von Wangenheim, Greta Schröder
Directed by
F.W. Murnau
This silent adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula is often regarded as one of the most influential films in the history of cinema. After failing to acquire the proper rights to Dracula, German film studio Prana Film rebranded the legendary vampire as Count Orlok, and resorted to calling vampires “Nosferatu.” While it won’t scare the pants off you, director F.W. Murnau perfectly tells the story, harnessing the haunting atmosphere associated with German Impressionist cinema to great effect (in Nosferatu, you can see the influences of such seminal works as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari). Production designer Albin Grau birthed the film’s concept after speaking with a Serbian farmer who believed his father was one of the undead.
The General (1926)
79m
Genre
Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, War
Stars
Buster Keaton, Marion Mack, Glen Cavender
Directed by
Buster Keaton, Clyde Bruckman
While Charlie Chaplin remains a household name more than 40 years after his death, Buster Keaton is an oft-overlooked film pioneer, and one of the first true silent film stars. The General met mixed reviews and poor box office returns upon release in 1926 but has since become regarded as Keaton’s greatest film and an all-time classic. Adapted from Union soldier William Pittenger’s memoir, The Great Locomotive Chase, The General follows a Confederate train engineer forced into action after the father of his love interest (Marion Mack) is wounded in battle. The film includes two train chase scenes that proved to be the most expensive stunts ever in a silent movie, and features some impressive historical detail, all things considered.
Kung Fury (2015)
31m
Genre
Action, Comedy, Science Fiction, Fantasy
Stars
David Sandberg, Jorma Taccone, Leopold Nilsson
Directed by
David Sandberg
A rare example of a successful Kickstarter film, Kung Fury promised its backers a spectacular homage to ’80s action films, and it delivered. Director David Sandberg also plays the lead, Kung Fury, a detective who gained superhuman fighting abilities after being simultaneously struck by a bolt of lightning and bitten by a cobra. Kung Fury uses his supreme combat skills to clean up the filthy streets of Miami but faces his greatest challenge when no less a villain than Adolf Hitler (Jorma Taccone) arrives, intent on conquering all of time through his own mastery of kung fu. If it’s not apparent already, Kung Fury is a film that makes no attempts at seriousness. That’s not all, either; a full-length sequel is on its way, with Michael Fassbender, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and David Hasselhoff involved in varying capacities. Yeah.
Reefer Madness (Tell Your Children) (1936)
66m
Genre
Crime, Drama
Stars
Dorothy Short, Kenneth Craig, Lillian Miles
Directed by
Louis J. Gasnier
If you’ve never heard of Reefer Madness, you might be living under a rock. No matter your views on marijuana use, this absurd 1936 movie was made to “educate” young Americans on the dangers of drug abuse, but it’s actually a propaganda film produced by a church group and distributed by notorious exploitation producer Dwain Esper. In the film, pot abuse drives several young adults to violence, murder, and (of course) madness. In the end, Dr. Alfred Carroll (Josef Forte) breaks the fourth wall (uh, spoilers?) to warn viewers that their children might die after consuming marijuana. After a sort of reappearance in the 1970s, Reefer Madness took on a new life as a parody film for supporters of drug reform and cannabis legalization.
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
96m
Genre
Horror, Thriller
Stars
Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, Karl Hardman
Directed by
George A. Romero
A seminal entry for American horror cinema, George A. Romero’s classic horror movie follows seven people who find themselves trapped in Pennsylvania as the terrifying walking dead surround them. They have to try to survive without understanding the terror that lurks outside. The movie has been noted as the first zombie film, and its influences can be seen in everything from 28 Days Later to Shaun of the Dead. Romero’s debut — he wrote, directed, edited, and acted in the film — made him into a superstar, quickly revolutionizing the genre on a budget of a mere $114,000.
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