There was a howl in the night. A spirit of vengeance. A final girl flees for her life. Sometimes all you want to do is watch classic horror films and listen to your favorite horror beats. Fortunately, if you’re looking for a good scare, Hulu provides a great selection of scary movies to choose from.
We’re presenting the best of the terrifying lot, from classics to current hits to indie gems that slipped under the radar. Hulu has a lot of amazing options, but its library navigation can make it difficult to find them at times, so we’ve compiled a list of the best of the best below.
Black Christmas
In Sophia Takal’s blood-soaked, female-centric reimagining of Black Christmas, the hunted becomes the hunter. Sorority sisters take against patriarchy by slaying demonic frat boys one by one among snowmen and hot cocoa in this violent revenge story. What does that say about holiday cheer if not that? As the fictional Hawthorne University’s winter break begins, female college students begin to vanish one by one after being trailed by a mystery masked guy. One sorority organization decides to take matters into their own hands, resulting in a stinging satire filled of wrath and dazzling Christmas lights. Imogen Poots (The Father), Aleyse Shannon (Beauty), Brittany O’Grady (White Lotus), and Lily Donoghue (Black Christmas) deliver scream queen performances (Dirty John). This modern-day adaptation of the 1974 cult classic film of the same name, starring Olivia Hussey, is a thrilling, snow-filled trip.
Censor
The hero of a horror film is unlikely to be the one who edits and censors the films for the ratings board, according to most horror enthusiasts. Nonetheless, this one does, and it does it brilliantly. Enid (Niamh Algar) is a stern film censor who is tormented by the terrible disappearance of her younger sister while they were playing in the woods. She’s never really recovered from it, and she’s always on the lookout for her sister. She believes she recognizes her sister in one particularly gory horror film and seeks out more of the director’s work. This sends her down a rabbit hole of “video nasties” and puts her in perilous territory. Censor is set in the 1980s, but it isn’t overtly so: there’s no big 1980s hair, no colorful 1980s attire, and no 1980s synth pop. Its use of video nasties, tapes, and the lack of internet or cell phones is subtle. A eerie and captivating film.
Deerskin
It doesn’t get much stranger than this recent entry from Quentin Dupieux, who specializes at this sort of thing, whatever it is, if you want your horror with a dash of bizarre comedy. Dupieux previously directed a short about a murderous automobile tire; this time, he provides a video about a man who loves his jacket so much that he wants to be the only person in the world with one, and murders anyone who refuses to give up theirs. Welcome to Deerskin if that statement makes no sense. The film isn’t the most reasonable, but that’s the purpose. Dupieux’s comedic voice is an acquired taste, but Deerskin will have you screaming if you’re on his wavelength. And perhaps purchasing your own stylish jacket. Saathoff, Evan
False Positive
False Positive is a feminist take on the horrors of pregnancy and parenthood, told through the eyes of Lucy (Ilana Glazer). Lucy and her husband Adrian (Justin Theroux) schedule an appointment with Dr. Hindle (Pierce Brosnan), New York’s premier reproductive expert and Adrian’s former teacher, after two years of attempting to conceive. Lucy becomes pregnant with triplets thanks to Dr. Hindle’s treatment. Unfortunately, in order to keep the pregnancy viable and Lucy’s health unaffected, Dr. Hindle recommends a selective reduction, in which they maintain either the female or twin male embryos. Lucy becomes nervous and paranoid about the pregnancy after this operation. Dr. Hindle and Adrian are working against her, and she will go to any length to prove it – even if everyone around her dismisses her worries as “pregnancy brain.” The lines dividing reality blur as Lucy spirals, gradually building tension until the devastating climax that will leave you wondering everything but a mother’s instincts.
Fresh
Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones) meets Steve (Sebastian Stan) right after she vows to stop dating. He’s sweet, engaging, and exactly the kind of companion she’s been hoping for. That is, until she learns about his hidden side business: selling women’s body parts to other cannibals. Noa then needs to figure out how to escape being eaten herself, even if it means continuing to play along with Steve’s feelings for her. Fresh is a fresh take on the perils and horrors of modern dating, expertly balancing empowerment with unease. Daisy Edgar-Jones captures Noa’s nuances so effectively that it’s often difficult to discern if she still cares about Steve or is just acting. Even after disclosing Steve’s bizarre hobbies, Sebastian Stan manages to make him appealing. If you’re afraid of blood, I wouldn’t advocate watching this film while eating. In terms of cannibalism, Fresh is less disturbing than plain gruesome, but it may still make even the strongest stomach turn.
Little Monsters
This amusing zombie comedy stars Lupita Nyong’o as an ass-kicking kindergarten teacher who finds herself caught in a zombie apocalypse with a class of kids, a deadbeat volunteer chaperone (Alexander England), and a self-obsessed children’s TV star who brings nothing to the table but ego (Josh Gad). Add in the world’s cutest Star Wars fan, Diesel La Torraca, a few rounds of Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off,” and a killing Nyong’o in the middle of zombie action, and you’ve got a crowd-pleasing horror comedy right in time for Halloween
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“Little Monsters knows exactly who it is and what it’s up against, and it plays to those strengths admirably, keeping the energy high from beginning to end while also gradually slipping in some genuine emotion. It’s a wonderfully vulgar, chaotic trip with a stellar performance that proves Nyong’o can do no wrong while also serving as a good reminder of the value of a good teacher. In addition, Little Monsters features one of the best Star Wars references I’ve ever seen in a film.” Little Monsters is a fun and carefree zom-com bolstered by Nyong’o’s tremendous star power, as emotional as it is nasty.
Possessor
Possessor is a kaleidoscopic psychological freakout picture that sees Antiviral filmmaker Brandon Cronenberg deliver much of the body horror film fans have come to know with the Cronenberg name. Andrea Riseborough plays Vos, a high-tech assassin who utilizes mind-melding technology to take over the body of an unsuspecting victim, use their body to carry out her hit, and then leave the host dead in an apparent suicide before returning to her own body. But, as her personal life falls apart and her horrendously brutal crimes blur the thinly drawn lines between her identities, Vos finds herself in a bloodbath with her next target (Christopher Abbott), who fights back from the inside. Possessor is one of the gnarliest, bloodiest horror movies you’ll find on Netflix right now, but it’s also a hell of a captivating sci-fi film, packed with the kind of interesting ideas that take hold of your head and stay squirming about in there long after the last drop of blood is spilt.
Ready or Not
What if Hide-and-Seek was turned into a horror film? Ready or Not is one of the best times you’ll have in a theater this year, thanks to smart scripting, rich production design, and some movie-making performances (particularly from Samara Weaving and Adam Brody). Grace, a young woman who marries into an impossibly wealthy aristocratic family and learns a twisted family ritual that makes her the would-be sacrifice in a fatal game of Hide-and-Seek, is played by Weaving. The filmmaking duo Radio Silence injects crackling, breezy energy into every exhilarating set-piece, and Weaving is electrifying in what should be a star-making performance (another to her expanding resume of horror-comedy victories among The Babysitter, Mayhem, and Ash vs. Evil Dead).
Run
Is there such a thing as too much affection from a mother? The horror film inspired by Misery Chloe (Kiera Allen), a homeschooled high school senior eager to go away to college and live her life to the fullest, is the protagonist of Run. Her mother (Sarah Paulson), who is extremely cautious and concerned for her daughter’s future in the real world, raises her. As Chloe begins to plan her future life, she becomes increasingly aware that her mother may be concealing a dark secret. Will Chloe be allowed to leave her house at some point? Run, not walk!
Titane
Titane is a truly one-of-a-kind experience that deserves to be experienced with as little information as possible. It’s an ultimately lovely movie about family and identity that simultaneously wears the skin of bodily horror. It revolves around Agathe Rousselle’s Alexia, a woman who was severely damaged in a car accident as a child and now wears a titanium plate in her head. She begins to build a bond with a man while posing as his son after an intimate experience with an automobile and a series of terrible killings. If this all seems unusual, it is much stranger, which is part of what makes it so wonderful. It’s an entirely unique vision, with the entire ensemble fully committed to bringing Ducournau’s universe to life. If you’ve seen her previous film, the equally excellent Raw, you’ll have a good notion of what you’re in for, even if it takes a completely different path. It is ridiculous, gory, dark, and ultimately loving in a way that no other film can match.
Us
In Jordan Peele’s second film, Us, a middle-class family on vacation is invaded by their own doppelgängers, there’s just so much going on. Of course, the film is about much more than that, but for those who haven’t yet watched this thrilling meditation on class and privilege in America, the synopsis will suffice. Us, like Peele’s earlier picture, Get Out, exploits its high idea to delve into deeper concerns, but it also succeeds as a gripping piece of filmmaking. You never know where the movie will go next from scene to scene.
