Image via Getty/Ted Soqui
If we’re talking streaming services, Netflix has to be mentioned for pioneering the platform and the idea of original series. It’s ubiquitous enough to have spawned its own meme (Netflix and chill) and it remains the platform that spends the most on creating original content. However, that’s not to say that it’s the best platform. “Best” is subjective, and it would be futile to try to make a definitive ranking of all the major streaming platforms of today since so much of their content is entirely incomparable. But with all that said, if we had to pick Netflix’s main competitor, it would probably be Hulu.
Despite the millions of dollars Netflix has spent on its original programming, Hulu won the race for the first Emmy between the streaming sites for an original series for The Handmaid’s Tale. HBO NOW might have had a monopoly on Game of Thrones for a while, but now Hulu has an HBO add-on that lets you watch shows from two major streaming platforms in one app. Hulu has even recently teamed up with Spotify to provide dirt-cheap music and TV and movie streaming. Clearly, Hulu is out here working hard for your attention, and it deserves it.
Although Hulu is also the only major streaming platform to have commercials (though you can pay a little more to do away with them altogether), and their large and ever-growing selection is subject to the same hit-or-miss quality that Netflix’s catalog is, Hulu still has some quality movies and TV shows that are worth exploring. Every month, a new crop of movies and TV show seasons pop up, and while it can be hard to keep up, Complex has got your back with not only the full list of what’s new every month but also what you should pay particular attention among the new additions.
V/H/S 2 (2013)
Director(s): Jason Eisener, Gareth Evans, Timo Tjahjanto, Eduardo Sánchez, Gregg Hale, Simon Barrettand Adam Wingard
Stars: Lawrence Michael Levine, Kelsy Abbott, Adam Wingard, Hannah Hughes, Mindy Robinson
A rare example of a sequel that is better than its original, V/H/S 2 is a horror anthology produced by Bloody Disgusting and Brad Miska consisting of five short, found-footage films by five different directors. The plots of each film are not linked, but the five indie directors each bring their own sadistic flavor to their storylines, ensuring that you’re not aching for any more than what each short gives you. There’s a lot of gore (in one short, a guy cuts out his own eye with a razor), but you can also expect some creepy-ass aliens, ghosts, and zombies, and cults. As can be expected of such a scattered structure, you might personally prefer one short over another, but as a whole, V/H/S 2 is sure to satisfy horror fans who enjoy the bloodiest and goriest of stories.
Let the Right One In (2008)
Director: Tomas Alfredson Stars: Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar, Ika Nord, Peter Carlberg
Forget about that Twilight nonsense: vampires are still scary. In fact, this Swedish horror film is one of the best entries in the genre because it very carefully steers clear of any and all stereotypes that might come with the vampire genre. The plot follows the life of Oskar, a young boy tortured by sadistic bullies who meets, and eventually falls in love with, Eli, a lonely girl who also just happens to be a young vampire in the 1980s in Stockholm. While Eli helps boost Oskar’s confidence to fight back against his bullies and Oskar becomes Eli’s much needed companion, Eli also fosters a bloodthirsty streak in Oskar, and their relationship becomes a bloody toxic affair. That said, there’s something to say about a movie that manages to weave a love story with a healthy dose of empathy into a dark, twisted story of genuinely scary child-vampires.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Director: Jonathan Demme
Stars: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, Ted Levine
Do you really need a reason to rewatch this all-time classic? And if you’re one of those people who haven’t seen it yet, you should thank Hulu and rectify that horrible mistake right now because The Silence of the Lambs is a masterpiece, straddling the line between an all-out screamer of a horror movie and an intelligent psychological thriller. Adapted from a 1988 Ted Tally novel of the same name, this is the movie that made Hannibal Lecter such a terrifying villain. Jodie Foster plays FBI agent Clarice Starling who’s on a mission to find a serial killer named Buffalo Bill, but she takes a rather unconventional—not to mention dangerous—route when she asks Hannibal Lecter for help finding Bill. Remember: It rubs the lotion of the skin or it gets the hose again.
RoboCop (1987)
Director: Paul Verhoeven Stars: Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Miguel Ferrer, Ronny Cox, Kurtwood Smith
Sure, RoboCop is a prime example of the unmistakable aesthetic of the 1980s, but, perhaps ironically, it is exactly the movie’s excess and over-the-top qualities that have allowed the movie to remain relevant and noteworthy to this day. The story is the gory, violent tale of Alex Murphy, a cop who is brutally murdered but later resuscitated as a full on robot thanks to the endless resources of the huge company Onmi Consumer Products. But with a premise like that, the movie is not the shallow cop movie that it could be: It is really a brilliant satire and a brutal send-up of capitalism that is sure to warm the hearts of Bernie Bros and more rational people alike.
The Pelican Brief (1993)
Director: Alan J. Pakula
Stars: Julia Roberts, Denzel Washington, Sam Shepard, John Heard, Tony Goldwyn
If you’ve ever read a John Grisham novel, you’re familiar with his particular brand of suspenseful thriller. As a mostly faithful adaptation of perhaps the prototypical Grisham novel, The Pelican Brief is a fast-paced race to save Julia Roberts, who plays a young law student who figured out who murdered two Supreme Court Justices and is in turn targeted by the killers herself. She is helped by a journalist, played by Denzel Washington, who helps her uncover the larger conspiracy forming around her. It’s a typical legal/political thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat without making you think too hard.
Lars and the Real Girl (2007)
Director: Craig Gillespie
Stars: Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider, Kelli Garner, Patricia Clarkson
Showcasing one of Ryan Gosling’s best performances, Lars and the Real Girl is the rare American movie that is able to have a protagonist that is, by all measures, a real weirdo, without having him become the butt of the joke. Think about it: What movie could star an awkward, offbeat young man who falls in love with an anatomically correct sex doll named Bianca and make you feel for the guy instead of laugh at him? This empathetic approach results in a movie with real heart, which in turn makes it one of the most original movies in recent memory.
An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
Director: Davis Guggenheim Stars: N/A Ok, so, Al Gore’s 2006 documentary chronicling the horrors of climate change isn’t a cinematic masterpiece: if anything, it reached its “blockbuster” status because of just how important the subject matter is, not because the movie is artistically powerful. But when the U.S. was hit with not one but two devastating and fatal hurricanes in the span of two weeks just a few months after backing out of the Paris Climate Accord, there’s something about An Inconvenient Truth that needs revisiting.
Carrie (1976)
Director: Brian De Palma Stars: Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, John Travolta, William Katt, Amy Irving
Carrie is such an iconic movie, and there are clear nods to the Stephen King classic adaptation throughout pop culture. For starters, Rihanna’s Bitch Better Have My Money video borrows heavily from the most memorable part of Carrie when Rihanna is shown covered head to toe in blood; even 2017’s It has Carrie vibes, specifically that scene with Beverly Marsh in the blood-soaked bathroom. This is all to say that Carrie is one of the most necessary horror films.
My Girl (1991)
Director: Howard Zieff Stars: Anna Chlumsky, Macaulay Culkin, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dan Aykroyd, Richard Masur
My Girl is the movie you watch when you need a good cry. But besides one of the most brutal movie deaths of all time, the movie is also a surprisingly mature coming-of-age story starring Anna Chlumsky (Veep) and Macaulay Culkin. Chlumsky is a little girl who is shrouded by death and must learn to overcome and learn from her traumas to embrace life for what it does offer—it’s a pretty universal story, even if it is mollified by a typical ‘90s aesthetic that means nothing ever gets too dark.
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Available September 1
Keeping Up With the Kardashians: Complete Season 13 (E!)
A River Runs Through It
Addams Family Values
The Addams Family
Akeelah and the Bee
American Loser
An Inconvenient Truth
And You Thought Your Parents Were Weird
Autopsy
Barnyard
Batman
Batman Returns
Best Seller
Bio-Dome
The Black Stallion
The Blue Lagoon
Butterfly Effect 3: Revelations
Carrie (1976)
Contact
The Cove
The Cup
Dances With Wolves
Dare Not Walk Alone
The Dark Half
Disturbing Behavior
Dead Hands Dig Deep
Defiance
Down to Earth
Dr. Strange
Dying Breed
Eternity: The Movie
Fools Rush In
Fright Night (2011)
The Golden Child
Gridiron Heroes
Harriet the Spy
History of Jazz: Oxygen for the Ears
Hitch
Home Sweet Hell
Indecent Proposal
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
The Invincible Iron Man
Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love
Kill Me, Deadly
L.A. Twister
Lars and the Real Girl
Last Chance Harvey
The Last Godfather
The Levenger Tapes
The Loved Ones
Mad Hot Ballroom
Man About Town
The Men Who Stare at Goats
Mistress
The Monster Squad
My Girl
My Girl 2
Nacho Libre
The Neverending Story
The Object of Beauty
Offspring
Ordinary People
Outbreak
The Pelican Brief
Planet Hulk
Poseidon
Princess Kaiulani
Pumpkinhead
The Rage – Carrie 2
Red Garters
Remember the Goal
Return to the Blue Lagoon
River’s Edge
Robocop (1987)
Robocop 2
Sanctuary
Secretary
Shooter
The Silence of the Lambs
Silent Hill
Sinbad: Beyond the Veil of Mists
Sleepover
Spring Broke
Something to Talk About
Stomp the Yard
Surfer, Dude
Switchback
Tiger Raid
Thor: Tales of Asgard
Ultimate Avengers: The Movie
Ultimate Avengers 2
Ultraviolet
Walking Tall
You Got Served
You Got Served: Beat the World
Available September 2
Adventure Time: Complete Season 8 (Cartoon Network)
Ben-Hur
Freaky Friday (1977)
Freaky Friday (2003)
Available September 3
The Eye
Available September 5
The Emperor’s New Groove
Insatiable: The Homaro Cantu Story
Lilo & Stitch
The Lodge
Returning Citizens
Survivor
Available September 6
Crash (2005)
Available September 7
Total Bellas: Season 2 Premiere (E!)
Burden
Available September 9
The Magnificent Seven (2016)
Available September 11
The Orville: Series Premiere (FOX)
Top of the Lake: China Girl (Sundance TV)
Available September 12
The Mindy Project: Season 6 Premiere (Hulu)
Filth
Available September 13
Anomaly
Once Upon a Time in Shanghai
Available September 14
South Park: Complete Season 21 (Comedy Central)
Robo-Dog: Airborne
Available September 15
Good Behavior: Complete Season 1 (TNT)
An American Werewolf in London
Child of God
Endless Love
The Lookalike
The Road Within
Skating to New York
The Thaw
These Final Hours
The Women of Brewster Place
Available September 16
Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail
Available September 19
Straight/Curve: Challenging the Beauty
Available September 20
Pirates
Available September 21
The Commune
Food Evolution
Available September 22
Doc McStuffins: Complete Season 4 (Disney Jr.)
Interview With a Hitman
Kiki
Killers
McCanick
Sword of Vengeance
Vengeance of an Assassin
Available September 23
Grey’s Anatomy: Season 13 Premiere (ABC)
Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell: Complete Season 3 (Adult Swim)
Available September 25
Miles From Tomorrowland: Complete Season 2 (Disney Jr.)
Power: Complete Season 3 (Starz)
The Double
Available September 26
The Brave: Series Premiere (NBC)
The Voice: Season 13 Premiere (NBC)
Available September 27
Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Season 5 Premiere (FOX)
Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders: Series Premiere (NBC)
Lethal Weapon: Season 2 Premiere (FOX)
The Mick: Season 2 Premiere (FOX)
This Is Us: Season 2 Premiere (NBC)
The ABC’s of Death
Frankie & Alice
Hammer of the Gods
I Saw the Devil
Kiss of the Damned
Let the Right One In
Splinter
Survival of the Dead
V/H/S
V/H/S 2
Available September 28
Chicago P.D.: Season 5 Premiere (NBC)
Empire: Season 4 Premiere (FOX)
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Season 19 Premiere (NBC)
Star: Season 2 Premiere (FOX)
Dance Flick
Available September 29
Family Matters: Complete Series
Full House: Complete Series
Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper: Complete Series
Perfect Strangers: Complete Series
Step By Step: Complete Series
Chicago Fire: Season 6 Premiere (NBC)
Ghosted: Series Premiere (FOX)
The Good Place: Season 2 Premiere (NBC)
Gotham: Season 4 Premiere (FOX)
Great News: Season 2 Premiere (NBC)
Superstore: Season 3 Premiere (NBC)
Will & Grace: Season 9 Premiere (NBC)
Available September 30
Hell’s Kitchen: Season 17 Premiere (FOX)
The Evil in Us
Once Upon a Time in Venice