In 2017, Hulu made television history by becoming the first streaming network to win the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, thanks to the phenomenon that was The Handmaid’s Tale.
While Netflix has largely cornered the streaming market on original movies—and even managed to persuade A-listers like Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuarón, and Martin Scorsese to come aboard—Hulu is starting to find its footing in features too, securing the exclusive rights to a large number of Oscar-nominated movies like A Real Pain and Anora. Below are some of our top picks for the best movies (original and otherwise) streaming on Hulu right now.
Still looking for more great titles to add to your queue? Check out WIRED’s guides to the best TV shows on Hulu, best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Disney+, and the best movies on Amazon Prime. Don't like our picks, or want to offer suggestions of your own? Head to the comments below.
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40 Acres
In the wake of a series of wars and plagues, civil society is a foreign concept to the human survivors who have tried to rebuild their lives. Hailey Freeman (Danielle Deadwyler), a one-time soldier, is one of the people who has attempted to find normalcy with her family by isolating themselves—with plenty of security—on a farm in the middle of nowhere. But when Hailey’s son Emmanuel (Kataem O’Connor) begins longing to experience the world beyond the confines of their home, the evils of the outside world could decimate the lives they’ve built. Music video director turned feature filmmaker R.T. Thorne delivers a captivating view of society on the brink of collapse.
The Cabin in the Woods
Given horror’s long history, it’s hard to make a movie that turns the genre on its head. But that’s exactly what Drew Goddard did in 2011 when he took a page out of Wes Craven’s Scream book to create this clever—and surprisingly funny—meta horror flick. As the title suggests, The Cabin in the Woods plays with the well-worn horror trope of a group of attractive young people heading off to a cabin in the middle of nowhere only to find themselves surrounded by some type of evil, human or otherwise. That each piece of that subgenre’s puzzle is so perfectly executed, from the weird old local who attempts to warn the kids to the basement filled with creepy, old relics, is all part of the plan here. It’s a loving ode to the genre, and a classic as a result.
Barbarian
Three years before he set the box office on fire with this summer’s Weapons, Zach Cregger delivered this smart, scary, and oddly funny take on how collaborative consumption has allowed us to put our faith—and lives—in the hands of total strangers. Tess (Georgina Campbell) travels to Detroit to interview for her dream job and rents an Airbnb in a not-so-desirable neighborhood for the duration of her stay. When she arrives, she learns that the home has been double-booked and there’s already a guest staying there. Fortunately for Tess, Keith (Bill Skarsgård)—the current occupant—is willing to go out of his way to help her and invites her to spend the night. While that may have been her first indication that something was not quite right, the real threat is something you won’t see coming, no matter how many red herrings are thrown at you.
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