Though summer is a long way from Halloween, horror fans still love to enjoy the sunny season with some scary movies. Fortunately for streamers, Hulu has an extensive selection of frightening films to watch (but preferably not binge).
From masked killers attacking kids at summer camps to getaway trips gone terribly wrong, there is more than enough horror to sustain even the most desensitized fan. Out of all the pictures on Hulu, audiences should treat themselves to some scares with these five films.
The Exorcist III (1990)
This summer’s a perfect time to catch up on The Exorcist franchise, as the reboot is set to drop in just a few months. Set 15 years after Regan’s exorcism, this threequel follows Lt. Kinderman when he investigates a series of serial murders carried out by the deceased Gemini Killer, who has taken possession of Damien Karras’s body.
Despite being a sequel to The Exorcist, this film acts more as a supernatural crime thriller, with Kinderman trying to uncover the truth about the Gemini’s return in a gripping and suspenseful mystery that remains sorely underrated.
The Sixth Sense (1999)
After a tragic incident involving a former patient, a child psychologist gets a chance to redeem himself when he meets a troubled boy who can see lingering spirits.
Suspenseful and unpredictable, M. Night Shyamalan‘s thrilling ghost story will keep audiences on the edge of their seats until its iconic twist ending. At the same time, The Sixth Sense is imbued with a Speilbergian sense of wonder and fantasy that should appeal to all audiences looking for the good kind of scary film.
Alien (1979)
In June 2122, a group of “space truckers” answer a distress call from a mysterious planet during their road trip across the stars. Unfortunately for them, they come across an alien parasite that latches onto one of their own and kills them off one by one. Even in the cold vacuum of space, the film’s cast can’t escape the heat as the titular creature lurks around their ship, waiting in the shadows to get the drop on them all.
Alien thus makes for a suspenseful and deeply horrifying odyssey into the dark unknown that audiences continue to revisit today. Famously described as a “haunted house movie in space,” Alien is an effective slasher horror movie; instead of a masked murderer, it’s a deadly Xenomorph that slowly stalks and slaughters each of the cast one by one.
Barbarian (2022)
People tend to rent out houses for their vacation, but this film shows what happens when two people unknowingly rent a house in Detroit inhabited by a monstrous woman.
Barbarian is a masterclass at defying expectations, as the story steers off into many surprising directions in a fashion reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. Combined with many terrific scares, this film will make audiences think twice about where they stay this summer.
The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
When five friends vacation in a creepy cabin deep in the forest, they naturally find themselves targeted by many kinds of killer monsters. However, this film puts a clever spin on the slasher genre by making it all a part of an elaborate sacrificial ritual carried out by a shadow organization versed in all things horror.
Deconstructing just about every trope in the book, Cabin in the Woods is a smart and hilarious satire that should entertain casual and devoted horror fans looking to enjoy themselves on a spooky summer night.
