Top titles to add to your watchlist

Disney-owned streaming giant Hulu is among the best streaming services. Launching the same year as Netflix‘s streaming site, it has a massive library of movies and TV shows to rival most of the other streamers. That includes original movies streaming only on Hulu, and you can expect new streaming movies to show up every week too. So, what are the best Hulu movies that you should check out first?

Below, we offer our picks of the 26 best Hulu movies you can stream right now. Our selections cover a wide range of genres and time periods, as well as plenty of Hulu originals. Sadly, Hulu doesn’t have very many older classic films unless you upgrade with add-on “channels,” but we’ve included a few titles over 20 years old.

If you don’t already have a Hulu account, you can sign up by hitting the link below.

What you need to know:

• Rating: R
• Runtime: 100 minutes
• Director: Dan Trachtenberg
• Main cast: Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers, Dane DiLiegro, Michelle Thrush
• Genre: Action/horror/sci-fi
• Ratings: 7.1 – IMDB / 93% – Rotten Tomatoes

Set in the 1700s, this prequel to 1986’s Arnold Schwarzenegger classic Predator sees a Comanche warrior trying to prove herself discovering the arrival of a monstrous alien predator who seeks the deadliest prey he can find. Despite his advanced hunting technology, she has to find a way to protect her tribe.

Prey isn’t just one of the best Hulu movies. It’s one of the best Predator movies. Building on the original while drawing from its very best features to exist as something new and exciting, it’s a must-see for fans of the franchise and other horror/sci-fi classics like Alien, The Thing, The Fly, Event Horizon, and more.

What you need to know:

• Rating: R
• Runtime: 95 minutes
• Director: Ethan Coen
• Main cast: Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi, Harve Presnell, Peter Stormare
• Genre: Crime/drama/comedy
• Ratings: 8.1 – IMDB / 94% – Rotten Tomatoes

In the snowy town of Fargo, Minnesota, in the 1980s, struggling car salesman Jerry Lundegaard hatches a plan to kidnap his own wife and collect the ransom money her rich father will inevitably pay. When the thugs he hires go off script and kill a cop, the whole plan goes awry, and it’s up to a clever state trooper to put the pieces together.

Nominated for Best Picture at the 1997 Oscars, Fargo effectively launched the careers of the Coen brothers. The pitch-black comedy of errors remains one of their best films, which is saying a lot about a career that has included gems like Miller’s Crossing, The Big Lebowski, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, and No Country for Old Men.

What you need to know:

• Rating: R
• Runtime: 95 minutes
• Director: Damien Power
• Main cast: Havana Rose Liu, Danny Ramirez, David Rysdahl, Dale Dickey, Mila Harris, Dennis Haysbert
• Genre: Thriller/mystery
• Ratings: 6.1 – IMDB / 61% – Rotten Tomatoes

When a woman is stranded at a roadside rest stop during a blizzard, she’s stuck waiting it out with a small group of assembled strangers. When she discovers an abducted girl in a van outside, she has to figure out who took her without alerting the kidnapper that she knows.

One of the more underrated streaming originals, No Exit is a tight little thriller that keeps you guessing, and it’s easily among the best Hulu movies. Partly a locked-room mystery and partly a survival thriller, No Exit is a great choice for anyone who enjoys claustrophobic whodunnits.

What you need to know:

• Rating: R
• Runtime: 105 minutes
• Director: Andrew Ahn
• Main cast: Joel Kim Booster, Bowen Yang, Conrad Ricamora, James Scully, Margaret Cho
• Genre: Romantic comedy
• Ratings: 6.7 – IMDB / 94% – Rotten Tomatoes

A modern retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, Fire Island sees a group of queer friends heading off on their yearly trip to the eponymous gay party spot at Fire Island Pines. After an unexpected change of plans, tensions flare, and romance is in the air.

More than a groundbreaking queer romcom with a largely Asian-American cast — though it very much is that! — Fire Island is also one of the best Hulu movies, full of infectious charm, great laughs, and some beautiful romance. Fans of the romantic comedy genre should not sleep on this one.

What you need to know:

• Rating: R
• Runtime: 94 minutes
• Director: Abe Forsythe
• Main cast: Lupita Nyong’o, Alexander England, Josh Gad, Kat Stewart
• Genre: Horror/comedy
• Ratings: 6.3 – IMDB / 80% – Rotten Tomatoes

When a zombie apocalypse breaks out, a teacher has to team up with a musician and a kids’ show star to keep the children safe from hoardes of the undead in this horror-comedy on Hulu.

Luptia Nyong’o has sadly not had as many starring roles as she deserves since winning her Oscar in 2014. Little Monsters is one exception, and she shines here in what is a perfect pick for fans of horror comedies like Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland, Cabin in the Woods, and We Have a Ghost.

What you need to know:

• Rating: TV-MA
• Runtime: 95 minutes
• Director: Josh Greenbaum
• Main cast: George Lazenby, Josh Lawson, Kassandra Clementi, Landon Ashworth, Jane Seymour, Jeff Garlin, Jake Johnson, Dana Carvey
• Genre: Documentary
• Ratings: 7.5 – IMDB / 78% – Rotten Tomatoes

In 1969, Australian actor George Lazenby replaced Sean Connery in the iconic role of James Bond in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. The lead-up to Lazenby getting the part was anything but typical, and while the film could have been the start of massive stardom, it led the budding actor to abandon the industry to avoid losing his sense of self. Becoming Bond offers a behind-the-scenes look at Lazenby’s steps to becoming Bond through interviews and reenactments.

A bizarre and captivating documentary, Becoming Bond is among the best movies on Hulu, and it’s an absolute treat for fans of Hollywood history, as well as the James Bond Franchise — On Her Majesty’s Secret Service especially.

What you need to know:

• Rating: R
• Runtime: 251 minutes
• Director: Martin Scorsese
• Main cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen
• Genre: Crime/drama
• Ratings: 8.5 – IMDB / 91% – Rotten Tomatoes

In Boston, a police officer is sent undercover to help take down a crime family while the crime family sends its own man into the police department. What follows are two simultaneous games of cat and mouse, where no one is above suspicion.

Winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture, The Departed is a stellar crime film from a master of the genre. It features career-best performances from Mark Wahlberg, Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, and more. If you’re a fan of films like Donnie Brasco, Goodfellas, or Heat, you’ll want to check it out.

What you need to know:

• Rating: R
• Runtime: 90 minutes
• Director: Max Barbakow
• Main cast: Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, J. K. Simmons
• Genre: Comedy/sci-fi/romance/fantasy
• Ratings: 7.4 – IMDB / 94% – Rotten Tomatoes

Two guests at a wedding in Palm Springs find themselves caught in a time loop. Every morning, they wake up to relive the same day again. Can they work together to find a way back to linear time?

While the time-loop format has been done seemingly to death, it’s clearly still worth keeping it around if films like Palm Springs are any indication. If you like Groundhog Day, Edge of Tomorrow, or Happy Death Day, definitely don’t miss it!

What you need to know:

• Rating: Unrated
• Runtime: 122 minutes
• Director: Joshua Oppenheimer
• Main cast: Various
• Genre: Documentary
• Ratings: 8.2 – IMDB / 95% – Rotten Tomatoes

Filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer seeks to expose the horrors of mass executions of accused communists in Indonesia by interviewing the perpetrators, now celebrated as heroes, and restaging their worst crimes with them.

A disturbing and shocking documentary, The Act of Killing is a difficult film that forces us to confront complex ethical issues. Its very existence has been criticized for allowing killers to frame their own actions. A follow-up film titled The Look of Silence told from the perspective of survivors of the mass killings was released in 2014.

What you need to know:

• Rating: Unrated
• Runtime: 117 minutes
• Director: Thomas Vinterberg
• Main cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Magnus Millang, Lars Ranthe
• Genre: Drama
• Ratings: 7.7 – IMDB / 92% – Rotten Tomatoes

Four high school teachers develop a theory that consuming alcohol throughout the day will help them thrive socially. Testing their theory at first proves very successful, but they soon succumb to unforeseen consequences.

Mads Mikkelsen stars in this brilliant Danish film from his The Hunt director Thomas Vinterberg. Fans of Danish cinema won’t want to miss it.

What you need to know:

• Rating: R
• Runtime: 115 minutes
• Director: Adrian Lyne
• Main cast: Ben Affleck, Ana de Armas, Tracy Letts
• Genre: Psychological thriller
• Ratings: 5.4 – IMDB / 36% – Rotten Tomatoes

A man falls under suspicion when his wife’s lovers begin turning up dead. Is there a dark side to his seemingly patient and forgiving nature, or is he the victim of a misunderstanding in this sexy thriller?

Perhaps a controversial choice among the best Hulu movies, Deep Water feels like a throwback to a different era of filmmaking and is a welcome erotic thriller from the director of classics of the genre like Fatal Attraction, Indecent Proposal, and Unfaithful.

What you need to know:

• Rating: R
• Runtime: 132 minutes
• Director: Bong Joon-ho
• Main cast: Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam, Jang Hye-jin
• Genre: Drama/thriller
• Ratings: 8.5 – IMDB / 99% – Rotten Tomatoes

In South Korea, the struggling Kim family slowly cons its way into working for a rich family. Soon, the glaring disparities between the two families threaten their fragile relationship.

Winner of both the Palme d’Or at Cannes and the Oscar for Best Picture, this Korean drama takes no prisoners in its critique of privileged, clueless upper classes and the inequalities of modern life.

What you need to know:

• Rating: R
• Runtime: 131 minutes
• Director: Céline Sciamma
• Main cast: Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel
• Genre: Historical drama/romance
• Ratings: 8.1 – IMDB / 97% – Rotten Tomatoes

In 18th-century France, an artist is commissioned to paint the portrait of a difficult and reclusive aristocrat. Soon, the two young women form a close, romantic bond as they spend time together, cut off from much of the world.

Visually stunning and emotionally stirring, Portrait of a Lady on Fire was a huge hit at festivals in 2019, starting at Cannes, where it had its premiere and was nominated for the Palme d’Or, winning the best screenplay award and the Queer Palme.

What you need to know:

• Rating: Unrated
• Runtime: 93 minutes
• Director: Bing Liu
• Main cast: Keire Johnson, Zack Mulligan, Bing Liu
• Genre: Documentary
• Ratings: 8 – IMDB / 100% – Rotten Tomatoes

Three friends use skateboarding to escape difficult home lives in this intimate documentary about growing up in the rust belt and coming of age while facing major challenges.

One of the best documentaries of the last decade, Minding the Gap is a sobering portrait of manhood, friendship, racism, economic disparity, and domestic trauma.

What you need to know:

• Rating: PG-13
• Runtime: 124 minutes
• Director: Stephen Sommers
• Main cast: Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo
• Genre: Action/fantasy/horror
• Ratings: 7.1 – IMDB / 60% – Rotten Tomatoes

In 1925, treasure hunters in the Sahara desert accidentally unleash a 3,000-year-old curse. Now, a paid gun and a librarian have to stop the vengeful reincarnation of an Egyptian priest.

The Mummy is pure pulpy fun, with terrific performances — and electric chemistry — from stars Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz. If you like classic monster movies and Indiana Jones, this one’s for you.

What you need to know:

• Rating: PG-13
• Runtime: 106 minutes
• Director: M. Night Shyamalan
• Main cast: Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin, Abigail Breslin
• Genre: Thriller/drama/sci-fi
• Ratings: 6.8 – IMDB / 75% – Rotten Tomatoes

When a farmer discovers mysterious crop circles on his land, he has to work to protect his family from a possible alien invasion on Earth.

Signs is one of the best movies on Hulu and one of the best films by M. Night Shyamalan. If you enjoyed Jordan Peele’s Nope or Steven Spielberg films like Close Encounters of the Third Kind, you should definitely add it to your watchlist.

What you need to know:

• Rating: R
• Runtime: 97 minutes
• Director: John Hughes
• Main cast: Emilio Estevez, Paul Gleason, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy
• Genre: Teen/comedy/drama
• Ratings: 7.8 – IMDB / 89% – Rotten Tomatoes

Five very different high schoolers find themselves together for Saturday detention. Despite belonging to different social cliques — there’s the rebel, the princess, the outcast, the brain, and the jock — they soon come to learn that they have more in common than they ever imagined.

A teen classic, The Breakfast Club has become something of an anthem for outsiders. It’s crafted to speak to everyone and is thus a great movie-night pick for anyone looking to revisit their high school days.

What you need to know:

• Rating: R
• Runtime: 140 minutes
• Director: David Fincher
• Main cast: Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Helena Bonham Carter, Meat Loaf, Jared Leto
• Genre: Drama/thriller
• Ratings: 8.8 – IMDB / 79% – Rotten Tomatoes

A depressed man forms an unlikely friendship with a mysterious salesman. Soon, the two create an underground fight club for other men who feel disaffected and left behind by an indifferent society. Things quickly spin out of control from there as the club grows and takes on a new and dangerous ideology.

A cult favourite despite some mixed reviews on release, Fight Club is one of David Fincher’s best films and a clever critique of hypermasculinity and capitalism.

What you need to know:

• Rating: PG-13
• Runtime: minutes
• Director: Martin Campbell
• Main cast: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Jeffrey Wright, Judi Dench, Isaach de Bankolé
• Genre: Action/espionage
• Ratings: 8 – IMDB / 94% – Rotten Tomatoes

To stop a dangerous terrorist plot, MI-6 agent James Bond will have to play a high-stakes game of poker against arms dealer Le Chiffre to cut him off from the last of his financing in this stripped-down spy actioner.

Reinventing and rebooting the James Bond franchise for a new generation, Casino Royale is possibly the best Bond film, and certainly one of the best Hulu movies. Playing with familiar tropes and unpacking the meaning of Bond, the film kicked off Daniel Craig’s tenure as the iconic spy.

What you need to know:

• Rating: R
• Runtime: 125 minutes
• Director: Garry Marshall
• Main cast: Julia Roberts, Richard Gere, Ralph Bellamy, Jason Alexander, Héctor Elizondo, Laura San Giacomo, Alex Hyde-White
• Genre: Romantic comedy
• Ratings: 7.1 – IMDB / 65% – Rotten Tomatoes

While on a business trip, a wealthy businessman grows close to a sex worker he hires one night on a lark. As the two grow closer, they realize that there are enormous hurdles to get over for their love story to have a happy ending.

Despite some outdated attitudes toward sex work, Pretty Woman remains an iconic, genre-defining romcom and features nearly unbelievable chemistry between its romantic leads. A must for fans of the genre.

What you need to know:

• Rating: R
• Runtime: 92 minutes
• Director: Michael Sarnoski
• Main cast: Nicolas Cage, Alex Wolff, Adam Arkin
• Genre: Drama
• Ratings: 6.9 – IMDB / 97% – Rotten Tomatoes

When a recluse has his life rocked by home invaders, he finds himself returning to society and the world of underground food in Portland as he searches for the beloved truffle pig who was taken from him.

Nic Cage gives one of the best performances of his career in Pig, and that’s saying a lot. The film is a slow-burning portrait of a man holding on desperately to one of the last things in life he truly loves.

What you need to know:

• Rating: PG-13
• Runtime: 102 minutes
• Director: Clea DuVall
• Main cast: Kristen Stewart, Mackenzie Davis, Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, Dan Levy
• Genre: Romantic comedy/holiday
• Ratings: 6.6 – IMDB / 82% – Rotten Tomatoes

A woman who is ready to propose to her girlfriend is shocked to learn that her family doesn’t know she’s queer. Now, she’s about to endure a truly uncomfortable holiday season with her would-be family, who don’t know who she really is.

With terrific performances and a classic set-up with a queer twist, Happiest Season is a new Christmas classic that earns its place alongside The Family Stone, While You Were Sleeping, and other snow-swept romcoms.

What you need to know:

• Rating: R
• Runtime: 87 minutes
• Director: Kitty Green
• Main cast: Julia Garner, Matthew Macfadyen, Makenzie Leigh, Kristine Froseth
• Genre: Drama
• Ratings: 6.4 – IMDB / 93% – Rotten Tomatoes

A young assistant to a powerful media mogul tries to get her work done amid growing concerns that her boss may be engaging in predatory behavior towards his clients and business contacts. As she tries to confront the problem head-on, she discovers a systemic pattern of protection for the monstrous icon.

While never named, The Assistant’s subject is quite clearly disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, and the film tastefully explores how systems of abuse thrive in environments that quietly support and enable them.

What you need to know:

• Rating: R
• Runtime: 117 minutes
• Director: Mimi Cave
• Main cast: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Sebastian Stan, Jonica T. Gibbs, Charlotte Le Bon, Andrea Bang, Dayo Okeniyi, Brett Dier
• Genre: Horror/thriller
• Ratings: 6.7 – IMDB / 82% – Rotten Tomatoes

After meeting a seemingly perfect guy, Noa thinks she’s finally won the dating game. But soon, she finds herself in a fight for her life as he reveals his peculiar appetites.

One of the best Hulu original movies, Fresh is a bone-chilling and clever twist on the meet-cute. If you liked Ready or Not, The Perfection, or Jennifer’s Body, you’ll want to check out Fresh.

What you need to know:

• Rating: R
• Runtime: 110 minutes
• Director: Ridley Scot
• Main cast: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos
• Genre: Sci-fi
• Ratings: 8.1 – IMDB / 89% – Rotten Tomatoes

In the future, a cop who specializes in hunting life-like cyborgs called Replicants is tasked with tracking down and taking out escaped Replicants who have returned to Earth. In doing so, he begins to question the meaning of what he does, and of his own humanity.

One of the most groundbreaking science-fiction films of all time, Blade Runner has influenced countless other films. The Final Cut, released in 2007, remains the definitive version of the film, and you can catch it on Hulu. If you like The Terminator, Gattaca, Westworld, The Fifth Element, and more, make sure to check out this classic.

What you need to know:

• Rating: TV-MA
• Runtime: 92 minutes
• Director: Sammi Cohen
• Main cast: Rowan Blanchard, Auliʻi Cravalho, Isabella Ferreira
• Genre: Teen/romantic comedy
• Ratings: 6.3 – IMDB / 78% – Rotten Tomatoes

A teen who’s much more into arts than sports sees her chance to ask out her crush when she’s forced to join the track team. But she unexpectedly finds herself developing feelings for another girl on the team.

A charming and irresistible queer teen romance, Crush is a Hulu original that’s well worth your time.