This post is updated frequently as movies leave and enter Hulu. *New additions are indicated with an asterisk.
Isn’t the world scary enough nowadays? Of course not! Everyone needs a good break from reality now and then, and horror can be the best way to do that. And Hulu has a remarkably deep catalog of horror films, including massive hits, indie darlings, and even a few originals. These are the best chillers on Hulu right now, updated monthly.
Alien: Romulus
Year: 2024
Runtime: 1h 59m
Director: Fede Alvarez
The first direct Alien sequel in decades, this strong reboot was directed by the man who worked the same magic on Evil Dead in 2013. Taking place between Alien and Aliens, Romulus stars Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson in a ruthlessly simple story of a crew of space travelers who end up on the wrong space station. It’s not perfect (and contains some truly janky CGI at times), but it’s a reminder of what really works about the Alien franchise in its purest form.
*American Psycho
Year: 2000
Runtime: 1h 42m
Director: Mary Harron
Mary Harron’s adaptation of the Bret Easton Ellis novel was instantly controversial but also instantly iconic. Christian Bale stepped into the role of the serial killer that had caused an uproar in the literary world and redefined the way we see psychopaths in cinema. His performance has been mimicked so many times just in the two decades since this unforgettable film was released.
Barbarian
Year: 2022
Runtime: 1h 43m
Director: Zach Cregger
Georgina Marshall plays a woman who discovers that her AirBnB has been double-booked when she arrives and finds someone already staying there—the excellent Bill Skarsgard. Despite her instincts, she decides to stay too, and then things go very sideways, but not in the way you expect them to. A truly odd movie, Barbarian was a massive hit, making ten times its budget and producing roughly a million WTF reaction TikToks.
birth/rebirth
Year: 2023
Runtime: 1h 38m
Director: Laura Moss
This mesmerizing riff on Frankenstein is one of the best horror films of 2023. Judy Reyes stars as a nurse whose daughter dies at the age of five, only to be brought back to life by a morgue technician (an unforgettable Marin Ireland) who has been experimenting with a daring new process. How far would you go to bring a child back from the dead? What lines would you cross? birth/rebirth is a brilliant, unforgettable piece of work.
*Cuckoo
Year: 2024
Runtime: 1h 42m
Director: Tilman Singer
Euphoria star Hunter Schafer rocks in this twisted horror flick about a teenager who ends up moving to the Alps with her father, stumbling into a truly dark and twisted corner of the world. Of course, Dan Stevens is there, giving one of his most truly demented performances.
The Empty Man
Year: 2020
Runtime: 2h 17m
Director: David Prior
20th Century Fox had absolutely no idea what to do with David Prior’s adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name, and so quietly shuttled it into theaters and then VOD. The funny thing is that this ambitious study of an ex-cop (James Badge Dale) who investigates a missing girl has already started to develop a cult following of its own. It’s a smart, unique piece of work that is only going to get more and more popular.
The First Omen
Year: 2024
Runtime: 1h 59m
Director: Arkasha Stevenson
There’s no reason for The First Omen to be as good as it is. First off, most studio horror films don’t take anywhere near the kind of risks that this daring genre flick takes. Second, horror prequels are very rarely good. This one is great. Nell Tiger Free (Servant) plays an American novitiate in Rome who discovers a vile plan to bring the antichrist to life. With stunning use of practical effects and an incredible lead performance, this is one of the best horror films of the 2020s.
*Handling the Undead
Year: 2024
Runtime: 1h 37m
Director: Thea Hvistendahl
What if you could spend time with a deceased loved one again? Even if they’re a zombie? This truly dark horror/drama asks those questions, turning the zombie genre on its head in how it interrogates what it would really be like to see someone you care about walk the earth again. It’s truly bleak, but good stuff if you can handle it.
*Infinity Pool
Year: 2023
Runtime: 1h 57m
Director: Brandon Cronenberg
The director of Possessor returned with a more twisted affair starring Alexander Skarsgård and Mia Goth. The True Blood vamp plays a wealthy novelist who accidentally kills a local man at a seaside resort and discovers there’s a way for rich people to avoid the law in this part of the world. Insanely constructed and unforgettable in its imagery, this is one of the best genre films of the 2020s.
*Insidious
Year: 2010
Runtime: 1h 40m
Director: James Wan
The films in this franchise have grossed over a half billion dollars, and it all started with a relatively unheralded indie flick. Before he helmed The Conjuring, James Wan worked with his buddy Leigh Whannell on this creative and harrowing story of parents (Patrick Wilson & Rose Byrne) who try to save their boy from being taken over by a malevolent force. (Note: The first two sequels in this franchise are also on Hulu.)
The Invitation
Year: 2022
Runtime: 1h 46m
Director: Jessica M. Thompson
Sony bungled the release of this one, being coy about its plot in ads that didn’t make it seem that appealing. It’s a fun horror movie, a retelling of Dracula from the perspective of a victim bride. It follows a young woman who goes to find her estranged family overseas only to, well, you can imagine. Nathalie Emmanuel goes all in on a film that should have found a bigger audience, and likely will on streaming services like Hulu.
Late Night with the Devil
Year: 2024
Runtime: 1h 33m
Director: Colin Cairnes, Cameron Cairnes
A theatrical hit for IFC, the latest horror gem from the Cairnes landed on Shudder while it was still in some theaters, and has now escaped to Hulu. The wonderfully talented David Dastmalchian plays a ‘70s talk show host who has devised an unforgettable show for Halloween night, including a possessed girl as a guest. To say things go wrong would be an understatement. Stylish, funny, and original, this is one of the best horror films of 2024.
Little Monsters
Year: 2019
Runtime: 1h 34m
Director: Abe Forsythe
Lupita Nyong’o can do absolutely anything. Just look at this horror-comedy about a group of schoolchildren who get attacked by waves of the undead. Lupita rules as the teacher and the only one who knows how to act heroic in the moment. And she’s joined by a fun supporting performance from Josh Gad, who is very from Olaf here.
The Royal Hotel
Year: 2023
Runtime: 1h 31m
Director: Kitty Green
It’s not traditional horror, but this thriller is so tense that it qualifies. The excellent Julia Garner reunites with Kitty Green (after 2019’s The Assistant) and co-stars alongside Jessica Henwick as two American women backpacking through Australia. They end up in one of those small towns in the deep outback that time seems to have forgotten, bartending at the Royal Hotel, where the clientele seems to be in a state of constant threat. It’s a sharp thriller about gender dynamics that doesn’t go where you think it’s going to go.
Skinamarink
Year: 2022
Runtime: 1h 40m
Director: Kyle Edward Ball
The little movie that could jumped from being a Shudder exclusive to Hulu after a brief stint in theaters that netted this five-figure movie over $1 million at the box office. Filming for almost nothing in his own childhood home, Ball taps into something primal — that feeling in the middle of the night when you wake up and can sense something is just wrong. Divisive in ways that always produce fascinating conversations, this is one of the essential horror movies of the 2020s.
Smile
Year: 2022
Runtime: 1h 58m
Director: Parker Finn
Just weeks before the launch of the sequel to one of the biggest surprise horror hits of 2022 (over $200 million) worldwide, Hulu has pried it away from Paramount+ for its subscribers. One of the biggest commercial and critical horror hits of the decade, Smile is about a therapist who discovers something supernatural stalking her patients. It will get under your skin.
Suitable Flesh
Year: 2023
Runtime: 1h 40m
Director: Joe Lynch
Dennis Paoli, the writer of Re-Animator and From Beyond, returns to H.P. Lovecraft with this unforgettable adaptation of “The Thing on the Doorstep.” Heather Graham, Judah Lewis, Bruce Davison, and the legendary Barbara Crampton star in a movie about identity, possession, and control, all of it with Lovecraftian insanity. How does one even begin to “blurb” a movie this defiantly strange? You just need to see it for yourself.
Titane
Year: 2021
Runtime: 1h 48m
Director: Julia Ducournau
The shocking winner of the Palme d’Or in 2021, this horror drama by Julia Ducournau is about … you know, it’s almost impossible to put in a capsule. There’s a woman who has a titanium plate in her head who has a carnal relation with a car before committing a few murders and hiding her identity to escape, forming an unusual relationship with a man who believes she is his missing son. That doesn’t really capture this daring, unforgettable piece of work.
Watcher
Year: 2022
Runtime: 1h 36m
Director: Chloe Okuno
One of the best films of 2022, this was a Shudder exclusive until recently. Inspired by ‘70s paranoia horror, Watcher stars Maika Monroe (It Follows) as a woman who has moved to Romania with her husband Francis (Karl Glusman). Without much to do and unable to speak the language, she starts to get paranoid that someone is watching her from across the courtyard. Stylish and riveting, it’s a must-see.
When Evil Lurks
Year: 2023
Runtime: 1h 40m
Director: Demian Rugna
When Evil Lurks is one of the most messed-up horror flicks you could watch on any streaming service. An Argentinian horror film that originally dropped on Shudder shortly after its Toronto Film Festival premiere and theatrical release, it’s the story of two brothers who discover that there’s a demonic entity living on the edge of their village. When it gets accidentally released, things get really bad. Gorey and strange in equal measure, this film takes no prisoners.
If you subscribe to a service through our links, Vulture may earn an affiliate commission.