What to watch if Roku snaps up Quibi’s content

Roku negotiating deal for Quibi originals

Roku is currently negotiating in the hopes of getting the rights to the now-defunct streaming service Quibi’s entire catalog of movies and series.

Quibi had a unique format that unfortunately, did not catch on with viewers. The premise was “quick bites” of about ten minutes each, specially designed to watch on a phone in either portrait or landscape format.

It is my belief that potential viewers did not really understand the format. A poll of my own friends showed me that they believed this was a streaming service offering short films, which was not the case.

The real story is that these were quality full-length films/episodes broken up into short segments, and you could watch a new segment each day. It was very similar to the chapter plays of the 1930s – 1950s; short serial films that kept audience members returning to the theaters so they could see what would happen next.

It just didn’t work out for Quibi, and the platform that opened with great fanfare in April of 2020 shut down in December. It’s a shame because Quibi had some great content, including a handful of horror movies and series.

Quibi originals to watch if Roku acquires Quibi’s catalog

The Stranger was a suspenseful film involving a young woman played by Maika Monroe being stalked by a man (Dane DeHaan) who seems to know her every move. In The Expecting, AnnaSophia Robb played Emma, a pregnant woman who comes to believe that her unborn child may not be human.

When the Streetlights Go On was a true crime-like film that dealt with the murders of a teenage girl and her high school teacher/lover. And 50 States of Fright was a straight-up horror anthology series, with each story taking place in a different state.

Each of these movies/series had strong scripts, featuring top-notch actors, directors, and writers. In addition to the actors mentioned above, we were treated to performances by the likes of Sophie Turner, Rory Caulkin, Anna Kendrick, Liam Hemsworth, and Christopher Waltz. Guillermo del Torro and Steven Spielberg also worked on Quibi content.

When I heard the news about Quibi failing, my first thought was that it was a shame their movies and series wouldn’t be seen by anyone else. Then the news broke that Roku was in talks to obtain Quib’s content catalog, and I am crossing my fingers that the deal goes through.

Because I write for a horror fan site, that was the type of content I was usually asked to review, but I paid for my own subscription and watched other films as well. Survive was an excellent, intense drama starring Sophie Turner as a suicidal woman suddenly forced to fight for her life when her plane crashes on a snowy mountain.

Most Dangerous Game was an action-adventure that had a lot of twists and turns, and Dummy was an admittedly crass (but still funny) series about a woman who finds and befriends her boyfriend’s sex doll. I honestly enjoyed everything I watched on Quibi during its too-short life.

I encourage our readers to check out the Quibi content when it becomes available – whether it is on Roku or elsewhere. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Did you watch any of the horror offerings on Quibi? Give us your reviews in the comments section.