With streaming services such as HBO Max and Netflix, putting together a weekend (or month) of screams and laughs has never been simpler. Hulu also has its subscribers' backs with a varied library of horror movies, including older B-movie favorites and critically acclaimed modern indie darlings.
Looking for an intense psychological thriller? Or an over-the-top slasher fest? Hulu has both areas and everything in between covered. In order to get the frights going, let's look at the scariest horror movies on Hulu.
Hellraiser (2022)
Directors |
David Bruckner |
---|---|
Rotten Tomatoes Average Score |
68 |
Hulu Link |
Clive Barker's Hellraiser is a horror classic with far more terrible than passable sequels. Following a string of particularly underwhelming entries, 2022's movie manages to stand out positively despite being little more than above-average. Do not be confused by the name, Hellraiser is just the next chapter in this bizarre tale rather than a remake or reboot.
While not lacking in chilling Cenobite-themed scares, this Hulu exclusive is a surprisingly effective character study that tackles addiction and co-dependency. At times, Hellraiser feels like two movies smashed together that only periodically complement each other. Barker fans should check this one out.
Oculus (2013)
Directors |
Mike Flanagan |
---|---|
Rotten Tomatoes Average Score |
75 |
Hulu Link |
Mike Flanagan is a name worth remembering when it comes to horror. Since directing his first feature in 2011, Flanagan has made Hush, Ouija: Origin of Evil, Absentia, Gerald's Game, and Doctor Sleep, which are all good to great. Don't be fooled by the WWE Studios logo – Oculus stands toe-to-toe with any of those movies.
Oculus chronicles the Russell family's misfortune due to a strange mirror. The story is split into two time periods, one focusing on the onset of the tragedy and another set in the future as the family's grown-up children try to figure out the mystery behind the mirror. A somber and slow-burning piece, Oculus has a foreboding atmosphere that rarely subsides for even a second.
Thelma (2017)
Directors |
Joachim Trier |
---|---|
Rotten Tomatoes Average Score |
92 |
Hulu Link |
While only horror adjacent, Thelma's creepy moments are bone-chilling. When not trying to freak audiences out, Joachim Trier's movie dissects its eponymous character's repressed upbringing and oppressive parental relationships while she attempts to find her true self. At college, Thelma begins to encounter emotions that she was not permitted to experience during childhood, a process that fragments her psyche as she comes of age.
Thelma is an ambitious film that cannot be slotted into any one genre. It has horror, thriller, gothic, and even romance elements. While maybe not a great choice for Halloween, Thelma is still one of the best horror films on Hulu.
Fresh (2022)
Director |
Mimi Cave |
---|---|
Rotten Tomatoes Average Score |
81 |
Hulu Link |
Modern dating can be unpredictable, frustrating, and fruitless; Noa knows all these things well as she has had her fill of terrible dinners with bachelors picked from apps. So, when she stumbles upon the charming and handsome Steve, Noa goes against type and decides to jump headfirst into this romance by accepting an invitation for a weekend trip.
Fresh is a satirical horror film that combines some decent laughs and social commentary with more than its share of genuine frights. Try to go into this movie as blind as possible since spoilers can seriously hurt the experience.
Nightmare Alley (2021)
Director |
Guillermo del Toro |
---|---|
Rotten Tomatoes Average Score |
80 |
Hulu Link |
Del Toro's Nightmare Alley is more of a psychological thriller than a full-blown horror film, but it has just enough unsettling imagery and ideas to earn a recommendation. Guillermo del Toro is a visionary; he is a filmmaker with a well-defined style that typically ventures into surreal or fantasy territory while simultaneously weaving in relevant themes.
Nightmare Alley boasts an all-star cast featuring the likes of Bradley Cooper and Cate Blanchett, along with a unique narrative that goes in some unexpected directions. Although not the director's best movie, this 2021 release is nevertheless impressive.
Titane (2021)
Director |
Julia Ducournau |
---|---|
Rotten Tomatoes Average Score |
94 |
Hulu Link |
Julia Ducournau's follow-up movie to 2016's Raw, Titane cements the French director as one of the must-watch horror creators working in the industry. Sharing similar themes to the 2016 body horror flick, this 2021 project is an uncomfortable sit that deals with insatiable lust and destructive primal urges, all told through the eyes of a murderous woman named Alexia.
Soaked in blood as it may be, Titane is not a celebration of gore with no point, and the film gradually shifts from body horror to something resembling a family drama. Although it might be too much to stomach for some people, which is perfectly understandable, Titane should be the first movie on any horror fan's watchlist if they have Hulu.
No Exit (2022)
Director |
Damien Power |
---|---|
Rotten Tomatoes Average Score |
58 |
Hulu Link |
When Darby escaped rehab to go visit her mother, she did not envision spending her night trapped in a small building with a group of strangers, one of which is confirmed to be a kidnaper. A low-budget tense thriller packed to the brim with twists and turns, No Exit is right at home on Hulu. This feels like a horror film that should be watched on a Tuesday night from the comfort of a couch.
Flawed as the story is in some ways, No Exit builds up steam quite nicely as it goes along, particularly during its second half.
Run (2020)
Director |
Aneesh Chaganty |
---|---|
Rotten Tomatoes Average Score |
89 |
Hulu Link |
A horror-thriller by the same creators behind Searching, Run is built upon two great performances by Sarah Paulson and Kiera Allen as a mother and daughter combo. The former portrays Diane, a woman who takes care of her young wheelchair-bound daughter, Chloe. As the latter starts searching for independence, things start to unravel as long hidden secrets are revealed.
Except for a rather over-the-top final act, Run takes its time in telling its story, allowing audiences to become attached to Chloe as they figure out her past alongside the character. Narratively, the story is relatively predictable, but that does not make the journey any less enjoyable.
My Bloody Valentine (1981)
Director |
George Mihalka |
---|---|
Rotten Tomatoes Average Score |
56 |
Hulu Link |
A cult classic, My Bloody Valentine is very much a byproduct of an era when low-budget slasher flicks were a dime-a-dozen. While it did not quite infiltrate the cultural zeitgeist as thoroughly as Nightmare on Elm Street or Halloween, Mihalka's movie is still fondly remembered and stands above many of the subgenre's c-tier releases that defined the early '80s. Two decades following a horrific mining accident that happened on Valentine's Day, the impacted town has finally decided to restart its seasonal dance; naturally, this spawns the emergence of a killer with a penchant for killing couples courtesy of a pickaxe.
Although an appreciation for gore is required, My Bloody Valentine is an easy recommendation for anyone fond of slashers. The movie has a memorable villain, decent kills, and an effective backstory. The film is also reasonably well-made, while still retaining a level of grittiness that fits the content.
Cheap Thrills (2013)
Director |
E.L. Katz |
---|---|
Rotten Tomatoes Average Score |
88 |
Hulu Link |
When desperation takes hold, any sliver of hope is tempting. Craig's life has hit rock bottom, and he is in dire need of cash to provide for his child. One night, he runs into an old friend at a bar, and the pair end up meeting two rich and bored patrons with money to burn. Before long, they are challenged to commit dares in exchange for cash, and things escalate from there.
Even though Cheap Thrills is a black comedy with flashes of horror rather than a full exploration of the latter genre, the film is not lacking in shocking and uncomfortable moments. While not among the scariest Hulu horror movies, this underappreciated 2013 release is certainly among the most entertaining.
Possessor (2020)
Director |
Brandon Cronenberg |
---|---|
Rotten Tomatoes Average Score |
94 |
Hulu Link |
Possessor is a psychological horror film in the most literal sense – the story is about a killer who can take over someone else's body to perform hits. Directed by Brandon Cronenberg, Possessor's main assassin, Vos, finds herself struggling to return to her normal life following each job, which leads to her losing control during a mission.
Possessor is a disturbing piece that matches its graphic bursts of violence with character nuance and an unpredictable narrative. Well-acted and directed, Possessor is a unique horror film.
Let The Right One In (2008)
Director |
Tomas Alfredson |
---|---|
Rotten Tomatoes Average Score |
98 |
Hulu Link |
Let the Right One In is a "vampire" movie in the sense that it features a bloodsucker as a character, however, the film is not cut from the same cloth as most of the genre's recent offerings. At its heart, this Swedish movie is about two isolated and lonely children who find each other in a suffocatingly harsh world, and that's not just a side effect of the cold weather.
Let the Right One In is violent, bitter, funny, devastating, and chilling. This is one of the best horror movies on Hulu, and it has aged very well. Some people might be familiar with Matt Reeves' American remake, 2010's Let Me In, which is also great and on Hulu. However, that version is not a replacement for the original.