October is "Huluween" season on Hulu, but as is the case with the streaming service generally, the library of TV shows is stronger than that of movies. Hulu's current selection of horror movies is smaller than other streamers and not very consistent. Many classic horror movie series only have one or two installments available (Candyman 3, Hellraiser 2, etc.) rather than full binges.
Even with the limited selection, however, there are still some quality Halloween viewing to be found on Hulu this year. This list offers six different Huluween experiences for a wide variety of tastes, from kids still preparing to trick-or-treat to seasoned horror buffs.
Over the Garden Wall
Yes, technically Over the Garden Wall is a TV miniseries, but it's a continuous story you can binge in less than two hours so it basically plays like a movie (and has sometimes been broadcast as one on Cartoon Network). Since its premiere in 2014, the adventures of Wirt, Greg, Beatrice and Kitty/George Washington/Benjamin Franklin/Dr. Cucumber/Jason Funderberker the Frog have become an annual autumnal viewing tradition for many. Whimsical, impressively dark for a kids' cartoon and very funny, Over the Garden Wall is a wonderful homage to classical animation.
Edward Scissorhands
Tim Burton has found great success with a style that's distinctly gothic but hardly ever tips into full-blown horror. His 1990 masterpiece Edward Scissorhands is technically more of a Christmas movie in terms of its plot, but a movie about a tragic Frankensteinian creation given life by Vincent Price more than qualifies for the atmosphere of the Halloween season. Angsty teenagers and socially awkward adults alike have long related to kindhearted, misunderstood Edward. The only thing that's truly scary in the film is the candy-colored bigotry of the suburbs.
Thelma
Director Joachim Trier's 2017 horror movie Thelma takes its sweet time unfolding its supernatural storyline. Much of the movie could pass for a straightforward drama about a devout Christian girl going to college and struggling with independence from her family and accepting her homosexuality. When the title character has seizures, however, she experiences nightmare-like visions, and it gradually becomes clear that these aren't just visions but signs of her own dangerous power. The satisfying ending works in a similar fashion to The VVitch or Midsommar -- Thelma's actions are far from heroic, but you still end up rooting for her anyway.
Black Swan
Horror movies tend to be unfairly ignored by the Academy Awards, but when they decide to not only nominate but award a horror film, it's usually something special. Natalie Portman's Oscar-winning performance in the 2010 psychological thriller Black Swan, playing a ballerina discovering her dark side in the pursuit of a perfect performance, is incredible. Director Darren Aronofsky clearly borrowed a lot of techniques for blending delusions and reality from Satoshi Kon's anime thriller Perfect Blue, but he managed to make the twisted material his own.
Run
Some horror films don't need monsters, ghosts or serial killers to terrify -- sometimes, all you need is one very bad mother and some brilliantly stress-inducing directing. Aneesh Chaganty's movie Run premiered on Hulu last November, missing the Halloween season; CBR's review made some sense of that release schedule by saying that the movie was "maybe too scary for Halloween, or rather, its scares are of the all too realistic variety." Run is light enough on physical violence to justify its PG-13 rating, but its psychological violence is immense.
Train to Busan
A franchise-launching blockbuster in South Korea and a critical favorite worldwide, Yeon Sang-ho's 2016 action-horror film Train to Busan reinvigorated the tried-and-true zombie genre with an infusion of fresh blood. This movie follows a group of passengers on a train fighting for their lives as a zombie apocalypse breaks out around them. The fast zombies and non-stop bloody fight scenes will keep your pulse racing, while the story works in elements of social commentary worthy of George Romero. If you can't get enough zombies, watch Train to Busan -- and if you're sick of them, Train to Busan makes them scary and exciting again.