Quentin Tarantino has never been shy about his cinematic obsessions, and with the writer-director set to return to screens this November in a writing capacity, fans are already digging through his list of influences. One of the more surprising entries on his personal spaghetti western ranking is now available to stream for free, no subscription required.
Death Rides a Horse, the 1967 revenge tale directed by Giulio Petroni, has quietly joined the soft-launch library of JustWatch TV, the new streaming platform preparing for its official October debut. That means you can watch it right now at zero cost, which is a rare gift for a film that has spent years bouncing between cult status and critical dismissal.
Why Tarantino Loves It
Tarantino has repeatedly named Lee Van Cleef as his favorite western star, the actor he most wanted to direct. Van Cleef headlines Death Rides a Horse as a gunslinger whose path collides with a young man bent on avenging his family's murder. The two discover they're hunting the same men, and the film builds its tension around that uneasy alliance.
In an official list of his favorite spaghetti westerns, Tarantino placed Death Rides a Horse at number eight, ahead of Sergio Corbucci's Navajo Joe and The Great Silence. The top of that list is unsurprising: Leone's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly at number one, For a Few Dollars More at two, and Corbucci's Django at three. Tarantino's admiration for Corbucci is well documented, and several of the Italian director's classics are already streaming free on Plex. But Death Rides a Horse comes from a different filmmaker entirely, which makes its placement on the list all the more notable.
A Rough Reception From Critics
Not everyone shares Tarantino's enthusiasm. The film holds a 50% score on Rotten Tomatoes, making it one of the lowest-rated entries among his favorites. Roger Ebert was even harsher, awarding it one star out of four and writing that while there's fun to be had in "the right kind of bad movie," Death Rides a Horse is "a bad movie indeed."
That divide is part of the appeal. Tarantino's taste has always embraced the disreputable, the scrappy, and the overlooked. A film that Ebert dismissed can still be a Rosetta Stone for understanding what makes Tarantino's own westerns tick, from Django Unchained to The Hateful Eight.
Where to Watch It Free
JustWatch TV is currently in a soft-launch phase, and Death Rides a Horse is already part of its library. The platform officially launches in October, but early adopters can start streaming now. For fans who want to trace Tarantino's influences beyond the obvious, this is an easy place to start.
If you're in the mood for more of the director's favorite discoveries, there's plenty to explore. the noir that shaped Tarantino is also free to stream, and Pam Grier's Foxy Brown remains a key touchstone. Meanwhile, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood has landed on Prime Video ahead of Cliff Booth's IMAX return, giving completists a full Tarantino-adjacent watchlist.
Death Rides a Horse may not be a masterpiece by conventional standards, but it's a fascinating artifact of the spaghetti western era and a direct line into the mind of one of cinema's most vocal enthusiasts. And right now, it won't cost you a cent.
