Looking for some frightful fun? Hulu has the movies and shows guaranteed to raise your hairs and curl your toes.
From recent thrillers to chilling classics, a Hulu subscription will give you plenty to choose from when it comes to the horror genre.
We snuck past haunted houses and dug through skeletons to find the best horror movies and shows on Hulu. So pull up an easy chair and lock the doors—it’s time for a scare!
How we rate Hulu’s horror movies and shows
To find the very best horror gems available on Hulu, we unearthed movies and shows available with basic packages, so you’ll be able to watch with a regular subscription.
We also relied on Rotten Tomatoes scores to make sure you get the best scares around. But watching scary shows is all about having fun, so we factored in overall bingeability for stories that will keep you up until dawn.
Let’s get to the nightmares! Fraidy-cats beware…Read on if you dare…
Best Hulu horror movies
Let the Right One In (2008)
- Average Tomatometer: 98%
- Average Audience Score: 90%
- Notable cast members: Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson
This is not your average vampire film—not at all. Let the Right One In is a moody tale of a 12-year-old boy named Oskar who is bullied mercilessly at school. A girl his age named Eli moves in next door, and they meet at night. But Eli tells Oskar they can’t be friends. “Oskar, I’m not a girl,” says Eli quietly.
The two kids start to form a bond as Eli teaches Oskar how to stand up for himself—but then the dead bodies begin to pile high. It’s a Swedish film, so you’ll have to read subtitles, which turns some people off. But if you’re a fan of horror stories that are truly terrifying, this one is definitely worth it.
The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
- Average Tomatometer: 92%
- Average Audience Score: 74%
- Notable cast members: Chris Hemsworth, Kristen Connolly, Anna Hutchison
Before Chris Hemsworth became Thor, he played a hilarious role in this unique horror/comedy film with a classic setting: a cabin in the woods. The story starts in familiar territory with a group of college students going on vacation at an old cabin—then things get weird.
This movie runs through all the major horror tropes like zombies, werewolves and clowns while poking fun at them along the way. Fans of the genre will appreciate the schlocky nods to films of the past, and the twist ending is truly something to behold.
The Host (2006)
- Average Tomatometer: 93%
- Average Audience Score: 72%
- Notable cast members: Song Kang-ho
This monster movie masterpiece is packed with laughs and thrills. In his international breakout role, Song Kang-ho stars as a hapless son who works at a riverfront snack bar with his father. But something strange lurks in the river. When his sister is abducted, Kang-ho and his oddball family must face the creature while staying one step ahead of shadowy government officials.
At one point the monster even eats and regurgitates a few unfortunate victims. This South Korean horror flick was notably directed by Bong Joon-ho, who went on to win ‘Best Director’ at the 2019 Academy Awards for his film Parasite. The Host is definitely one of the best horror movies on Hulu.
Hellraiser (1987)
- Average Tomatometer: 72%
- Average Audience Score: 73%
- Notable cast members: Ashley Laurence, Clare Higgins, Andrew Robinson
“I have seen the future of horror and his name is Clive Barker,” Stephen King famously said. And by all accounts, this splatterfest lives up to the hype. Incredibly gross and weird, Barker’s directorial debut tells the story of the extra-dimensional beings known as “Cenobites”, who are led by one of the most recognizable faces in all of horror: Pinhead.
If you’ve never seen Hellraiser, you’re in for a treat—a very bloody, gory treat.
Best Hulu horror shows
American Horror Story (2011-)
- Average Tomatometer: 76%
- Average Audience Score: 71%
- Notable cast members: Kathy Bates, Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Angela Bassett, Lady Gaga
Packed with stars and just as many frights, this dark anthology series has redefined modern horror television. Each season-long plot follows a brand new cast of characters thrown into horrible and desperate situations. Seasons include stories involving cults, freak shows and insane asylums.
With each season, the series manages to bring a fresh twist to worn-out genre themes. Actors commonly return as different characters in new seasons, which gives the show an interesting continuity. There’s currently nine seasons, all available to watch on Hulu.
The Twilight Zone (1959-1964)
- Average Tomatometer: 82%
- Average Audience Score: 94%
- Notable cast members: Rod Serling
Echoing back to the golden age of television, this genre-bending series has transcended horror and science fiction to become one of the greatest TV shows of all time. Created and hosted by the legendary Rod Serling, The Twilight Zone is five seasons of absolute greatness that still holds up 60 years later.
The show has been revived three times over the years and was even made into a big-budget movie. But nothing compares to the chilling excitement of the original series—easily one of the best horror shows on Hulu.
Castle Rock (2018-)
- Average Tomatometer: 88%
- Average Audience Score: 80%
- Notable cast members: André Holland, Jane Levy, Sissy Spacek
No horror show list would be complete without a salute to Stephen King, and that’s exactly what this show is—a salute to the decades of horrific tales from the master of horror himself. King serves as one of the executive producers on this Hulu original series, which brings together many of King’s seminal works in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine.
Some of the actors have appeared in previous movies and shows based on King’s books, and the plots are filled with Easter eggs that horror fans will love. There’s two seasons of the show available to binge on Hulu right now.
The Exorcist (2016-2018)
- Average Tomatometer: 89%
- Average Audience Score: 93%
- Notable cast members: Alfonso Herrera, Ben Daniels, Hannah Kasulka
Hollywood has gotten many, many miles out of The Exorcist franchise, and not all of the stories have been good. This is one of the good ones. Picking up where the original 1973 film left off, this series follows a pair of priests tasked with casting demons out from the possessed. Thankfully, the series ignores the subpar sequels and sticks to the source material.
Just like the original movie, the show features old-school scares that are not for the faint of heart. There’s two seasons, both available on Hulu, so you can binge watch the whole thing—but we recommend doing so before the sun goes down.
*Honorable mention*: we didn’t include Annihilation in this piece because it’s currently unavailable with basic subscriptions. But it’s a great sci-fi/horror flick, and if you have a Hulu + Live TV subscription, you should check it out.
That’s it for our showcase of Hulu’s most terrifying tales. There’s plenty of worthwhile options for brave viewers, and we hope each one shocks you in it’s own special way. If you were wondering what horror movies are on Hulu, now you know everything you need to give yourself insomnia for the next few months—enjoy!
*Current as of October 2020