The Best Things Coming to Hulu in October

Watch new and classic scary movies, plus new seasons of ‘Abbott Elementary’ and ‘Grey’s Anatomy’

Tracey Minkin,

Updated September 30, 2025

AARP

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Published February 02, 2024

/ Updated September 30, 2025

a woman carrying a basket of flowers and pruning shears outdoors in a scene from murdaugh death in the family

'Murdaugh: Death in the Family' premieres on Hulu Oct. 15.

Daniel Delgado Jr./Disney

Trick or treat! There’s no better month to hang out with Hulu than October, when the streamer goes all in on scary fare (both new and vintage) as part of its “Huluween” programming, which includes a juicy true-crime limited series on the Murdaugh family that will have you pinned to the sofa. Here are the nine best things coming to Hulu in October.

Coming Oct. 1

Barbarian (2022, R)

An underappreciated horror gem rated 93% on Rotten Tomatoes by critics, writer-director Zach Cregger’s Barbarian has so much tense scariness packed into its first 30 minutes, you’ll be curled up in suspenseful terror (don’t go into the basement!). Then the film expands, getting humorous in places, weird in others, but continuing to turn the screw in a creative exploration of abuse and trauma. Just who is the real barbarian? you’ll find yourself asking by the film’s end, while you gratefully turn the lights on all over the house and vow never to book an Airbnb again. Stars Georgina Campbell, Justin Paul and It’s Bill Skarsgård are genre-perfect.

The Tree of Life (2011, PG-13)

Spend a serious movie night with 81-year-old auteur Terrence Malick’s elegiac investigation into coming of age and the meaning of life in the universe. The film looks back from the point of view of one of three sons (Jack, played as a disillusioned adult by Sean Penn, 65) raised by a stern father (Brad Pitt, 61) and a tender, nurturing mother (Jessica Chastain) in 1950s Texas. But that doesn’t do justice to Malick’s cinematic bravura and probing creative intelligence — this is a real movie.

Coming Oct. 2

Abbott Elementary, Season 5

Despite ceding its Emmy-winning juggernaut status to Apple TV’s The Studio this year, ABC’s school workplace comedy remains must-see TV, and Hulu is an ideal place to stream it the day after it appears on the network. Get ready for beloved characters Janine (series creator and Emmy winner Quinta Brunson), Gregory (Golden Globe winner Tyler James Williams), Barbara (Emmy and AARP Movies for Grownups Award winner Sheryl Lee Ralph, 68 ), Jacob (Chris Perfetti), Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter), Ava (Janelle James) and Mr. Johnson (William Stanford Davis, 74) to be back in sharp comedic form, while Shrinking’s Luke Tennie enters the halls this season as a new teacher.

Coming Oct. 3

The Sixth Sense (1999, PG-13)

Remind yourself how fun a great scary film can be to revisit even if you already know the famous plot twist. Starring Bruce Willis, 70, as the concerned child psychologist treating young Cole (Haley Joel Osment), who famously “sees dead people,” The Sixth Sense features absorbing characters and keyed-up suspense (with a few jump scares in there for fun) that made M. Night Shyamalan’s ghost story one for the ages. It’s one of the most memorable non-action roles played by Willis, who continues to live with frontotemporal dementia.

Coming Oct. 8

Stay , NR

With this creepy new supernatural thriller leading the streamer’s Huluween lineup, writer-director Jas Summers brings Stephen King and Jordan Peele vibes to the story of couple Kiara (Megalyn Echikunwoke) and Miles (Sons of Anarchy’s Mo McRae), who set off on a dream life together in a dream house. Uh-oh! When the relationship starts to break apart and Miles wants to move out, a mysterious spirit won’t let either of them leave.

Coming Oct. 10

Frankie Quiñones: Damn That’s Crazy

With Emmy-winning comic and actor Ali Wong directing, Mexican American comedian and sketch-comedy character actor Frankie Quiñones makes his stand-up special debut under the streamer’s “Hularious” franchise. Expect R-lite jokes about growing up in L.A., his “cholo” phase, dating and the “healthy white woman laugh” overheard at brunch.

Grey’s Anatomy , Season 22

As a fan posted on this social media preview released in advance of the medical drama’s 22nd season, “This is what Grey’s does to all of us! Therapy and heartbreak!!” Not to mention pyrotechnics: The season premiere (Oct. 9 on ABC) picks up after the explosive — literally — Season 21 finale with Meredith (Ellen Pompeo, 55) watching Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital get rocked by a gas explosion. Who will survive the blast? Who will carry on with love triangles, Alzheimer’s research and daily hospital drama? (We can expect to spy executive producer and star Debbie Allen, 75, returning as Dr. Catherine Fox.) Don’t miss a minute of the iconic series launched by barrier-breaker Shonda Rhimes, 55.

Coming Oct. 15

Murdaugh: Death in the Family

Welcome to your true-crime watch of the month. Based on the infamous dynastic South Carolina family whose crimes and misdemeanors spread far beyond a deadly boating accident involving their son, this limited series dramatizes the events with a marquee cast led by Severance’s Patricia Arquette, 57, as matriarch Maggie and Jason Clarke, 56, co-starring as her husband, Alex. Succession’s J. Smith-Cameron, 68, also co-stars as Maggie’s elegant sister. The premiere will include three episodes, with five more rolling out weekly through the season finale on Nov. 19.

Coming Oct. 22

The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (2025, R)

You know how Jaws made us all terrified of sharks and ocean swimming? Well, the 1992 original of this psychological thriller centering on a revenge-bent nanny challenging the maternal role and, ultimately, the life of an innocent mom gave a generation of working parents pause when hiring domestic help. Now the classic is back in a reboot from Mexican director Michelle Garza Cervera that stars next-gen scream queens Mary Elizabeth Winstead as mom Caitlin Morales and Maika Monroe as nanny Polly Murphy. Consider watching the original (currently streaming on Prime Video) with Annabella Sciorra, 65, as the endangered mom and Rebecca De Mornay, 66, as the nanny from hell.

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