Hulu has been stuck in the third place position when it comes to movie streaming behind Netflix and Amazon Prime because most people still see them strictly as a home for next-day television. They have movies too, though, and more than a few of them are terrific gems that make Hulu a destination beyond last night’s TV shows.
The complete list of new movies hitting Hulu this month — September 2018 — is below, but I wanted to highlight the best of the bunch along with several others worth seeking out.
Hulu Pick of the Month
Flower (2017) is about a teenage girl (Zoey Deutch) blackmailing men by blowing them while her friends secretly record them. Her life grows more complicated when she inherits a stepbrother of sorts and discovers that he was molested years prior by Adam Scott. The synopsis doesn’t exactly suggest as much, but Flower is a very funny movie. Granted, much of the humor is dark, cruel, and unexpected, but it’s balanced so precariously against an atypical narrative and characters in real jeopardy that you’re not always sure if you should be laughing at all. Reigning overhead, though, and holding all of its unruly elements together, is a spectacularly affecting and ridiculously charismatic performance by Deutch. It hits Hulu on September 3rd.
Hulu Horrors
Some people wait for October to binge on spooky, creepy, and scary movies, but I’m more of an “anytime the urge strikes” kind of guy. Hulu is adding eleven horror movies this month, and while some are modern gems — The Fly (1986), Joyride (1997), and Hardware (1990) which premieres on 9/15 — others vary in their quality from the good — Jaume Balagueró’s Darkness (2002), George Romero’s The Dark Half (1993), Stan Winston’s Pumpkinhead (1988) — to a pair of lesser sequels in Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986) and Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings (1994). This month also sees the arrival of The Amityville Horror (1979), Sacrifice (2016) on 9/20, and Jigsaw (2017) on 9/29. I’ll add that while Pumpkinhead is a good movie and its sequel is almost one, both are worth double featuring for the sweet perfection that is the title creature design.
New to You and Me
I see a lot of movies, but I can’t watch all the movies. That means, of course, that some of what hits Hulu is as new to me as it most likely will be to you. Three recent films arrive this month that look at least a little interesting despite my inability to vouch for them. First up is Midnighters (2017) — “Midnight, New Year’s Eve: when all the hopes of new beginnings come to life – except for Lindsey and Jeff Pittman, whose strained marriage faces the ultimate test after they cover up a terrible crime and find themselves entangled in a Hitchcockian web of deceit and madness.” Women and Sometimes Men (2018) hits on 9/4 — “Sara has some questions. Engaged for one day, she decides to call off her marriage. Quirky and beautiful, she is working on being bold. Having had a short relationship with a woman in college, Sara seeks that feeling again. How can she have a woman’s touch without giving up men entirely? This question launches Sara on a bittersweet journey filled with self discovery, sexual awakening, beautiful women and sometimes men.” Bittersweet journeys are always fun, right? Bodysnatch (2018) arrives on 9/11 — “Recent college graduates joyride in a stolen cop car only to uncover a secret that will doom mankind.” Last up is Daphne & Velma (2018) which arrives on 9/4, and despite the heading of this grouping I have not only seen this one but I like it quite a bit. It’s a flick for teens (preteens? I don’t understand kids) focused on the meeting of Scooby Doo‘s two female mystery lovers in high school. It’s witty, funny, and smart, and I’m already looking forward to a sequel. Honest!
The Complete List
September 1
13 Going on 30 (2004)
Adaptation (2002)
The Amityville Horror (1979)
AntiHuman (2017)
Any Given Sunday (1999)
Bandits (2001)
Blow Out (1981)
Bolero (1984)
The Bone Collector (1999)
City of God (2002)
The Cleanse (2016)
Cool It (2010)
Darkness (2002)
The Dark Half (1993)
Doctor Dolittle 2 (2001)
Double Impact (1991)
Dragon Blade (2015)
Dressed to Kill (1980)
Emma (1996)
Fall Time (1993)
The Female Brain (2018)
Field of Dreams (1989)
The Fly (1986)
Going Overboard (1989)
A Good Woman (2006)
Jerry Maguire (1996)
Joyride (1997)
Kill Me Again (1989)
The Longest Yard (1974)
Midnighters (2017)
Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
A Murder of Crows (1999)
No Game, No Life: ZERO (2018)
Over the Top (1987)
The Perfect Weapon (1991)
Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986)
Primal Fear (1996)
Pumpkinhead (1988)
Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings (1994)
Rodger Dodger (2002)
Rushmore (1998)
Rustlers’ Rhapsody (1985)
Searching for Sugar Man (2012)
Senorita Justice (2004)
Signs (2002)
Sixteen Candles (1984)
Small Town Saturday Night (2010)
Stealth Fighter (1999)
There Will Be Blood (2007)
Unbreakable (2000)
What Dreams May Come (1998)
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)
September 2
The English Patient (1996)
September 3
Flower (2017)
The Miracle Season (2018)
September 4
Daphne & Velma (2018)
Monochrome (2016)
Women and Sometimes Men (2018)
September 6
Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)
I Love You, America: New Episodes (Hulu Original)
September 7
Cesar Chavez (2014)
September 8
From Paris with Love (2009)
Stand Up To Cancer: Special (EIF)
Stronger (2017)
September 10
Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami (2017)
REL: Series Premiere (FOX)
September 11
Bodysnatch (2018)
Natural Vice (2017)
September 12
Grace Unplugged (2014)
September 13
El Clon: Season 1 (Telemundo)
Higher Power (2017)
September 14
The First: Series Premiere (Hulu Original)
The Housemaid (2017)
September 15
Alien Invasion: S.U.M.1 (2017)
Good Behavior: Season 2 (TNT)
Hardware (1990)
She’s So Lovely (1997)
The Queen (2006)
The Shipping News (2001)
September 16
Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
September 18
American Horror Story: Cult: Season 7 (FX)
La Impostora: Season 1 (Telemundo)
Pasion De Gavilanes: Season 1 (Telemundo)
September 20
BB King: On The Road (2017)
Boom for Real (2018)
Sacrifice (2016)
This is Home: A Refugee Story (2018)
Total Divas: Season 8 Premiere (E!)
September 21
Aurora: Season 1 (Telemundo)
My Little Pony (2017)
September 22
For Colored Girls (2010)
Love after Love (2018)
September 24
Gemini (2018)
Iris (2001)
9-1-1: Season 2 Premiere (FOX)
September 25
Afterlife (2018)
UFO Chronicles: The Black Vault (2018)
Dancing with the Stars: Season 27 Premiere (ABC)
The Good Doctor: Season 2 Premiere (ABC)
Manifest: Series Premiere (NBC)
The Resident: Season 2 Premiere (FOX)
The Voice: Season 15 Premiere (NBC)
September 26
The Krays (1990)
Dama y Obrero: Season 1 (Telemundo)
The Gifted: Season 2 Premiere (FOX)
Lethal Weapon: Season 3 Premiere (FOX)
New Amsterdam: Series Premiere (NBC)
This is Us: Season 3 Premiere (NBC)
September 27
A Million Little Things: Series Premiere (ABC)
American Housewife: Season 3 Premiere (ABC)
Chicago Fire: Season 7 Premiere (NBC)
Chicago Med: Season 4 Premiere (NBC)
Chicago P.D.: Season 6 Premiere (NBC)
Empire: Season 5 Premiere (FOX)
The Goldbergs: Season 6 Premiere (ABC)
Modern Family: Season 10 Premiere (ABC)
Single Parents: Series Premiere (ABC)
South Park: Season 22 Premiere (Comedy Central)
Star: Season 3 Premiere (FOX)
September 28
Suburbicon (2017)
The Good Place: Season 3 Premiere (NBC)
Grey’s Anatomy: Season 15 Premiere (ABC)
How to Get Away With Murder: Season 5 Premiere (ABC)
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Season 20 Premiere (NBC)
September 29
Jigsaw (2017)
The Cool Kids: Series Premiere (FOX)
Dateline: Season 28 Premiere (NBC)
Hell’s Kitchen: Season 18 Premiere (FOX)
Last Man Standing: Season 7 Premiere (FOX)
September 30
Nicky Ricky Dicky & Dawn: Season 4 (Nickelodeon)