Ozzy Osbourne’s three favourite movies of all time: “It’s done in a way that has such an impact”
On Saturday July 5th, 2025, in his beloved hometown of Birmingham, England, the great Ozzy Osbourne finally hung up his boots for good. With the rest of Black Sabbath beside him, the ‘Prince of Darkness’ belted his way through some of the band’s biggest hits to a packed Villa Park. ‘Back to the Beginning’ brought together some of the biggest bands in rock, from Metallica to Pantera to Guns N’ Roses, raised a huge amount of money for charity, and, most importantly of all, gave a legend the most fitting of send-offs.
With Osbourne’s career drawing to a close, many of his fans have been reflecting on the wild and unlikely life he has led. From his music to his controversial statements to mad tales from on the road, his story reads like something from a movie script. Actually, scratch that. If somebody had come up with Ozzy’s life as a work of fiction, it would be dismissed for being too unrealistic.
On the topic of film, the scourge of bats everywhere has had his fair share of Hollywood moments. He’s appeared in movies like Moulin Rouge! and Trick or Treat, had cameos as himself in Little Nicky and Austin Powers in Goldmember, and even lent his voice to a talking deer statue in the film Gnomeo & Juliet. Told you his life was mad. However, when it comes to the movies he watches in his own time, they couldn’t be further from a cute kids’ story about anthropomorphic garden ornaments.
Speaking on The Osbournes Podcast alongside other members of his family, the two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee spoke about the impact one particular movie had on him. “I think every person should see Schindler’s List,” he said (via Loudwire). “It’s done in a way that has such an impact on you. I’ve met people who were there during those periods of time. [They’ve said that] in reality, Schindler’s List was nothing [compared] to what it was really like.”
Released in 1993, Schindler’s List is adapted from the historical novel Schindler’s Ark, which in turn is based on the real-life heroism of Oskar Schindler. A wealthy industrialist and Nazi party member during World War II, Schindler (played by a relatively unknown Liam Neeson) has a moment of realisation and helps hundreds of Jewish refugees escape persecution. The film, which was directed by Steven Spielberg, received outstanding commendation upon its release. It won ‘Best Picture’ at the Oscars, was preserved by the US National Film Registry in 2004, and is regularly cited as one of the greatest movies ever made.
As for Osbourne’s other choices, they also couldn’t be further from Spielberg’s harrowing tale of wartime bravery. He has spoken publicly of his love for Monty Python’s Life of Brian, the iconic sketch group’s skewering of religion. In response to false rumours of his death in 2023, he informed the world that it was just a “flesh wound”, in reference to the ‘Black Knight’ scene from another Python movie, The Holy Grail.
Of course, it wouldn’t be an Ozzy Osbourne film article without mentioning the horror genre. The frontman is a big fan of William Friedkin’s The Exorcist, admitting that he found it terrifying when he first saw it. When you’ve managed to put the willies up one of the scariest dudes on the planet, then you know you’ve done a good job.
