Now we're into December, the countdown to Christmas is on, and festive movies are set to be consumed – and time is also ticking on the best Black Friday streaming deals, of course. This year, one of our favorites from previous years makes its return with Hulu offering a whopping 90% off. That means the streamer is charging just 99 cents a month for a whole year if you sign up before December 3.
Whether you're feeling the Christmas spirit, or hoping to jumpstart some less Grinch like feelings, my gift to you is some hand-picked, top-tier holiday movies available to stream on Hulu. Yes, some may require an add-on, but when the base Hulu subscription is less than a dollar a month, it’s a small price to pay for hours of festive feel-good flicks. And besides, you may find more discounts in our Black Friday Hulu deals to make it worth your while. For even more scoops on the best discounts around right now, check out our Black Friday entertainment deals live blog.
Get The Black Friday Deal On Your Hulu Subscriptions Before You Start Streaming
Die Hard
With the debate seemingly settled, Die Hard is a must on any list of festive flicks. Bruce Willis has rarely been better than his portrayal of NYPD detective John McClane (in the early films at least) and the OG Christmas action movie has him at his wisecracking best. Crawling through air vents, walking through broken glass and swinging off buildings all in an effort to save his wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia) and her colleagues from a group of international terrorists cum thieves, McClane is the Christmas hero we all need in our lives. Well, all except Alan Rickman’s clinical bad guy Hans Gruber. But he’ll fall for him eventually…
Jingle All The Way
From Arnie’s brief 90s foray into family fare, The Austrian Oak plays family man Howard Langston, who after promising his son (future baby Darth Vader Jake Lloyd) that year's must-have toy, finds himself heading out on Christmas Eve to track down one of the last remaining Turbo Man action figures. A story any parent of a certain vintage can relate to, Howard is laughed out of store after store before turning to the black market, radio show giveaways and crooked Santas, all the while facing competition from Sinbad’s increasingly manic mailman Myron. It’s daft, it’s silly, but it’s a whole lot of fun and packed full of nostalgia for those among us that still pine for Christmas in the 90s.
Gremlins
Not your typical holiday movie, Gremlins is nonetheless packed full of Christmas vibes as the small town of Kingston Falls is besieged by mischievous monsters. When Billy Peltzer (Zach Galligan) is gifted a small creature called a Mogwai for Christmas, there’s just three rules to follow. But when one is inadvertently broken, so begins a night of carnage and chaos. Wickedly funny, endlessly innovative and just a little bit scary, Gremlins is perfect for those looking for something a little darker this holiday season. Directed by Joe Dante and written by Home Alone director Chris Colombus, it’s also riotously entertaining, with all the charm you’d expect from something produced by Steven Speilberg. The practical effects alone make it worth a watch as the Gremlins are brought to life, but it’d be a real Scrooge that didn’t fall in love with Mogwai Gizmo the second he appears on screen.
Requires Max add-on starting at $9.99
A Christmas Story
An American holiday classic coming, bizarrely, from the director of Black Christmas, A Christmas Story is a nostalgic, dreamy journey through childhood as young Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) experiences the highs and lows of the festive season. There’s scary Santas, tongues stuck to lamp posts and lamps shaped like legs, but it all comes together to create a wonderful portrayal of the most magical time of the year for a kid, whether you get that Red Ryder B.B. gun or not. And while you’re there, check out the belated sequel A Christmas Story Christmas which follows the now adult Ralphie returning to his childhood home to give his children the kind of magical Christmas he remembers. There’s old friends, plenty of mishaps and a reconciliation with the death of The Old Man that packs quite the emotional punch. A Christmas Story is your main present, but the sequel is a perfectly entertaining stocking filler.
Requires Max add-on starting at $9.99
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
The follow-up to the equally hilarious National Lampoon's Vacation and the less hilarious European Vacation, Christmas Vacation works just as well for strangers to the Griswold family as it does long-time fans. The John Hughes penned film follows the family, particularly all-American Dad Clark, on the run up to the holidays and his attempts to deliver a “good old fashioned family Christmas”. From picking the perfect tree and managing the in-laws to putting up the best festive lights in town, Clark’s hapless efforts are chock full of holiday hilarity. Grab your moose mug, pour some eggnog and prepare for the hap-hap-happiest Christmas since…well, you know the rest.
Requires Max add-on starting at $9.99
Elf
Starring Will Ferrell at his absolute best, Elf is, at its core, a story about growing up and how the magic of Christmas has a tendency to diminish the older we get. Enter Buddy (Ferrell), the human-elf whose infectious optimism and wide eyed wonder at the world will have you feeling like a kid on Christmas morning again in no time. Sneaking on to Santa’s slay from the orphanage in which he was left, Buddy always knew he didn’t quite fit in with the rest of the elves. So begins a quest from the magical North Pole to the harsh reality of New York City in an effort to find, and reconnect with, his birth father (James Caan). Things, of course, don’t go smoothly, but Buddy’s fish out of water shenanigans in the Big Apple are pure holiday magic.
Requires Max add-on starting at $9.99
The Night Before
Definitely one for adults only, Seth Rogen teams up with the guys behind This is the End and Neighbours to apply his usual brand of stoner humour to the holidays. Rogen plays Issac, who, along with friends Ethan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Chris (Anthony Mackie), spends each Christmas Eve getting wasted in NYC. But with adulthood hitting them like a sleigh, it’s a tradition that’s set to come to an end – but not before they find a way to the Nutcracka-Ball – the holy grail of Christmas parties. Along the way there’s karaoke, a giant piano and a hilarious scene involving Rogen, a church and a bag of drugs. Not festive family fare then, but for those looking for an alternative to the syrupy sweet movies that usually get played on rotation at this time of year The Night Before is a must-see.
Requires STARZ add-on, which will currently cost you just $0.99 more
Find More Black Friday Deals:
- There are a ton of deals on streaming services this year, including Black Friday Peacock deals, down to as little as $1.66 a month
- Keep access of all your subscriptions wherever you go all year round with Black Friday VPN Deals helping to bypass geo-restrictions
- Check out all the best Black Friday entertainment deals as they come with our live blog
