Summary

  • Hulu offers a diverse selection of horror movies, including classics, modern releases, and original films, catering to all subgenres and preferences.
  • The best horror movies on Hulu include both popular titles and lesser-known independent films, providing viewers with a unique and varied viewing experience.
  • Hulu's horror movie collection includes everything from supernatural thrillers and splatterfests to psychological thrillers and horror comedies, ensuring there's something for every horror fan to enjoy.

The best horror movies on Hulu have a strong mix of classics, modern-day releases, and even some great Hulu original movies. All of them, from vintage body-horrors to modern-day supernatural thrillers — possess the ability to scare and terrify subscribers. Hulu has something to offer for all horror fans, and while the selection of scary titles on Hulu is not as large as a service like Netflix or Max, there is still something worth watching for fans of every subgenre of horror. Showcasing the titles its parent company, Disney+, won't stream because of its focus on family features, Hulu has everything from fun horror movies to some R-rated fright fests guaranteed to keep a person awake at night.

While there are some very popular titles on Hulu that all horror fans should recognize, there is also an eclectic mix of smaller independent horror movies that cater to people wanting something different from their viewing experience. There are horror Oscar contenders on Hulu, and there are also small movies that have developed a strong cult following. Hulu also offers some great original horror movies, ranging the gamut from body horror to horror comedies to even sequels to former big-budget theatrical franchises. From psychological thrillers and slasher movies to supernatural horror and funny splatterfests, the best horror movies on Hulu have something for everyone.

For more horror movie recommendations check out our lists of the best horror movies on Netflix, the best horrors on Prime, and the greatest horror movies of all time.

Related: The 45 Best Movies On Hulu

20 Bad Hair (2020)

  • Release Date: October 16, 2020
  • Director: Justin Simien
  • Runtime: 102 minutes
  • Cast: Elle Lorraine, Jay Pharoah, Lena Waithe, Kelly Rowland, Laverne Cox, James Van Der Beek, Usher Raymond

Bad Hair is one of the best horror movies on Hulu when it comes to the streaming service's original offerings. Directed by Justin Simien (Dear White People), the movie stars Elle Lorraine as Anna, a woman whose television network she works for asks her to change her hair from its natural texture to a weave. This causes problems when the weave she gets is possessed and starts to kill anyone who tries to destroy it. Bad Hair never takes itself seriously and brings campy humor with just the right amount of gore.

19 Spree (2020)

  • Release Date: August 14, 2020
  • Director: Eugene Kotlyarenko
  • Runtime: 93 minutes
  • Cast: Joe Keery, Sasheer Zamata, Mischa Barton, David Arquette

When it comes to the best horror movies on Hulu, one of the least known is the 2020 horror satire Spree. The movie stars Stranger Things' Joe Keery (Steve Harrington) as Kurt, a young ride-share driver who is obsessed with becoming a social media star. To achieve this, he live-streams himself murdering his passengers. However, when no one believes the murders are real, Kurt sets out to find other social media stars to up his kill total. The cast is great, and while the story itself is slightly shallow, that is likely purposeful since it ties into social media's worst traits.

18 Apollo 18 (2011)

The poster from Apollo 18 featuring an astronaut clinging on to moon
  • Release Date: September 2, 2011
  • Director: Gonzalo López-Gallego
  • Runtime: 86 minutes
  • Cast: Warren Christie, Lloyd Owen, Ryan Robbins

Apollo 18 is a found-footage horror sci-fi movie that received mostly negative reviews when it came out but has since seen a positive reappraisal of its quality. This Hulu horror movie sees Apollo 18 sent into space to deliver a classified payload in 1974, but unlike its real-world counterpart, this Apollo 18 moon landing is successful. However, none of them made it home alive as they encountered aliens on the moon and the government left them there to die. While it isn't the best found-footage horror movie, the last 10 minutes might be the best of any film in the subgenre.

17 Annabelle (2014)

Annabelle

Release Date
October 3, 2014
Director
John R. Leonetti
Cast
Alfre Woodard, Ward Horton, Annabelle Wallis
Runtime
99minutes

Annabelle is part of The Conjuring Universe, and several movies from this franchise are on Hulu, with the original as one of the best horror movies on Hulu for this spinoff series. The Annabelle doll was mentioned early in The Conjuring and this is a prequel movie that showed how the doll Ed and Lorraine Warren spoke of became possessed. In a similar origin to Child's Play, it was a murderer whose spirit went into a doll and began to haunt the people in the house it resided. While critical reviews were poor, the movie was a financial success and spawned a prequel and a sequel itself.

16 The Menu (2022)

The Menu

Release Date
November 18, 2022
Director
Mark Mylod
Cast
Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, Hong Chau, Janet McTeer, Reed Birney, Judith Light, John Leguizamo
Runtime
106 minutes

The Menu was a sleeper hit when it arrived in theaters in 2022. One of the best horror movies on Hulu, The Menu is a horror comedy about a group of extremely wealthy people who go to a private island to receive an exclusive dinner by a celebrity chef (Ralph Fiennes). However, one person who doesn't seem to belong is a prostitute hired to accompany one man, and she is the one that fights for her survival when the cheg begins a deadly game that starts to pick off the affluent in attendance one by one. Both Fiennes and Anya Taylor-Joy picked up Golden Globes nominations for their performances.

15 Doctor Sleep (2019)

Doctor Sleep

Release Date
November 8, 2019
Director
Mike Flanagan
Cast
Carl Lumbly, Ewan McGregor, Bruce Greenwood, Emily Alyn Lind, Rebecca Ferguson, Alex Essoe, Kyliegh Curran, Zahn McClarnon
Runtime
153 minutes

One of the best horror movies on Hulu is a sequel to one of the best horror movies ever made. In 2019, director Mike Flanagan did something very impressive. He created a movie that was both a sequel to the movie The Shining and an adaptation of the Stephen King novel. This was impressive because King has often said how much he hated The Shining movie because it veered too dar from the novel. However, in his adaptation of Doctor Sleep, Flanagan took parts of the movie and the novel and created a horror sequel that pleased fans of both versions of The Shining, with Ewan McGregor taking on the role of the now adult Danny Torrance.

14 Titane (2021)

Titane

Release Date
October 1, 2021
Director
Julia Ducournau
Cast
Garance Marillier, Agathe Rousselle, Vincent Lindon, Laïs Salameh
Runtime
108 minutes

Julia Ducournau has begun to make her name as one of the most intriguing horror filmmakers working today. After her breakout movie Raw in 2016 impressed critics, she went on to win the Palme d'Or for her second movie, Titane. However, this is also not a movie for the weak-of-heart, or for anyone looking for a mainstream horror movie. The plot sees a woman named Alexia who is a serial killer who is in love with her car and actually makes love to it. When she ends up pregnant with the car's baby, a tale of horrific body horror begins.

13 Watcher (2022)

  • Release Date: June 2, 2022
  • Director: Chloe Okuno
  • Runtime: 96 minutes
  • Cast: Maika Monroe, Karl Glusman, Burn Gorman

Released initially at the Sundance Film Festival before moving on to IFC Midnight and Shudder, Watcher is now also one of the best movies on Hulu. This is a psychological horror thriller about an American couple who move to Bucharest. Soon, the woman begins to notice someone in the building across the street staring at her on more than one occasion. When she learns there is a serial killer in town, she begins to believe this is who it is and suddenly believes someone is following her. It remains a tense horror movie that encapsulates the feeling of anxiety when living in a strange place and deserves a watch on Hulu.

12 Evil Dead (2013)

Evil Dead (2013)

Release Date
April 5, 2013
Director
Fede Alvarez
Cast
Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci, Jessica Lucas, Elizabeth Blackmore
Runtime
91 Minutes

One of the most beloved horror cult classics of all time is Sam Raimi's The Evil Dead. In 2013, Fede Alvarez directed a reboot that also served as a sequel set in the same world as the original movies. The movie was dismissed by many fans when it came out, sight unseen, but it has received a positive reappraisal from horror fans as one of the most violent and horrific movies in The Evil Dead franchise. With that said, the movie did end up as a small box office success and received positve reviews, although it lacks the humor of the original movies and sticks to mostly the gruesome horror and terrifying moments.

11 Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil (2010)

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil

Release Date
September 30, 2011
Director
Eli Craig
Cast
Tyler Labine, Katrina Bowden, Alan Tudyk, Chelan Simmons, Jesse Moss
Runtime
89 minutes

Not all horror movies have to be scary. Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil is proof that some of the best horror movies on Hulu can create just as many laughs as they do scares. The movie features two friends who live in the West Virginia woods and encounter some college kids who are going camping. The kids, who watch too many horror movies themselves, assume Tucker and Dale are hillbilly serial killers and decide to go on the offensive. What results are the kids dying in hilarious and bloody ways, all because of their own ineptitude as Tucker and Dale watch on in horror. It has picked up a huge cult following since its release.

10 Barbarian (2022)

Barbarian

Release Date
September 9, 2022
Director
Zach Cregger
Cast
Bill Skarsgard, Georgina Campbell, Justin Long, Richard Brake, Matthew Patrick Davis, Kurt Braunohler
Runtime
102 minutes

Released in 2022, Barbarian was one of the first big horror movie theatrical hits of the year and was praised by critics for being a throwback to beloved horror movies from the past. Tess is a woman who arrives at a rental house in Detroit, only to find out it was double-booked and a man named Keith is already there. While this could be an interesting setup, the horrors come from the house itself - or more accurately - from the monster who lives under the house. The movie was a box office success and was a critical success, with a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

9 Piggy (2022)

Piggy

Release Date
October 14, 2022
Director
Carlota Pereda
Cast
Claudia Salas, Carmen Machi, Laura Galán, Pilar Castro, José Pastor, Fred Tatien
Runtime
90 minutes

The Spanish-language movie Piggy is one of the best horror movies on Hulu released in the past few years. The movie is based on a 2019 short film of the same name, directed by the director of that short, Carlota Pereda. The movie features a girl who is constantly picked up by three bullies in her town. However, when a man in a van kidnaps the three girls, and Sara sees it, she doesn't tell anyone and goes about her business. Sadly, she can't keep out of the kidnapping and ends up drawn back in with a deadly decision to make. The movie was a huge success, winning Best Picture at Fantastic Fest.

8 Possessor (2020)

Possessor

Release Date
October 2, 2020
Director
Brandon Cronenberg
Cast
Andrea Riseborough, Christopher Abbott, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Sean Bean, Rossif Sutherland, Tuppence Middleton
Runtime
103 minutes

David Cronenberg is one of the most beloved horror filmmakers in cinema history. His son Brandon Cronenberg has followed in his footsteps, but his work has remained more polarizing than his dad's on the whole. However, one of the best horror movies on Hulu is one of his movies — the 2020 sci-fi horror movie Possessor. This movie stars Andrea Riseborough as an assassin who takes control of other people's bodies to carry out her hits. However, when one person fights her possession, she ends up completely losing control. The Toronto International Film Festival named it one of the Top 10 Canadian movies of 2020.

7 Hatching (2022)

Hatching

Release Date
April 29, 2022
Director
Hanna Bergholm
Cast
Siiri Solalinna, Reino Nordin, Sophia Heikkilä, Jani Volanen, Saija Lentonen
Runtime
87 minutes

Hatching is an international Finnish-language horror movie from 2022 that might not have a huge audience yet, but the word-of-mouth is growing thanks to a 92% Rotten Tomatoes score and a very disturbing story. The movie follows a 12-year-old gymnast named Tinja who wants to please her image-obsessed mother. However, when Tanja finds an injured bird in the woods, she brings its egg home and when it hatches, a strange creature emerges. This changes Tinja's life as the bird begins to transform into the girl's evil doppelgänger.

6 The Babadook (2014)

The Babadook

Release Date
November 28, 2014
Director
Jennifer Kent
Cast
Noah Wiseman, Essie Davis
Runtime
94 minutes

One of the best horror movies on Hulu was a surprise independent hit from Australia in 2014 called The Babadook. Directed by Jennifer Kent, on its surface, this movie is a tale about a mother and son who are haunted by a mysterious monster known as The Babadook in their home. However, what makes this horror movie great is what plays out under the surface, as this is a story about a single mother's fear of parenthood and how grief can create monsters in a family who has been unable to deal with past trauma. The movie won several horror-centric awards, including from from Fangoria, and has developed into a cult classic.

5 Girl In The Basement (2021)

Stefanie Scott sitting on the floor in Lifetime's Girl in the Basement
  • Release Date: February 27, 2021
  • Director: Elisabeth Röhm
  • Runtime: 88 minutes
  • Cast: Judd Nelson, Stefanie Scott, Joely Fisher, Emma Myers

Girl in the Basement is a Lifetime ripped-from-the-headlines movie directed by Elisabeth Röhm (Angel) that was based on the true story of the famed Fritzl case. This was where Josef Fritzl lured his own daughter into the basement and locked her in there, telling his wife that she had run away from home. He then held her captive there for 24 years, sexually abusing her, and she delivered seven children. The movie tells this horrifying story, with Judd Nelson playing Fritzl, and it is currently one of the best horror movies on Hulu, although one that is often a very hard one to get through.

4 No One Will Save You (2023)

No One Will Save You

Release Date
September 22, 2023
Director
Brian Duffield
Cast
Kaitlyn Dever
Runtime
93 Minutes

One of the biggest surprise hits for horror movies on Hulu in 2023 is No One Will Save You. Premiering in September, just in time for the Halloween season, this new movie is about a woman who lives alone in her childhood home outside a town where everyone seems to despise her. This all comes to a head when an alien invasion begins in her town and Brynn finds herself fighting for her life against the invaders. This horror movie is unique in that it has almost no dialogue at all in its entire running time, but the tension and scares are enough to have won over horror fans, resulting in mostly positive reviews for the new arrival on Hulu.

3 Prey (2022)

Prey

Release Date
August 5, 2022
Director
Dan Trachtenberg
Cast
Dane DiLiegro, Michelle Thrush, Julian Black Antelope, Stormee Kipp, Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers
Runtime
1h 40m

Very few people expected Hulu to create an original horror movie that served as a prequel to the Predator franchise, and even fewer expected it to be good. Hulu has tried this more than once, as it also created a new Hellraiser movie. However, unlike Hellraiser, which was met with mixed to negative reviews, Prey was almost universally acclaimed. It served as a prequel to Predator and showed the alien arriving on Earth in 1719, where it set out to hunt humans over 200 years before returning to fight Arnold Schwarzenegger. The movie had little dialogue, and Amber Midthunder proved to be one of the best human heroes in any Predator movie.

2 Shaun Of The Dead (2004)

Shaun of the Dead

Release Date
September 24, 2004
Director
Edgar Wright
Cast
Kate Ashfield, Nick Frost, Simon Pegg, Lucy Davis, Dylan Moran
Runtime
99 minutes

Edgar Wright directed a zombie comedy that was so good that it won over a fan in the man who created the modern-day zombie movies, George Romero. The legendary director loved the movie so much, he invited Wright and star Simon Pegg to have cameos in one of his zombie sequels as well. One of the best horror movies on Hulu, this is one part of the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy of movies for Wright and stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as two friends stuck in the middle of a zombie apocalypse in London. It is a comedy, and is very funny, but takes the zombie threat seriously and remains a beloved cult classic.

1 Alien (1979)

Alien (1979)

Release Date
June 22, 1979
Director
Ridley Scott
Cast
Sigourney Weaver, Ian Holm, John Hurt, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, Tom Skerritt, Yaphet Kotto
Runtime
117 minutes

One of the best horror movies on Hulu right now is one of the best of all time, with the original Alien. While it is also a science fiction movie, the first Alien is a horror movie above all else, a haunted house movie in space with a seemingly indestructible monster hunting down a crew. There is even a Final Girl in the movie with Sigourney Weaver's Ripley facing down the dangerous Queen at the end. The movie was a huge success for director Ridley Scott, and it spawned an entire franchise, that included three sequels, two prequels, and spinoffs with the Predator franchise.