'Scariest horror movie ever made' is available for free from midnight

A legendary horror film that has been terrifying audiences for more than half a century will be broadcast in the late hours this Halloween.

The deceptively straightforward yet spine-chilling movie will air at 20 minutes before midnight on BBC Two tonight (Friday, 31st October).

Screening perfectly timed for a late-night Halloween fright, it will subsequently be available to watch entirely free on BBC iPlayer for those still craving spooky entertainment over the weekend.

Don't Look Now originally hit cinemas in 1973 and has consistently featured on lists of the most frightening films in movie history ever since.

Regularly mentioned alongside The Exorcist and The Shining as a horror masterpiece, the film, helmed by Nicolas Roeg, features Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie as a married couple whose bond faces extreme pressure following a tragic bereavement, reports the Mirror.

Adapted from a short story by Daphne du Maurier, the movie has gained infamy for its psychological horror, unsettling atmosphere and an intimate scene that stunned viewers at the time.

The Guardian ranked it as the third greatest horror film of all time, whilst a Time Out London survey declared it the finest British movie ever made.

A five-star Letterboxd review gushed: "Roeg adapts a haunting, grief-stricken gothic-horror short story by Daphne Du Maurier about coming to terms with the seemingly random, chaotic, and inexplicable nature of death, and ends up with one of the most surreal, impressionistic psychological horror experiences maybe ever assembled."

"Absolutely superb film in every way," another agreed. "I've seen this a few times over the years and it almost puts me into a trancelike state every time.

"The story is so engrossing, the leads are perfect and the direction is brilliant. I love the slow burn build and that final scene is such a banger."

A third described Don't Look Now as "a magnificent horror masterpiece that escalates tension slowly and mercilessly".

Someone else declared it possesses "probably the scariest ending ever made".

And British Horror Films penned: "Every so often, you see a film which really scares you whilst you're watching it - either like this: 'Whoah! Holy s*** - did you see that?', or like this: 'Are you sure we locked the back door? Just check behind the sofa for me again, will you?'.

"But it's rare that a film has both these effects on the viewer. It's even rarer for the viewer to wake up sweaty-palmed in bed two nights later, because he can't get certain scenes out of his head (hands up, me).

"Don't Look Now is one of those films. It succeeds on all three levels and must rank as one of the scariest, and most original, horror films ever made."

Will you brave one of the most spine-tingling cinematic encounters ever captured on film this Halloween weekend?

Brace yourself to be petrified beyond belief....

Don't Look Now airs at 11:40pm on BBC Two and will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer.