What’s New to Stream on Hulu for October 2021

Tony Scott, M. Night Shyamalan, and some October chills!
Hulu October 2021

Crossing the Streams is our look at all the offerings hitting the big streaming services each month, and this time we’re checking out what’s new on Hulu for October 2021, including a new UK chiller, double features from beloved directors, and more!


Hulu Pick of the Month for October 2021

Horror films offering a meta-view of the genre’s intersection with the real world are nothing new, but director/co-writer Prano Bailey-Bond does find a new direction to take it all with Censor (2021). The film unfolds during the UK’s “video nasty” period in the 1980s when government-sanctioned censors banned films outright that didn’t meet their moral codes. One such censor begins seeing something on the screen that blurs the line between fiction and reality, and soon she finds herself descending into a very cinematic hell. It’s a slow burn terror, but its visuals and observations on both the era and the onscreen violence are engaging throughout. The film’s coming to 4K disc from the wizards at Vinegar Syndrome, but with it streaming on Hulu first, now’s your chance to see if a physical media purchase is for you.


October Hulu Horrors

SXSW

The legendary Arthur Penn (Bonnie & Clyde, Little Big Man, Night Moves) wrapped up his career with a couple of minor duds, but his last worthwhile effort is an underappreciated chiller called Dead of Winter (1987). The equally legendary Mary Steenburgen stars as an actor who arrives at a remote estate under the guise of a screen test only to find a grim mystery instead. It’s a nifty little thriller with an intricate plot, Roddy McDowell in a meaty supporting role, and a great seasonal atmosphere.

Species (1995) crosses a few genres — horror, sci-fi, action — and it combines them all into a bundle of B-movie fun. Scientists merge alien DNA with humans, and a young Michelle Williams grows up to be a saucy Natasha Henstridge who mates with then kills her male prey. It’s big and silly, and it stars a terrifically odd ensemble including Michael Madsen, Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina, Forest Whitaker, and Marg Helgenberger. Director Roger Donaldson knows how to deliver fun entertainment that lives a few steps to the left of the serious and intelligent. If you’re in the mood, Hulu is also adding all three of the sequels this month too. Did somebody say B-movie marathon?!

Ben Wheatley’s In the Earth got most of the eco-horror movie press this year, but for my money, Gaia (which premieres on Hulu on October 22nd) is the far better film. Director Jaco Bouwer finds terror, wonder, and natural beauty in a story about the earth’s effort to fight back against irresponsible stewards — humans. A park ranger gets lost and finds a man and his son living in the woods, but rather than the rescue she needs, the pair reveal themselves to be in a grim alignment with the earth beneath their feet. Yes, it’s another slow-burn tale, but it’s an engrossing one.


A Tony Scott Double Feature!

Everyone has a favorite among Tony Scott’s sixteen feature films, and unlike with most directors, there’s no “wrong” answer as his filmography is solid across the board. I love more than a few of them, but if I had to pick one, my favorite of the late director’s movies is Crimson Tide (1995), which is new to Hulu this month. Perhaps a bit less kinetic than some of his other films, and restrained by its submarine setting, the film is nothing less than explosive all the same. Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington go head to head — as officers, as ideological enemies, as actors — and the result is just pure dynamism and a masterclass on the role performance plays in creating on-screen tension. It’s a terrifically suspenseful and exciting film.

Scott directed two remakes in his career, and while everyone loves the other, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009) is a bit more divisive. The big issue is that Joseph Sargent’s 1974 original is an untouchable, perfectly cast masterpiece. This remake isn’t that, but there’s still fun to be had with its tale of armed robbers on a subway train and the unlucky hero who steps up to stop them. Denzel Washington is good, albeit no Walter Matthau, but John Travolta’s villain completely misses the mark compared to what Robert Shaw pulled off in the original. Still, it’s a solid enough thriller.


An M. Night Shyamalan Double Feature!

While Scott’s sadly passed on, M. Night Shyamalan is still kicking and delivering genre efforts every few years that immediately divide audiences. Signs (2002), which is new to Hulu this month, remains his best, in my humble opinion, with its tale of alien invaders, a tight-knit family, and a wavering faith. Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix are terrific, and even the child actors bring the goods with both Abigail Breslin and Rory Culkin delivering with believably endearing kiddos. The film manages at least one amazing scare and finds wonder and tension in later set-pieces.

The Village (2004), by comparison, is a bit more of a mixed bag. Heavily derided on release, declared a masterpiece later on by the cool kids, the truth rests somewhere in between. Shyamalan lets so much of the film rest on its end twist, that if you’re not fully on board or significantly awed the movie begins to feel underwhelming. That twist aside, though, it’s an engaging tale about the dangers of blind obedience and empty fear. It also manages some creepy beats along the way.


The Complete Hulu List for October 2021

Release DateTitleNote
10/1A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
Air Force One (1997)
Ali (2001)
The Bachelorette: Complete Season 13 (ABC)
Blippi’s Spooky Spells Halloween
Boxcar Bertha (1972)
Cedar Rapids (2011)
Chasing Papi (2003)
Class (1983)
Clifford (1994)
Clockstoppers (2002)
Code 46 (2003)
Crimson Tide (1995)
Date Night (2010)
Dead of Winter (1987)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (2011)
Double, Double, Toil and Trouble (1993)
Dr. No (1962)
Edge of the World (2021)
Escape from Alcatraz (1979)
Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)
The Extreme Adventures of Super Dave (2000)
Flatliners (1990)
From Russia With Love (1963)
Goldeneye (1995)
Goldfinger (1964)
Happy Feet (2006)
Happy Feet Two (2011)
The Holiday (2006)
House of Games (1987)
The Hunger Games (2012)
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (2014)
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 (2015)
Hunt for the Skinwalker (2018)
Intersection (1994)
License to Kill (1989)
Light It Up (1999)
Lost in Space (1998)
The Love Guru (2008)
Mad Max (1980)
Madhouse (2004)
The Mask of Zorro (1998)
Maze (2017)
Mean Creek (2004)
Meet the Spartans (2008)
My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997)
The Offence (1973)
Peeples (2013)
The Perfect Holiday (2007)
Queen of the Damned (2002)
Racing with the Moon (1984)
The Recruit (2003)
Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985)
Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)
Road Trip (2000)
Rushmore (1998)
The Saint (1997)
Signs (2002)
Sleeping With the Enemy (1991)
Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
Snatch (2000)
Species (1995)
Species II (1998)
Species III (2004)
Species: The Awakening (2007)
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
Star Trek: Generations (1994)
Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)
Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)
Still (2018)
Sweet Home Alabama (2002)
Sweet Land (2005)
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009)
Teen Wolf (1985)
Theater of Blood (1973)
Tooth Fairy (2010)
Total Recall (2012)
The Untouchables (1987)
Victor Frankenstein (2015)
Vigilante Force (1976)
The Village (2004)
The Vow (2012)
Waitress (2007)
What About Bob? (1991)
When a Man Loves a Woman (1994)
Within (2016)
Wolves at the Door (2016)
Wrong Turn 2 (2007)
10/3Finding Your Feet (2017)
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (2016)
10/4Maggie’s Plan (2015)
The Program (1993)
Unfaithful (2002)
10/6Castle: Complete Series
10/7Baker’s Dozen: Complete Season 1Hulu Original
10/8Cannabis Evolution (2019)
10/10G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013)
Rogue Hostage (2021)
10/11Gunda (2020)
Madonna and the Breakfast Club (2019)
10/12Champaign, ILL: Complete Season 1 (Sony)
The Loneliest Whale (2021)
10/13CHiPS (2017)
10/14Censor (2021)
Out of Death (2021)
Real Housewives of Orange County: Complete Season 15 (Bravo)
10/15America’s Book of Secrets: Complete Season 2 (History)
Beyond Oak Island: Complete Season 1 (History)
Beyond Scared Straight: Complete Seasons 4–6 (A&E)
Cheer Camp Killer (2020)
Hoarders: Complete Season 3 (A&E)
Little Women: Atlanta: Complete Seasons 1–2 (Lifetime)
Married at First Sight: Couples Cam: Complete Season 10 (Lifetime)
Marrying Millions: Complete Season 2 (Lifetime)
Miss India America (2015)
A Murder to Remember (2020)
Nightwatch: Complete Season 1 (A&E)
Seven Year Switch: Complete Season 3 (Lifetime)
Sleepwalker (2017)
Swamp People: Complete Seasons 1–2 (History)
10/18Dream Horse (2020)
10/21The Evil Next Door (2020)
The Next Thing You Eat: Complete Season 1Hulu Original
10/22Gaia (2021)
10/23The Marksman (2021)
Silent Night (2021)
10/25Come Away (2020)
10/26Maybe Next Year (2019)
10/27For Madmen Only (2020)
10/28First Date (2021)
10/30Catfish: The TV Show: Complete Season 8D (MTV)
10/31Spirit Untamed (2021)

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Rob Hunter: Rob Hunter has been writing for Film School Rejects since before you were born, which is weird seeing as he's so damn young. He's our Chief Film Critic and Associate Editor and lists 'Broadcast News' as his favorite film of all time. Feel free to say hi if you see him on Twitter @FakeRobHunter.