Aside from the obvious problems (killing off cinema, forcing us all into monthly subscriptions…), the rise of the movie streamers is moving us towards a terrifying future where everyone, everywhere, will watch the exact same thing. Luckily, there are still plenty of alternative options out there – the online equivalent of dirty, charming little independent cinemas where you can choose to watch something quirky or weird or unexpected.

The best alternative streaming sites in the UK offer something different – cheaper prices, more unusual films, curated lists or niche interests. They might not be able to boast the same sized catalogues as the big boys, but these streamers are still worth a look.

MUBI

£9.99 a month

Docsville

£3.99 a month

Shudder

£4.99 a month

BFI Player

Flix Premiere

£3.33 a month

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Billing itself as “the Netflix of forgotten films”, Flix Premiere sees itself as an online cinema – maintaining a list of wholly independent movies that you probably won’t find anywhere else. The site also runs “red carpet events” (a timed window of exclusivity for new releases) which is another nice way to give real indie films a proper platform, and an opportunity for people to actually watch them. Some of the titles on the site have been forgotten for a reason, but there are plenty of genuinely great films to discover – and the pleasure comes from finding something you didn’t expect.

SnagFilms

Free

SnagFilms offers thousands of decent free movies to stream online. But there’s a snag (geddit). The site does rely on advertising so you will get the occasional pop-up when you start watching. The films don’t have closed captioning either, so that could be a deal-breaker if you rely on subtitles. If you can put up with both though, SnagFilms really is as good as it sounds – with a great library of films to choose from including Romero’s Night Of The Living Dead, Chaplin’s The Kid, Benedict Cumberbatch’s early drama Wreckers, and vintage classics like The Man With The Golden Arm.