Whether you’re a hardcore slasher fan or you like your scary movies slow and spooky, there’s no shortage of horror content to stream right now. Gone are the days of saving horror films for Halloween. Instead, you can spend some time with Leatherface in the middle of summer, or watch a group of hapless teens attempt to ward off death in any other month besides October. From truly terrifying classics to creepy original ideas that’ll keep you up all night, here are 30 of the best horror movies to stream on Hulu in 2022.
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Florence Pugh takes the lead as the recently orphaned Dani in Ari Aster’s Midsommar. Along with her boyfriend and his very “bro” group of friends, Dani travels to a midsummer festival in Sweden. While the landscape is beautifully bright and airy, a pagan cult lurks at the center of this story. From its stunning visuals to its inventive kills, Midsommar instantly became a horror classic upon its release, and it’s easy to see why.
Stream it on Hulu with a Showtine add-on.
Octavia Spencer is delightful as veterinary tech Sue Ann “Ma” Ellington, who allows a group of teenagers to party in the basement of her house. However, Ma’s intentions most definitely aren’t pure, and the teens soon become suspicious of the strange adult who keeps turning up in their lives. The film has since inspired a plethora of memes.
Stream it if you have Hulu with Live TV.
Disability has often been exploited in horror movies, but that’s definitely not the case in 2020’s Run. Breakout star Kiera Allen stars alongside Sarah Paulson in this twisty thriller about a disabled teen preparing to leave for college when her reality is turned upside down. What if the life you’ve been living is a lie, and your body had been manipulated by someone you trusted? The tension in Run doesn’t let up until its very last frame, and the film shows why disabled actors should take center stage in their own stories more often.
In Ready or Not, Samara Weaving stars as Grace, a former foster child marrying into a very big and very rich family. However, anyone who joins the family must draw a card from Le Bail’s puzzle box, indicating what game the group will play to mark the occasion. Unfortunately for Grace, she draws the “Hide and Seek” card, and a very real game of life or death ensues. Can she survive until the sun comes up?
Stream it if you have Hulu with Live TV.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
There’s nothing quite as powerful as the original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. It’s hard to believe that this slow-burning, truly troubling horror film was released in 1974. The original outing of Leatherface remains the best, and the film will seriously make you think twice about taking a roadtrip anytime soon.
Stream it on Hulu with a Showtine add-on.
Willy’s Wonderland (2021)
Love him or hate him, there’s no denying that Nicolas Cage is an icon. In the wonderfully weird and brilliantly gory 2021’s Willy’s Wonderland, Cage stumbles upon a doomed children’s restaurant in which its resident cuddly creatures come to life after sundown. Part-slasher, part-horror comedy, Willy’s Wonderland lets Cage shine as he goes up against people in oversized animal costumes, and plenty of blood is spilled. What more could you possibly want?
The Amityville Horror (1979 & 2005)
If you’ve ever wanted to see Ryan Reynolds in a horror movie, look no further. In 2005’s The Amityville Horror, Reynolds stars as George Lutz, who moves his family into a new home. Unbeknownst to him, the house was the site of a terrible series of murders, and the hauntings soon begin. A 1979 version of the story, starring James Brolin, is also available to stream for completists. And yes, it’s based on a true story.
Stream both versions on Hulu with a Starz add-on.
This one’s for fans of Stranger Things. Joe Keery stars as Kurt Kunkle, a rideshare driver who desperately wants to be famous on social media. In an attempt to go viral, he decides to start livestreaming the murders of his passengers. Gory and filled with celebrity cameos (David Arquette! Mischa Barton!), Spree is both a timely look at our collective internet obsession and a super fun horror movie.
Before Rachel Green fell for Ross Geller, there was another man in Jennifer Aniston‘s life. In 1993’s Leprechaun, Aniston finds herself fighting for her life against a—you guessed it—very evil leprechaun. Played by Warwick Davis, the leprechaun starts killing people while in pursuit of the gold that was stolen from him years earlier. Leprechaun has since spawned seven sequels of varying quality, but if hilariously bad horror flicks are your thing, why not start with Aniston’s film debut?
Lupita Nyong’o is fantastic in 2019’s Little Monsters, a zombie-comedy-horror flick set in Australia. Nyong’o plays Miss Caroline, a teacher who must defend her students against a zombie outbreak. She’s accompanied by a children’s TV host, played by Josh Gad. Laughs and bloody scenes ensue.
Havana Rose Liu stars as recovering drug addict Darby in this taut thriller. After escaping rehab in an attempt to visit her mother in hospital, Darby finds herself trapped at a visitors center with a random group of people during a blizzard. However, when she stumbles across a kidnapped girl in a stranger’s vehicle, she must determine who the kidnapper is and try to save the girl. This might be the worst night of her life.
Jigsaw (2017) & Spiral (2021)
The Saw franchise needs no introduction, and luckily, Hulu has the two most recent entries. In 2017’s Jigsaw, a copycat is recreating the work of John Kramer, leading many to wonder if the prolific serial killer is still alive. In 2021’s Spiral, Chris Rock helps to reboot the franchise by drawing us into a brand new investigation, with some pretty gory traps.
Stream Jigsaw if you have Hulu with Live TV, and Spiral with a Starz add-on.
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Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
If you’re in the mood for some classic horror, then 1978’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers might fit the bill. Donald Sutherland and Jeff Goldblum star in this film about a San Francisco health inspector who discovers that human beings are getting replaced with alien doppelgängers void of emotion.
Stream it on Hulu with an HBO Max add-on.
Keanu Reeves plays family man Evan who’s left home alone for the weekend. During a rainstorm, two women turn up at his door (played by Ana de Armas and Lorenza Izzo) looking for directions to a party. Evan lets the women dry off and orders them an Uber, but instead of leaving, they convince him to have a threesome. The weekend descends into all sorts of horror from there.
Starring everyone from Jared Leto to Joshua Jackson, Urban Legend is a fairly typical late ’90s slasher with a fun hook. When a series of murders start happening on a New England campus, it becomes clear that they’re inspired by popular urban legends. If nothing else, the recreation of these oft-talked-about tales will make you reminisce about hearing scary stories at sleepovers as a kid.
Directed by Eli Roth and executive produced by Quentin Tarantino, 2005’s Hostel probably struck fear into anyone backpacking across Europe. Three friends head to Slovakia on the advice of a stranger they meet one night. Little do they know that they’re actually being trafficked by an organization that tortures and kills tourists. Two sequels followed, firmly cementing the popularity of the “torture porn” genre.
Teresa Palmer stars in this supernatural horror film about a terrifying entity attached to her mother, that only appears when the lights are off. If, like me, you’re deathly afraid of the dark, then Lights Out is bound to give you chills, as it brings all of your fears about what might be lurking to life. Jump scares aplenty.
Let the Right One In (2008)
Swedish horror film Let the Right One In made such an impact on audiences that it was remade in 2010 as Let Me In starring Chloë Grace Moretz. The original, which is on Hulu, focuses on the friendship between a bullied young boy and a vampire. Expect bloodsucking and beheading in this beloved horror film.
Before Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass, Mike Flanagan made Oculus, a psychological horror film starring Karen Gillan. Gillan stars as Kaylie, who believes that an antique mirror known as the Lasser Glass has cursed her family and is responsible for the deaths of her parents. As she tries to rebuild her relationship with her brother, Kaylie is drawn into the mirror’s mysteries once more.
Ilana Glazer co-wrote and stars in False Positive, a visceral horror movie exploring female trauma and reproductive coercion. Reminiscent of the Netflix documentary Our Father, Glazer plays Lucy, who decides to undergo IVF with a leading fertility doctor (Pierce Brosnan) who uses his own “special” method of fertilization. After falling pregnant with triplets, the trouble begins. The casual way in which women’s bodies are manipulated and co-opted in today’s society is not lost on this film. Glazer shines.
A loose sequel to 1996’s The Craft, Zoe Lister-Jones writes and directs Legacy, which follows four teenagers pursuing magic. Once Frankie, Tabby, and Lourdes recruit Lily into the coven, they succeed in freezing time, and their combined powers only grow. Bigotry and male fragility are perhaps the biggest horrors in The Craft: Legacy. Zoey Luna‘s performance proves she’s one to watch.
Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sebastian Stan team up in Fresh, an exploration of modern dating. Noa meets Steve in a supermarket, and is bowled over by his charm (hey, it’s Sebastian Stan, after all!). However, Noa soon discovers that her love interest has some seriously scary appetites. If you’ve ever found online dating mildly terrifying, Fresh is for you.
The inimitable Julia Garner stars as Jane, a college graduate who lands her dream job working for an entertainment executive. Jane soon realizes that the industry she wants to be a part of is marred by abuse and a slew of men intent on misusing their power. A quietly terrifying movie, The Assistant exposes what it can be like navigating the world as a young woman. Thanks to Garner’s performance, it’s impossible to look away.
In Censor, Enid works as a British film censor in the 1980s, identifying content that should be banned during the “Video Nasty” era. But when Enid watches a film that appears to be linked to her sister’s historic disappearance, echoing her own memories of events, she’s drawn deeper into a terrifying mystery.
My Bloody Valentine (2009)
Jensen Ackles stars in this 2009 remake of 1981’s My Bloody Valentine. It’s the tenth anniversary of the Valentine’s night massacre, in which 22 people were killed, and the murders have started again. Ackles plays Tom, a man returning to his hometown who is immediately suspected of the new deaths. The killer wears mining gear and carries a pickax, which is enough to scare anyone.
Escape Room: Tournament of Champions (2021)
The sequel to 2019’s Escape Room follows a group of strangers as they’re forced to take part in a series of deadly escape rooms. Much like Final Destination or Saw, much imagination has gone into each of the deaths, and the escape rooms are genuinely scary. The plot ties into a bigger a mystery, but we’re only here for the gore and jump scares, and that’s okay.
Guillermo del Toro’s dark and dreamy fantasy, Pan’s Labyrinth, is visually jaw-dropping, and filled with creatures that’ll give you nightmares. Set against the backdrop of Spain in 1944, 10-year-old Ofelia struggles as the stepdaughter of a brutal army officer. To escape her present reality, she retreats into a labyrinth, believing she’s the reincarnation of a princess from the underworld.
The sequel to The Shining stars Ewan McGregor as Dan Torrance, who is still traumatized by what take place at the Overlook Hotel when he was young. After becoming an alcoholic to suppress his psychic powers, Dan learns of a deadly cult known as The True Knot who seek out people with gifts like his. After learning that the cult is preying on children, Dan strives to protect a young girl from death.
Stream it if you have Hulu with Live TV.
The second remake of 1974’s Black Christmas follows a group of sorority sisters being preyed upon by a mysterious stalker. Women are firmly at the center of this remake, thanks to director Sophia Takal and co-writer April Wolfe. By incorporating the #MeToo Movement and a healthy dose of feminist rage, this festive slasher tackles sexual assault, fraternity power dynamics, and misogyny on campus.
Stream it if you have Hulu with Live TV.
A married couple (played by Michael Ealy and Meagan Good) move into their dream house, which sits on acres of land in the middle of nowhere. There’s only one problem with the property: its previous owner, Charlie (played by a seriously creepy Dennis Quaid). If you’ve ever worried that someone else might be in your house, or that you’re being watched during your most intimate moments, then The Intruder is guaranteed to freak you out.
Amy Mackelden Amy Mackelden is a freelance writer, editor, and disability activist.
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