Our Favorite Free Movies on YouTube (July 2024)

We've got inspiration, horror, and and suspense all queued up for you

It isn't always easy to find good, free movies online. Most recent blockbuster films usually cost a rental fee on popular streaming sites. Thankfully, many free movies are on YouTube if you know where to look.

The easiest way to find free movies on YouTube is to visit the Movies and Shows section. This page is where all the available moves are organized. Many are fee-based, but there's an entire "Free" section with a library of movies you can watch.

01
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Godzilla (1954): The Radioactive Monster's Terrifying Debut

Godzilla (1954)

Toho Co. Ltd.

IMDb rating: 7.5/10

Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi

Starring: Takashi Shimura, Akihiko Hirata, Akira Takarada

Director: Ishirô Honda

Motion Picture Rating: NR

Running Time: 1 hour, 36 minutes

2023's Godzilla Minus One reignited some interest in the older Japanese films about the radioactive monster. You can't do much better than the 1954 original, which is not only beautifully shot and conceived but it also surprisingly scary.

Forget every silly gif you've ever seen of Godzilla doing a dance or dropkicking a monster from several miles away. Godzilla shows the King of Monsters at his most terrifying. The stark, black-and-white photography and impressive creature design will make you forget you're looking at a person in a suit.

02
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Labyrinth (1986): David Bowie and Jim Henson Bring the (Dance) Magic

Labyrinth (1986)

IMDb rating: 7.3/10

Genre: Adventure, Family, Fantasy

Starring: David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly

Director: Jim Henson

Motion Picture Rating: PG

Running Time: 1 hour, 41 minutes

Labyrinth tells a simple story: Sarah (Connelly) makes a careless wish that her baby brother would go away, and Jareth the Goblin King (Bowie) is happy to grant it.

What follows is one of Muppets creator Jim Henson's most ambitious and creative films as Sarah travels through the eponymous maze to get her brother back. Bowie performs several songs, and the creature design is top-notch.

03
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Life of a King (2013): Most Inspirational Redemption Story

Screenshot of Life of a King

IMDb rating: 6.9/10

Genre:  Drama 

Starring:  Cuba Gooding Jr., Dennis Haysbert, George Dick

Director: Jake Goldberger

Motion Picture Rating: PG-13

Running Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

Cuba Gooding Jr. plays Eugene Brown, an ex-convict who goes to work for the Washington, D.C. school system after finishing his prison sentence. This true story details how Eugene inspired inner-city teenagers by using chess as an analogy for life itself.

Eugene's competed against some of the best high-school chess players in the country. This movie details the trials and setbacks Eugene faced as he worked to help his students understand what it truly means to be a king in all aspects of their lives.

04
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Children of the Corn (1984): Corniest Stephen King Triller

Children of the Corn (1984)
New World Pictures

IMDb rating: 5.6/10

Genre:  Horror, Thriller

Starring: Peter Horton, Linda Hamilton, R.G. Armstrong

Director: Fritz Kiersch

Motion Picture Rating: R

Running Time: 1 hour, 52 minutes

On their way to the big city, Vicky (Linda Hamilton) and Burt (Peter Horton) pass through a rural town with no adults. When they make the mistake of trying to help one of the orphaned children, the couple is captured by a cult of killer kids.

By modern standards, Children of the Corn is funnier than it is scary, but it's still worth watching for the timeless performance by John Franklin as leader of the corn cult.

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The Last Descent (2016): Best True Tragedy Movie

Explorers in a cave in The Last Descent (2016)

YouTube

IMDb rating: 5.5/10

Genre: Drama

Starring: Chadwick Hopson, Alexis Johnson, Landon Henneman 

Director: Isaac Halasima

Motion Picture Rating: PG

Running Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes

The Last Descent is the story of John Jones (played by Chadwick Hopson) and his adventures with a friend in the Nutty Putty Cave in Utah. During their trip, John became wedged in an 18-inch hole 150 feet under the ground. This movie details the many attempts of rescue crews to free John from the cave.

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