By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Confession time: I have a love/hate relationship with horror comedy…that’s because when done well, these are some of the most entertaining films around; when done poorly, you end up with something awful that fails to deliver either chills or laughs. Because of this, I have cultivated a list of the most effective horror comedies in Hollywood history for whenever a need a scary good laugh. At the top of that list is Idle Hands, a wild stoner comedy horror film that’s now streaming for free on Tubi.
Idle Hands On Streaming
Idle Hands may not sound like a great streaming option until you know the plot, so here goes: a trio of stoners have their collective mellow harshed by the revelation that one of them has been possessed by a killer hand. That abominable appendage is out to kill everyone in the young man’s life, including the school crush who he finally managed to impress. Unfortunately, these two won’t get to let their teenage hormones run wild until they catch an unconventional monster out to kill as many people as it can get its hands–er, hand–on.
It’s fair to say that Idle Hands has a better cast than most horror films on streaming, including Devon Sawa (best known outside of this film for Final Destination and, more recently, his many roles in Chucky). It also stars Jessica Alba, best known for Fantastic Four and Sin City. Rounding out the core cast is Seth Green (best known for the Austin Powers films and his Robot Chicken animated show) and Elden Henson (best known for The Mighty Ducks and the Daredevil TV series).
Outside of the core cast, Idle Hands has plenty more familiar faces, including Fred Willard as a hapless father and Vivica A. Fox as a druidic high priestess (albeit a very raunchy one). Music lovers will enjoy seeing Kyle Gass (the other half of Tenacious D, Jack Black’s Grammy-winning band) in the film. Those music lovers will particularly dig that the band Offspring makes a cameo as themselves, one that quickly gets bloody in the funniest possible way.
Against a budget of $25 million, Idle Hands only earned $4.2 million at the box office. This wasn’t enough money for the film to merit a sequel, which is fine because the story was largely wrapped up. But hardcore fans can now rejoice: in late 2024, a remake was announced that will be written by Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk (they may also direct), and production will be handled by original producers Jennifer Todd and Suzanne Todd as well as franchise newcomers Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan.
On Rotten Tomatoes, Idle Hands has an abysmal 18 percent critical rating. In general, critics complained that the movie doesn’t fully execute on its bonkers premise. They also felt uneasy about the film’s abundant combination of gore and comedy. While audiences enjoyed the film quite a bit more, it only has a Popcornmeter rating of 58 percent, indicating that not even general audiences consider it “fresh.”
Whether you enjoy stoner comedies or not, you’re probably wondering what I’ve been smoking to recommend you watch a film that was a critical and commercial bomb. Idle Hands barely bade a blip at the box office and left critics numb, so why should it be the next movie you check out on streaming? For one thing, the comedy is genuinely sublime, which serves to make the hilariously gruesome gore onscreen that much more effective.
Second, Idle Hands has one of the best ensemble casts in streaming horror, all of whom have proven themselves as lead actors in other hit franchises. Each performance is solid on its own but enhanced by the other actors…for example, Devon Sawa and Jessica Alba are each charm machines on their own and become a dyad of pure charisma in their scenes together. Similarly, Seth Green and Elden Henson are each great solo comedians, but they bounce off each other so well in the movie that it feels like hanging with lifelong stoner buddies on their funniest day.
Third, and finally, Idle Hands has some of the best vibes you can find on Tubi or any other streaming service. Whether it’s your first time or your tenth time watching this cult classic, you’ll find that every scene makes you smile and that this film can turn any bad day around. Plus, it’s one you’ll definitely want to rewatch, and introducing friends to this quirky horror comedy is one of the best ways to bond with your buds.
Will you find Idle Hands as much of a bong-ripping good time as we did, or will this film feel like one bad trip when you check it out on streaming? You won’t know until you watch this film for free on Tubi and decide for yourself. Afterward, you can join the rest of us superfans in our hopes for a remake that lives up to all of the bloody laughs of the original.
