15 Horror Films Starring Donald Sutherland Streaming Right Now
Donald Sutherland was an immense talent. His recent death has sent many of us reaching for our favorite films that showcase his incredible range and impeccable skill. While he appeared in 141 movies, many leaned toward the macabre and dramatic. This makes it impossible to ignore his many contributions to the horror genre. A quick Google will turn up numerous thrillers and dark comedies that are part of his cinematic legacy.
It’s wild that many outlets think the youth only know him for his work on The Hunger Games. Don’t get me wrong, President Snow is one of the many characters who benefitted from Sutherland’s ability to find the complexity and heart of even the most unsettling villains. However, many of us latched onto his work long before that franchise was born. So, I’m making this conversation a streaming guide problem. Please check out this list of 15 horror movies streaming now starring the late and great Donald Sutherland.
Alone (2020)
Character: Edward
Where You Can Watch: Pluto TV and Tubi
An outbreak hits, stranding residents inside their apartment complex as the world falls apart. This zombie movie benefited from Donald Sutherland’s screen presence as the elderly neighbor foraging for food in the building. Because it came out in 2020, the theme of isolation was a little too soon for many of us who found it later.
An American Haunting (2005)
Character: John Bell
Where You Can Watch: Starz
Something haunts a family as their secrets come to light in the 19th century. A lot of people were not feeling this retelling of the Bell Witch. However, seeing Sutherland and Sissy Spacek in the same film still warms my cold little heart. Please note the content warnings if you check it out, as it does deal with child sexual abuse.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)
Character: Merrick
Where You Can Watch: VOD
A cheerleader learns she’s a vampire slayer. This is one of my earliest memories of Donald Sutherland. I know he was mostly known for his dramatic roles, but his Merrick was one of the most endearing parts of this movie. It filled me with glee to see him having so much fun in a horror comedy that saw a teenage girl kicking ass. He’s also why it took me a bit to warm up to Giles in the Buffy The Vampire Slayer series. After all, a girl never forgets her first watcher.
The Calling (2014)
Character: Father Price
Where You Can Watch: Tubi
A serial killer with a higher calling upsets a small town. If you missed Donald Sutherland playing the comforting Father with a secret, you should check this out. As usual, he gives the standout performance that helps pull you in. It takes way too long to decide if this is a good movie or if we are just all in on what Sutherland is giving.
Castle of the Living Dead (1964)
Character: Sgt. Paul
Where You Can Watch: Plex and Tubi
Count Drago conveniently forgets to mention that he mummifies people when he invites a band of entertainers to his castle. Not only is this one of Donald Sutherland’s first films, but it sees him in the same cast as Christopher Lee. What more could a horror nerd ask for?
Terror’s House of Horrors (1965)
Character: Dr. Bob Carroll
Where You Can Watch: Crackle, Plex, The Roku Channel, and Tubi
A fortune teller tells five passengers aboard a British train their futures. This anthology is another of Sutherland’s first films, which also happens to star Christopher Lee. Peter Cushing plays the fortune teller, Dr. Schreck, and I am so curious to see what tarot cards he pulled for each of them now that I own a few decks and have a bit more understanding of what is going on.
Fallen (1998)
Character: Lt. Stanton
Where You Can Watch: VOD
A homicide detective assumes that a serial killer’s reign of terror will end with his execution. But he’s sadly mistaken. I love this horror movie masquerading as a “supernatural thriller” because Denzel Washington rarely dabbles in our neighborhood. Seeing him share the screen with Donald Sutherland for even a few scenes sent me into orbit as a kid.
Fanatic (1965)
Character: Joseph
Where You Can Watch: Prime Video and Tubi
A woman is held captive and terrorized by her deceased fiancé’s demented mother, who believes she is the reason her son is dead. This is another opportunity to catch a young Donald Sutherland in something completely out of pocket. This Hammer Film Production is sometimes titled Die! Die! My Darling! if you try to search her out.
Don’t Look Now (1973)
Character: John Baxter
Where You Can Watch: Pluto TV
A grieving married couple meets two psychics in Venice who deliver a cryptic warning. I just watched this one as an adult last week, and it is definitely in my top five Donald Sutherland movies. It’s the right amount of creepy mystery and supernatural shenanigans that I live for. They do not make films that are meditations on grief like this anymore.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
Where You Can Watch: Prime Video
Mysterious pods land in San Francisco and begin replicating humans one body at a time. There have been many versions of this story, and even this film is a remake of the 1956 movie of the same name. However, this is one of the best versions of this paranoid sci-fi extravaganza. It’s arguably one of Sutherland’s most iconic performances and is mandatory viewing while we mourn.
Klute (1971)
Character: John Klute
Where You Can Watch: Tubi
A detective serving for a missing man finds his best lead via a New York sex worker. Donald Sutherland plays the detective, and Jane Fonda is the sex worker named Bree Daniel. If those two names are not enough to make you hit play on this neo-noir psychological thriller, I don’t what is.
Mr. Harrigan’s Phone (2022)
Character: Mr. Harrigan
Where You Can Watch: Netflix
A teen still gets texts from the older gentleman he befriended. However, the older man is dead so that’s cause for alarm. It was a joy to see Donald Sutherland and Jaeden Martell share the screen here. While he spends most of the movie in a chair, inching toward his character’s demise, he still mesmerizes us as only he could. Mr. Harrigan’s Phone is another project that greatly benefitted from Sutherland’s presence.
Murder by Decree (1979)
Character: Robert Lees
Where You Can Watch: Crackle and Plex
Sherlock Holmes is on the case of Jack the Ripper when he stumbles across a conspiracy. How old were you when you found out Sutherland was in a Sherlock Holmes mystery directed by Bob Clark? Because I was way too old and I feel like I was cheated. I almost want to redo my childhood and slide this into the VCR ASAP. Almost…
The Puppet Masters (1994)
Character: Andrew Nivens
Where You Can Watch: VOD
Alien slugs invade the Midwest and attach to humans to control their minds. As a Missouri child, this movie seemed like an event when we rented it from Hollywood Video. It’s still the first movie I think of when I think of Donald Sutherland. It cannot be as great as I believed it was. However, it is what made me register this magnificent performer who seemingly shared my affinity for random sci-fi movies. That meant a lot to me and made me suspect Sutherland was probably cool.
The Rosary Murders (1987)
Character: Father Robert Koesler
Where You Can Watch: Tubi
A serial killer who murders priests and nuns confesses his sins to a priest who then has a major moral dilemma. We loved it when Sutherland appeared in religious thrillers. This movie sees him playing a priest who is investigating a series of murders targeting the church. Charles Durning is also in this nailbiter, and I am happy it is streaming for free.
If you would like to see more of this titan’s genre work, you can rent Apprentice to Murder (1988), Moonfall (2022), Outbreak (1995), Puffball (2007), and Virus (1999) on VOD. However, this is still just the tip of the iceberg for Donald Sutherland, whose career began in the 1960s. I urge you to check out his filmography and watch the thrillers, sci-fi, and horror that make up the bulk of his resume.
Do you have a favorite Donald Sutherland film? Is it on the list? Let me know either way at @misssharai.
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