The Best TV Shows and Movies to Binge-Watch on Hulu in October

Get ready for a Halloween unlike any other, except maybe for whatever they did during the Spanish Flu outbreak of 1918. "Trick or Treat" will have to be shouted from six feet away and behind plastic face shields, the real scary people out there will be the ones who aren't wearing masks, and all candy you do get will need to be rinsed out in hand sanitizer before it's eaten. But one aspect of Halloween will look exactly the same as before: staying home and watching scary movies and shows until you pee your pajamas!

Hulu is here for you, celebrating the month of October with a bunch of horror to get you in the mood for Halloween. In fact, all of our picks for the month are scary in some way or another, including a movie about a killer hair weave, for real. Take a look at the list, lock the doors, and don't look behind you. 

We also have recommendations for what to watch on Netflix and the best shows and movies on Amazon this month, as well as a list of everything coming to all the major streaming services in October. If you're looking for even more hand-picked recommendations, click over to our Watch This Now! page.

The Best Shows and Movies on Hulu This Month

Judy & Punch

Available Oct. 1
There aren't enough movies about husband-and-wife marionette puppeteers who try to kill each other, I say. Just this one! The Sundance film comes to streaming, and is specifically for people who want to watch movies that are unlike anything they've seen before. Mia Wasikowska and Justified's Dewey Crowe (Damon Herriman) star in the Australian black comedy set in minstrel days about a wife who seeks revenge on her alcoholic husband after he accidentally kills their baby during a bender. The whole look of the film is gorgeous.

Monsterland

Available Oct. 2
You'd think a horror anthology with the title Monsterland would be non-stop gore and frights, but this adaptation of Nathan Ballingrud's book North American Lake Monsters: Stories is heavy on the horror without all the sensationalism. Sure you'll run into mermaids, shadow monsters, and even a traveling serial killer who rips people faces off, but the true scares of Monsterland are psychological as the characters face metaphorical fears of real problems. As such, it's a deliberately paced, dark collection of short stories. It also features an outstanding cast with appearances by Kaitlyn Dever, Jonathan Tucker, Mike Colter, and more.

Books of Blood

Available Oct. 7
British horror writer Clive Barker gets three of his short stories from his Books of Blood series adapted for television in this film that's more traditionally horror. You know, jump scares, blood writing on the wall, and a needle being stuck in an eye, that kind of stuff. The stories follow a psychologist (Anna Friel) who talks to a medium who speaks for her dead son, a woman (Britt Robertson) with a condition that makes her sensitive to sound who gets some unwanted treatment, and a hitman (Yul Vazquez) who gets one last score to get out of the business which obviously doesn't go right. 

Helstrom

Available Oct. 16
The latest addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe doesn't feature any capes or tights, but you're still going to have to watch it if you're a Marvel completist. Part of Marvel's toe-dip into supernatural horror, Helstrom follows Marvel characters Daimon and Ana Hellstrom, the children of a powerful serial killer, who travel about hunting the worst of humanity. (If you're familiar with the comics, then you have an idea of who that father might be.) It's expected to be dark, gory, and twisted, with some serious family dysfunction thrown in there. 

Bad Hair

Available Oct. 23
Dear White People's Justin Simien trades smart social satire for frightening follicle follies in this horror comedy about an evil weave. Yes, weave, as in fake hairpiece. You're either in or you're out after that description, and we are definitely IN. The movie is set in 1989 and follows an ambitious young woman who dons a weave as part of her new job in the music industry. Then her hair goes CRAZY. Why wouldn't you want to watch this?