How to watch essential cinema without spending a dime.

The best movies streaming on Fandango at Home (formerly Vudu)

How to watch essential cinema without spending a dime.

By Kevin Jacobsen

and Robert English

April 22, 2026 10:00 a.m. ET

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A walker in 'Night of the Living Dead'; Brie Larson as Grace Howard and Kaitlyn Dever as Jayden Cole in 'Short Term 12'; Martin Sheen as U.S. Army Captain Benjamin L. Willard in 'Apocalypse Now'. Credit:

Mary Evans/Ronald Grant/Everett; Cinedigm/Courtesy Everett; United Artists/Courtesy Everett

Fandango at Home isn't just a one-stop shop to rent movies. The streamer, formerly known as Vudu, also has a huge selection of flicks you can watch free with ads, including several acclaimed films released this decade.

Among Fandango at Home's free-with-ads offerings are Oscar-nominated films like *Tár* (2022), classic screwball comedies such as *His Girl Friday* (1940), and first-rate indie dramas like *Short Term 12* (2013). There's also a strong bench of horror titles, including *Night of the Living Dead* (1968), for when you're in the mood for some late-night scares.

Ahead, we've compiled a list of the best movies currently streaming for free with ads on Fandango at Home.**

Apocalypse Now (1979)

Martin Sheen as U.S. Army Captain Benjamin L. Willard (center) in 'Apocalypse Now'.

Zoetrope Studios/United Artist/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty

Joseph Conrad probably didn't picture his novel *Heart of Darkness* becoming one of the greatest war movies of all time, yet, he would have been wrong. Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 magnum opus is an excellent adaptation of the novel into the contemporary mode. Martin Sheen stars as a U.S. Army officer charged with traveling into Cambodia during the Vietnam War to assassinate a renegade colonel, played by Marlon Brando.

EW's critic calls *Apocalypse Now* "the final artistically committed big movie of the 1970s American New Wave before the tsunami of post-*Star Wars* commercial pop inundated the marketplace." *Apocalypse Now* is dark, gritty, and grandiose, an intimate look at "the horror, the horror," of war. —*Robert English*

Where to watch *Apocalypse Now*: Fandango at Home

**Director:** Francis Ford Coppola

**Cast:** Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Laurence Fishburne, Dennis Hopper

The Girl With All the Gifts (2016)

Sennia Nanua as Melanie in 'The Girl With All the Gifts'.

Aimee Spinks/Saban Films/Courtesy Everett Collection

Based on the novel by Mike Carey, this suspenseful sci-fi thriller is a strong entry in the zombie subgenre. Newcomer Sennia Nanua stars as Melanie, the titular girl who is the key to developing a vaccine in the ongoing fight against a parasitic zombie pandemic. Gemma Arterton, Paddy Considine, and Glenn Close costar as a teacher, soldier, and doctor, respectively, who try to protect Melanie amid the ongoing struggle. EW's critic praises *The Girl With All the Gifts* for its "inventive world-building and giddy shocks." —*K.J.*

Where to watch *The Girl With All the Gifts*: Fandango at Home

**EW grade:** B+

**Director:** Colm McCarthy

**Cast:** Gemma Arterton, Paddy Considine, Glenn Close, Sennia Nanua

His Girl Friday (1940)

Ralph Bellamy as Bruce Baldwin, Cary Grant as Walter Burns, and Rosalind Russell as Hildy Johnson in 'His Girl Friday'. Everett Collection

In this classic, charming romantic comedy, Cary Grant plays a newspaper editor who uses every trick in the book to keep his fast-talking ex-wife (Rosalind Russell), also a reporter for the paper, from remarrying. At the time of its release, *His Girl Friday* was innovative for its sound design, being one of the earliest films to feature overlapping dialogue that is now commonplace in the industry. Beyond the historical nature of the film, it’s one of the top-ranked American comedies — coming in at No. 19 on AFI’s 100 Years...100 Laughs list — and one every movie lover should check out. —*R.E.*

Where to watch *His Girl Friday*: Fandango at Home

**Director:** Howard Hawks

**Cast:** Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell, Ralph Bellamy

The Last Seduction (1994)

Linda Fiorentino as Bridget Gregory in 'The Last Seduction'.

Elizabeth Annas/ITV Global/Kobal Collection

Linda Fiorentino delivers an unforgettable performance in this darkly humorous erotic thriller. Her Bridget is the ultimate femme fatale, a sociopathic woman who steals money from her husband and starts over fresh in a small town, where she manipulates a local man into doing her bidding — which may just so happen to involve killing her spouse. *The Last Seduction* is pure pulpy fun with a fearless performance at its center from which you cannot look away, no matter how hard you try. —*K.J.*

Where to watch *The Last Seduction*: Fandango at Home

**Director:** John Dahl

**Cast:** Linda Fiorentino, Peter Berg, Bill Pullman

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

The cast of 'Night of the Living Dead' as various zombies.

This indie horror classic helped shape our modern perception of zombies — not bad for a film made on a budget of about $100,000. Duane Jones stars as Ben, who joins a group of strangers in seeking shelter at a farmhouse as the walking dead descend upon them. Often interpreted as a metaphor for Vietnam War-era paranoia, the film makes it such a fascinating commentary on the times. But historical context be damned, *Night of the Living Dead* is a terrifying thriller regardless, one that taps into primal fears better than many modern features. —*K.J.*

Where to watch *Night of the Living Dead*: Fandango at Home

**EW grade:** A+

**Director:** George Romero

**Cast:** Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, Karl Hardman, Marilyn Eastman, Judith Ridley

On Golden Pond (1981)

Henry Fonda as Norman Thayer and Katharine Hepburn as Ethel Thayer in 'On Golden Pond'.

Universal Pictures/Everett Collection

Father-daughter duo Henry and Jane Fonda work out their offscreen differences onscreen in this beloved Oscar-winning drama. Add in Katharine Hepburn as the elder Fonda’s spirited wife, and you have a recipe for success. The film centers on Norman (Henry) and Ethel (Hepburn), an elderly couple vacationing at their summer home as they care for their daughter Chelsea’s (Jane) fiancé’s precocious son while they’re away. When Chelsea returns, she feels mixed emotions upon realizing the boy has developed a closer relationship with her father than she ever did. Lighthearted yet infused with meta layers of meaning, *On Golden Pond* is an easy afternoon watch anchored by three acting titans. —*K.J.*

Where to watch *On Golden Pond*: Fandango at Home

**Director:** Mark Rydell

**Cast:** Katharine Hepburn, Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda

Requiem for a Dream (2000)

Jennifer Connelly as Marion Silver and Jared Leto as Harry Goldfarb in 'Requiem for a Dream'.

Artisan Entertainment/Everett

One of the true exemplars of hopeless cinema, this wrenching indie drama follows four people whose interconnected lives are irrevocably changed by drug addiction. Harry (Jared Leto), his girlfriend Marion (Jennifer Connelly), and their friend Tyrone (Marlon Wayans) use heroin, while Harry's mother Sara (Ellen Burstyn, in a stunning Oscar-nominated performance), takes dangerous diet pills with dire consequences. As each tries to achieve their respective dreams, their substance abuses cause them to spiral into despair with little hope for the future. Devastating yet engrossing due to its fully committed performances, *Requiem for a Dream* is one of the most powerful anti-drug films ever made. —*K.J.***** Where to watch *Requiem for a Dream*: Fandango at Home******EW grade:** A******Director:** Darren Aronofsky******Cast:** Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans

Short Term 12 (2013)

Brie Larson as Grace Howard and LaKeith Stanfield as Marcus in 'Short Term 12'. Brett Pawlak

Brie Larson stars in this powerful drama as Grace, a staff member at a residential treatment facility for kids, who navigates their troubled lives while dealing with an intense week of personal struggles. Adapted from a short film of the same name, *Short Term 12* is the rare kind of movie that strikes resounding emotional chords without milking it for exploitative effect. All the performers, big and small, are given time to shine and revel in the laid-bare acting: LaKeith Stanfield’s heart-wrenching rap; Kaitlyn Dever’s path to opening her heart; Rami Malek’s shaky first time on the job with a tender moment of helping a heartbroken patient; and Larson’s incredible strength while facing life-changing obstacles. —*R.E.*

Where to watch *Short Term 12*: Fandango at Home

**Director:** Destin Daniel Cretton

**Cast:** Brie Larson, John Gallagher Jr., Kaitlyn Dever, Rami Malek, LaKeith Stanfield

Tár (2022)

Cate Blanchett as Lydia Tár in 'Tár'. Focus Features

Cate Blanchett and writer-director Todd Field deliver a well-realized portrait of an acclaimed conductor in this compelling psychological drama. The film follows Lydia Tár (Blanchett), an EGOT-winning, egotistical conductor whose comfortable life gradually falls apart in the wake of sexual misconduct accusations. It's an evocative, surprisingly funny character study so rich in detail that you'd be forgiven for assuming it's based on a real person. EW's critic calls *Tár* "a towering monolith of a movie rooted in an extraordinary, shattering performance." —*K.J.*

Where to watch *Tár*: Fandango at Home

**EW grade:** A

**Director:** Todd Field

**Cast:** Cate Blanchett, Noémie Merlant, Nina Hoss, Sophie Kauer, Mark Strong

- Movie Reviews & Recommendations

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Movie”