In an era where streaming services dominate the entertainment landscape, Tubi stands out by offering a diverse and expansive library of films at no cost to its users. With its eclectic mix of genres and eras, Tubi presents a unique opportunity for movie enthusiasts to explore hidden gems and revisit classics. Clearly curated by true cinephiles, their catalogue promises not just entertainment, but a broadened cinematic horizon. Whether you’re a fan of indie flicks, blockbuster hits, or cult classics, Tubi’s extensive library ensures that there’s always something new and exciting to watch. Join us as we delve into the adventure of watching a movie a week on Tubi, where hopefully you find your new favorite movie or at least an interesting gem worth recommending.
Il Demonio (1963)
Horror fans hate the term “elevated horror” because they know critics only use it to describe a two decade old window. Elevated horror implies it is a movie head and shoulders better than most in terms of its quality and subject matter. Basically, it’s not a mindless slasher or gratuitous torture porn, two genres born from the early ’80s and that died out well before the ’10s. It’s a ridiculous dismissal of every other decade of horror that produced high quality horror on the regular. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to shine a light on a refreshing slow burn horror that focuses more on vibes, atmosphere and tone over jump scares, splatter effects and non-stop nudity but it’s disingenuous to suggest it’s an anomaly. Horror has always been elevated. Case in point: Il Demonio (aka The Demon), a blistering commentary on patriarchy and misogyny that feels like an A24 film made fifty years before the studio existed. Set in a remote village in Southern Italy, The Demon follows Purificata (Daliah Lavi), a young woman who is ostracized by her community and accused of being possessed by the devil after her love for a local man is rejected. At its core, The Demon is a film about the destructive power of superstition and the persecution of those who do not conform to societal norms. Purificata’s suffering can be seen as a symbol of the broader plight of women who are marginalized and demonized for their desires and independence. The film explores the thin line between religious devotion and fanaticism, as the villagers’ fervent belief in the supernatural leads them to commit acts of cruelty in the name of righteousness. If you’re like me and you run every time you hear the words “Italian horror” because you know that means slow and nonsensical, give this one a shot. It’s what Italian horror should’ve been, instead of beautiful but boring giallos and interminable supernatural films.
Butterfly Kisses (2018)
A found footage horror film that adds an interesting twist to the genre by blending it with a mockumentary format, Butterfly Kisses plays with themes of obsession, urban legends, and the blurred lines between reality and fiction while offering a brand new monster with its own unique mythology. A filmmaker discovers a box of videotapes in an abandoned basement. The tapes were recorded by a pair of film student who were working on a documentary about a local urban legend known as “Peeping Tom.” According to the legend, Peeping Tom is a supernatural entity that can be summoned by staring down a particular stretch of the Ilchester Tunnel for an hour without blinking. Once summoned, the entity relentlessly follows its victim, getting closer with each blink until it finally kills them. Butterfly Kisses uses a unique narrative structure that alternates between the found footage of the student filmmakers and the mockumentary-style footage of the filmmaker’s investigation. This dual approach allows the film to explore the concept of unreliable narrators and the manipulation of media. The student film footage is definitely the A plot and stronger of the two storylines. Watching the two characters grow increasingly more desperate in their quest to get break the curse they brought upon themselves is tense and frightening. Seeing Peeping Tom get closer and closer to them in the footage they’re shooting will have you scanning every frame like a terrifying game of Where’s Waldo? That is until he’s so close, there’s no need to look for him because he’s no longer hiding, he’s right there.
The World of Kanako (2014)
The beauty of Letterboxd is the way it allows clever people to perfectly described a movie with the fewest words possible. It’s a great platform for long form reviews, stream of consciousness reviews and jokes disguised as reviews but my favorite are the ones that boil a film’s essence down to its brass tacks in a brief paragraph. When it comes to describing The World of Kanako, not even the best critics like Pauline Kael, known for their verbose vocabulary and novel length reviews could do better than this: “Imagine Twin Peaks Fire Walk With Me but with Harvey Keitel’s character from Bad Lieutenant as both Leland Palmer and Agent Cooper and the whole thing takes place in the clawhammer fight hallway from OldBoy.” If you haven’t seen those movies, you don’t need to know anything more about the film to know whether or not you’re in and if you’ve seen this movie, you know how accurate that review is.
If you haven’t seen those films, imagine the most relentless, unpleasant journey through a sweaty, hell lead by an abusive, alcoholic demon. There are no heroes here, only various shades of awful people. A dark, twisted, and visually striking thriller that dives into the underbelly of human depravity, The World of Kanako follows Akikazu Fujishima (Kōji Yakusho, a million miles away from his character in Cure), a former detective with a violent and self-destructive streak, as he searches for his missing teenage daughter, Kanako (Nana Komatsu). As he delves deeper into her life, he uncovers shocking truths about her secretive and dangerous world. The film is structured as a non-linear narrative, jumping between past and present, as Akikazu’s investigation reveals the dark corners of his daughter’s life and the people surrounding her. The more that’s revealed, the more you’ll want to take a shower. If 8mm made you uncomfortable, stay far away from this because it makes that look like Sesame Street by comparison.
All Eyes (2022)
I predict that in the next five years, every protagonist in every horror movie will either be a podcaster, YouTuber or streamer. Since those are the most popular careers for Generation Alpha, we’re about to get bombarded with a ton of movies about them. We’ve had a couple of great ones already (Deadstream is definitely a highlight), with All Eyes being one of the better examples. A disgraced podcast host (Jasper Hammer) who, after a public scandal, is looking for redemption. He gets an opportunity to make a comeback when a mysterious caller invites him to a remote farm with a bizarre proposition: to document the hunt for a creature that the caller believes is responsible for his wife’s death. As he arrives at the isolated farm, owned by a strange and grieving widower named Don (played by Ben Hall), he begins to suspect that there’s more to the story than he was told. The creature, described as a massive and dangerous entity lurking in the surrounding woods, becomes the focal point of their tense and eerie interactions. As the hunt progresses, the lines between reality and madness blur, leading to a tense and psychological showdown. Filled with twists and turns and unexpected moments, All Eyes does a lot with a bare bones premise.
Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell (1995)
I believe the only way to properly homage Raimi, is to do it with zero money. The Evil Dead is beloved because of the passion and ingenuity that went into making it. Everyone who saw it recognized that this was made by friends in the woods with more talent than money. Even the sequel, which had a much bigger budget, was still made for pennies compared to everything else at that time. That’s the exact reason people respond to Dead Alive or Demon Wind, no money but endless invention. That’s exactly why Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell works as well. It’s a loving homage made by a passionate fan with no means. Just like the Raimi film its drawing inspiration from, The film’s plot is as straightforward as they come: a bodybuilder named Shinji, accompanied by his ex-girlfriend and a psychic, enters a haunted house where they are confronted by vengeful spirits. As the spirits begin to possess and attack them, Shinji uses his strength and determination to fight back in increasingly absurd and bloody ways. It’s not original, it runs just over an hour and it’s shot on video but it’s so fun, those are all perks, not bugs.
These are our Tubi Movies of the Week. Have you seen any of them? Did you watch them on Tubi? Sound off in the comments!
