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 gems that make Hulu a destination beyond last night’s TV shows.
The complete list of new movies and shows hitting Hulu this month — April 2020 — is below, but I wanted to highlight the best of the bunch along with several others worth seeking out.
Hulu Pick of the Month
It’s Parasite, duh. We’ve been singing the praises of Bong Joon-ho’s fantastic genre-bender about family and class since last year, and its steamroller journey through awards season has been equally well documented. If you’ve somehow managed to miss it until now, though, you’ve officially run out of excuses. Its brilliance starts shining on Hulu on April 8th, and if you’re like us you’ll probably watch it, re-watch it, and then look forward to watching it yet again in the near future.
Bring on the Laughs!
I’m not sure if you’re aware, but the world is going through some pretty serious shit right now. It’s important to step away once in a while, and comedies are often a great way to do that. Hulu has plenty to offer on that front including two classic movies and the return of a hilarious series. Mel Brooks’ Blazing Saddles (1974) needs no introduction, but if you haven’t seen it in a while rest assured that it’s still funny as hell. Risky Business (1983) may not be as much of a laugh out loud comedy, and yes, it’s better known for the canoodling between Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay, but the damn thing is still quite funny. Finally, while it’s not often the case that fantastic movies survive the transition into terrific TV series the folks behind What We Do In The Shadows have done just that. Season 2 premieres on April 16th, and we can’t wait to jump back into this nutty world.
Lights, Camera, Action!
While some relax with laughs, others prefer to lean into adrenaline, and to that end three solidly entertaining action pictures are hitting Hulu this month and well worth your time. Burt Reynolds directs and stars in Gator (1976) and delivers some wildly reckless fun along the way. It’s far from nuanced, but it’s clear everyone’s in it for the mayhem. Phone Booth (2003) is a bit more subdued, in part because its protagonist is trapped in a phone booth through most of the film, but it still delivers plenty of thrills thanks to a tight Larry Cohen script and smart direction from Joel Schumacher. The Book Of Eli (2010) takes things into a post-apocalyptic world, and while the end twist is kind of dumb the movie remains an entertaining action flick anchored by another fantastic Denzel Washington performance.
The Horror of It All
If the real world isn’t scary enough for you, or if you just prefer scares of a more fictional kind, Hulu is also adding a few genre favorites this month. The Sender (1982) isn’t exactly well known, but it’s a solid horror/thriller about a disturbed man whose dreams are projected into other people’s reality in frightening and deadly ways. It’s good! Rob Reiner’s Misery (1990) is at the other end of that popularity spectrum, but it deserves its status as a modern classic and one of the finest Stephen King adaptations. Finally, Let Me In (2010) offers up an example of a remake done right, and while I still prefer the original (Let the Right One In, 2008) this American redo is aces in its own right with a thrilling, emotional tale of young friendship and old terrors.
The Complete List
April 1st
60 Days In: Narcoland: Complete Season 1 (A&E)
90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After?: Complete Season 4 (TLC)
Alone: Complete Season 6 (History)
The Ant Bully (2006)
Bangkok Dangerous (2008)
Bend It Like Beckham (2003)
Blazing Saddles (1974)
The Book Of Eli (2010)
The Boost (1988)
Breaking Amish: Complete Seasons 2 & 3 (TLC)
Bring It!: Complete Season 5 (Lifetime)
Chopped: Complete Season 36 (Food Network)
The Chumscrubber (2005)
Cutthroat Kitchen: Complete Season 12 (Food Network)
Dance Moms: Complete Seasons 2 & 6 (Lifetime)
Diary of a Hitman (1991)
Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives: Complete Seasons 27 – 29 (Food Network)
Dr. Pimple Popper: Complete Season 3 (TLC)
Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who (2008)
Dr. T. and the Women (2000)
The Eternal (1998)
The Family Chantel: Complete Season 1 (TLC)
Fast N’ Loud: Complete Season 13 (Discovery)
Fixer Upper (How We Got to Here: Looking Back on Fixer Upper): Special (HGTV)
The Food That Built America: Complete Season 1 (History)
Forged in Fire: Complete Season 6 (History)
Free Birds (2013)
The Full Monty (1997)
Fun in Acapulco (1963)
Gator (1976)
Get Smart (2008)
Gods and Monsters (1998)
Gold Medal Families: Complete Season 1 (Lifetime)
Gorky Park (1983)
Hidden Potential: Complete Season 1 (HGTV)
House Hunters: Complete Season 120 (HGTV)
Hud (1963)
Kabukicho Sherlock: Complete Season 1 (DUBBED) (Funimation)
Kids Behind Bars: Life or Parole: Complete Season 1 (A&E)
Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003)
Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004)
The Kitchen: Complete Seasons 16 – 18 (Food Network)
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)
Let Me In (2010)
Little Women: Atlanta: Complete Season 5 (Lifetime)
Little Women: LA: Complete Seasons 7 & 8 (Lifetime)
Love It or List It: Complete Season 14 (HGTV)
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008)
Married at First Sight: Complete Season 9 (FYI)
Marrying Millions: Complete Season 1 (Lifetime)
The Mexican (2001)
Misery (1990)
Moll Flanders (1996)
Phone Booth (2003)
Property Brothers: Complete Seasons 10 & 11 (HGTV)
Repentance (2014)
Risky Business (1983)
Romancing the Stone (1984)
The Jewel of the Nile (1985)
The Sender (1982)
Shirley Valentine (1989)
Spider-Man (2002)
Taken at Birth: Complete Season 1 (TLC)
Til Death Do Us Part: Complete Season 1 (ID)
TRANsitioning: Complete Season 1 (FYI)
Trapped: The Alex Cooper Story (2019)
Victoria Gotti: My Father’s Daughter (2019)
Who Let The Dogs Out (2019)
The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008)
Zombieland (2009)
April 3rd
Future Man: Complete Final Season (Season 3) (Hulu)
Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell: Complete Season 4 (Adult Swim)
April 6th
Too Cautious Hero: Complete Season 1 (DUBBED) (Funimation)
April 7th
No Guns Life: Complete Season 1 (DUBBED) (Funimation)
April 8th
Parasite (2019)
April 9th
Kono Oto Tomare!: Sounds of Life: Complete Season 2a (DUBBED) (Funimation)
Little Joe (2019)
April 10th
Real Housewives of Potomac: Complete Season 4 (Bravo)
April 12th
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic: Complete Season 9B (Discovery Family)
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic en Español: Complete Season 9B (Discovery Family)
April 14th
Unlocked (2017)
Vault (2019)
April 15th
The Masked Singer: Sing-Along Spectacular: Special (Fox)
The Messenger (2009)
A Teacher (2013)
April 16th
Harry Benson: Shoot First (2016)
What We Do In The Shadows: Season 2 Premiere (FX)
April 20th
A Kind Of Murder (2016)
Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)
April 22nd
Special-7: Complete Season 1 (DUBBED) (Funimation)
April 23rd
Cunningham (2019)
April 24th
Abominable (2019)
April 29th
Footloose (2011)
April 30th
2020 Billboard Music Awards: Special (NBC)