Editorials
10 Essential Vincent Price Horror Films to Revisit for Halloween
The legendary Vincent Price had a prolific career. With over 200 credits in film and television that spanned all genres, Price also appeared on stage and radio. He was an avid art collector and food connoisseur, too- he even taught Elvira how to cook fish in the dishwasher. Above all, though, Vincent Price was and is a horror icon.
While there’s never a bad time to dig into Price’s horror filmography, the Halloween season is an especially great period to revisit some of the horror films that solidified the actor’s rank as one of the best horror icons of all time. If you don’t know where to begin, we’ve got you covered.
Here are some essential Vincent Price horror movies and short films to add to your Halloween watchlists.
House of Wax (1953)
One of the biggest hits of 1953, this was the horror film that revitalized Price’s career. Especially in horror. His turn as lead Professor Henry Jarrod, a wax museum owner turned vengeance seeker, caused him to become high in demand for similarly fiendish villain roles. Andre DeToth’s film is a classic through and through, with or without 3D, but it’s an absolute highlight in Price’s horror career.
The Fly (1958)
A horror classic. The plot follows scientist Andre Delambre (David Hedison), who has a horrific accident when a fly enters his experimental matter transporter device. While the film initially indicates his murder, with his wife to blame, it backtracks to explain what really happened thanks to the craftiness of Andre’s brother François, played by Price. His character returns in the sequel as well, Return of the Fly.
House on Haunted Hill (1959)
I suppose if you only have time to watch one of these movies, make it this one. It’s the 60th anniversary of the film’s release, after all. Price plays Frederick Loren, an eccentric millionaire who invites five people to his wife’s birthday party set at a haunted mansion. If the guests stay the entire night, he’ll give them $10,000. Directed by William Castle, king of the gimmick, the film is known for its promotion of “Emergo,” a pulley system installed in theaters that allowed a skeleton to float above the audience. But it’s a great movie on its own merit.
The Last Man on Earth (1964)
There have been many adaptations of Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend throughout the decades, and this one is among the absolute best. Price stars as Dr. Robert Morgan, a scientist and reluctant vampire hunter. As the title indicates, he’s the last man on Earth after a mysterious plague has turned humanity into zombie-like vampires. While there are deviations from the novel, it’s still a solid adaptation with Price turning in a fantastic performance as the sole survivor coping with the despair and terror.
The Masque of the Red Death (1964)
Price was a prominent fixture during Roger Corman’s Edgar Allan Poe cycle, which kicked off with the popular House of Usher. Any one of them would make for a great pick, but Corman felt “The Masque of the Red Death” was one of Poe’s best short stories. It’s also arguably the best of Corman’s Poe films. Atmospheric and twisted, this film lets Price loose as Prince Prospero, a particularly cruel ruler and Satanist. He gleefully terrorizes his peasants, and leaves them to die when a mysterious plague sweeps the land. Instead, he uses his castle as a fortress to block out the plague.
Witchfinder General (1968)
Of all the films on this list, Witchfinder General is the most unnerving. It’s Price at his most terrifying; there’s not a trace of camp to be found in his turn as Matthew Hopkins, an English witch-hunter that takes advantage of his position to terrorize villages. He wasn’t director Michael Reeves’ choice for the role therefore production was rife with tension between them, but it resulted in a deadly serious performance that Price considered one of his all time best. He’s absolutely correct in that assessment.
The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)
Price plays the titular Dr. Phibes, a famous concert organist thought to have died in a car crash. He’d been racing home after learning his wife died during surgery. He survived the crash, but was left horribly disfigured. He subsequently crafts an elaborate plan of revenge upon his wife’s surgeons. A setup that sounds far more serious than it actually is; Dr. Phibes is a tongue in cheek horror-comedy. Heavily stylized but with gleefully elaborate deaths and Price scene-chewing like a pro. It’s great.
The Monster Club (1981)
This musical horror anthology directed by Roy Ward Baker stars Price as Eramus. Eramus is a starving vampire who feeds off of an author (John Carradine) he meets on the street. In return for the snack, he invites the author to a Monster Club, a gathering place for all supernatural creatures, and tells him three tales of terror. Featuring no shortage of horror vets, like Donald Pleasence, this anthology has something for everyone. Most of all it has a catchy soundtrack, fun visuals, and Price having a ball.
Vincent (1982)
Tim Burton’s stop-motion animation film is the poem/story of young Vincent Malloy, who annoys his mother with macabre dreams of being just like Vincent Price. Price, a lifelong inspiration to Burton, narrates. This short forged the working relationship that caused Price to later appear in Edward Scissorhands, but that film is best suited for winter viewing.
Michael Jackson’s Thriller (1983)
Directed by John Landis, this 13-minute music video for “Thriller” sees the popstar on a date to the movies. It’s all fun and romance until a horde of zombies show up. Price doesn’t appear, but he does lend his recognizable voice to the rap interlude that ends with his maniacal laugh. Short, sweet, and memorable. A fun-sized Halloween treat.
A new month means a new guide as titles are added (and dropped) from streaming services. Let’s unpack the most exciting titles that are available to watch on Tubi in July 2026.
New to Tubi July Horror Films
Deep Blue Sea (1999)
- Premise: Searching for a cure to Alzheimer’s disease, a group of scientists on an isolated research facility become the prey as a trio of intelligent sharks fight back.
- Why Watch It? Let’s be frank: Director Renny Harlin has made some absolute dogs in the last few years (the less said about The Strangers trilogy the better, though this year’s Deep Water was actually ok). Deep Blue Sea remains one of the Finnish director’s best contemporary efforts, though. Between the great cast (Samuel L. Jackson, Saffron Burrows, Stellan Skarsgård, Michael Rapaport, LL Cool J, Thomas Jane, and Jane’s sleeveless wetsuit), the ridiculous premise, and that damn/dumb song (“My hat is like a shark’s fin”), you basically can’t go wrong with Deep Blue Sea. It’s one of two great shark films gliding onto Tubi this month, so why not stay out of the water and watch this instead?
- Streaming: July 1
Exorcist II: Heretic (1977)
- Premise: Reagan (Linda Blair), a girl once possessed by a demon, finds that it still lurks within her. Meanwhile, Father Lamont (Richard Burton) investigates the death of the priest who performed her exorcism.
- Why Watch It? August sees the release of documentary Boorman and the Devil, which is about the troubled production of this sequel. The notoriety surrounding Heretic has undoubtedly kept plenty of horror fans away from the sequel, but this truly is a “seeing is believing” kind of film. Real talk: it’s undeniably a disaster, but the John Boorman film has also become a minor cult film. Don’t you want to see it to make up your own mind?
- Streaming: July 1
Hostel: Part III (2011)
- Premise: Four men attending a bachelor party in Las Vegas fall prey to the Elite Hunting Club, who are hosting a gruesome game show of torture.
- Why Watch It? What does Hostel look like without Eli Roth? Part III kinda answers the question. Technically Roth is still a writer, but he hands over the directorial reins to Scott Spiegel (best known for acting in Evil Dead films). The result is a film with a terrible pedigree; it’s also the first (and last) entry to skip theatres before the franchise was permanently shelved (until that TV show with Paul Giamatti shows up?). For some horror fans, however, there’s something exciting about a bad low-budget sequel. Just bear in mind that the Hostel: Part III‘s biggest star is Kip Pardue…so adjust your expectations accordingly before hitting play.
- Streaming: July 1
Insidious 1-3 (2010/2013/2015)
- Premise: A family looks to prevent evil spirits from trapping their comatose child in a realm called The Further.
- Why Watch It? It’s hard to believe that the sixth (!) Insidious movie is coming out in a month and a half, but James Wan and Leigh Whannell‘s other horror franchise has been steadily chugging along for sixteen years. It’s a shame that Tubi doesn’t have all five films available to watch, but in terms of quality, you can do far worse than the original trio. The first film is iconic, and the second is basically an extended coda (with some admittedly problematic stuff going on). I’ll go to bat for Whannell’s 2015 directorial debut, though: there’s a few banger sequences in that film that people slept on.
- Streaming: July 1
Man Finds Tape (2025)
- Premise: After finding mysterious video clips, siblings investigate the strange recordings and uncover a disturbing secret spreading through their Texas town.
- Why Watch It? Writer/directors Paul Gandersman and Peter S. Hall‘s well-received found footage film did an extensive tour of the festival circuit, so now is a great time to check out one of the most contemporary titles debuting on Tubi this month. Surely a title that hails from producers Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (Spring and The Endless) is worth a free look?
- Streaming: July 2
Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)
- Premise: A depressed musician Adam (Tom Hiddleston) reunites with his lover Eve (Tilda Swinton). However, their romance, which has already endured several centuries, is disrupted by the arrival of her uncontrollable younger sister Ava (Mia Wasikowska).
- Why Watch It? This beautiful, melancholy vampire film is courtesy of writer/director Jim Jarmusch, who doesn’t often dabble in genre fare. As always, some will quibble if this artsy drama qualifies as horror, but the existential ennui of an eternal life certainly qualifies (bonus: there’s also something inherently sexy about watching Hiddleston and Swinton just lay about). Plus: if Leviticus has you hankering for more Wasikowska, this is an under the radar pick.
- Streaming: July 1
The Shallows (2016)
- Premise:A mere 200 yards from shore, surfer Nancy (Blake Lively) is attacked by a great white shark, with her short journey to safety becoming the ultimate contest of wills.
- Why Watch It? What better time to watch a shark movie than July? The temperatures are soaring and the idea of escaping into the water is so tantalizing. This tight, contained thriller features a great performance by Lively (and that damn seagull!), but it’s the direction from genre fave Jaume Collet-Serra (Orphan; the House of Wax remake) that keeps the movie clicking along like clockwork. At 86 minutes, this is a perfect summer flick.
- Streaming: July 1
Vacancy (2007)
- Premise: Stranded in an isolated motel, a couple (Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale) become the unsuspecting subjects of a snuff film.
- Why Watch It? I’m not going to pretend that this Nimród Antal-directed home invasion film is high art, but it is a good time. You’ll likely wish there were deeper characterizations for Wilson and Beckinsale’s David and Amy in Mark L. Smith‘s screenplay, but this mid-aughts thriller is tense, exciting, and just the right amount of grimy. Plus: another short runtime, clocking in at an expeditious 85 minutes!
- Streaming: July 1
July Tubi Originals
The One Next Door (2026)
- Premise: When a mysterious stranger moves in next door to Robert and Tabitha, boundaries are tested, loyalty is questioned, and danger comes for all.
- Streaming: July 10
I Know Where You Live (2026)
- Premise: Sarah thinks she’s found “the one” until his flaws emerge. When she pulls away, chilling threats suggest he’s watching her from inside her own home.
- Streaming: July 24
What’s your favorite from the list above? Will you check out the new Original? Sound off in the comments below
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