Original Content- NetFlix is currently spending some $8 billion per year on content. In terms of total spend, they're the clear winner here. They have greatly expanded their international catalogue as well. Original content includes: "Stranger Things", "MindHunter, "Black Mirror", as well as lots of Marvel original programming. Amazon is in second place with $5 billion per year spent on content. Some of it's most popular originals include: "The Man In The High Castle", "Transparent", "Goliath", etc. Of course Hulu's original content is none too shabby either. It includes "The HandMaid's Tale" (which is the FIRST streaming series to win every major Emmy award).
Television Vs Movies- Hulu is the clear winner when it comes to TV shows. It typically offers shows the day after their original air date (excluding CBS and the CW). Amazon also offers a number of TV shows but you may have to pay per episode. NetFlix is typically a season behind.
Total Number Of Records- Per Flixable, NetFlix currently has some 4,010 movie titles and 1,569 TV series. The number of movie titles has dropped by some 2000 since 2010 but this is because NetFlix has tripled it's TV offerings. Original content is anticipated to fill half it's library in 2018. Hulu (owned by NBCUniversal, 21st Century Fox, Disney) claims to have some 75,000 TV episodes from 1700 titles. That number seems awfully high to me. Amazon has been known to massively inflate the size of its library (by counting every single episode of a TV series separately). In 2016 research firm Barclays determined Amazon had 18,405 movies and 1981 TV series available.
I am not aware of any analyses on the number of horror titles on each service. InstantWatcher.com lists 237 horror titles currently on NetFlix. Whats-On-NetFlix.com lists 243 horror titles. The Amazon horror genre lists 4514 titles available to prime members. Hulu has a combined "horror and suspense" category so we're not sure how many movies there are total--although I counted 100 by scrolling through.
NetFlix horror movie offerings include: "Interview With A Vampire", "Queen Of The Damned", "Gerald's Game", "The Ritual", "The Conjuring", "Red Dragon", "Scream" 2, 4, "It Follows", "The Descent" 1-2, "The Lost Boys", "Jeepers Creepers" 3, "Tremors" 2, "V/H/S" 2, "Creep" 1-2, "Cult Of Chucky", "Curse Of Chucky", "HellRaiser" 1-2, "The Human Centipede" 1-2, "Children Of The Corn", "Cabin Fever" 1-2, "Sharknado" 1-5, "American Poltergeist" 1-2, "The Babadook", "Cube" 1-3, "Train To Busan", "Let Me In", "The Boy", "Oculus", "TrollHunter", "Raw".
NetFlix horror TV offerings include: "Dexter", "The Mist" (2017), "American Horror Story" (all seasons), "iZombie", "The Walking Dead", "The Following", "Van Helsing", "Containment", "The Returned" (US and French versions), "Lizzie Borden Chronicles", "ZNation", "The Originals", "Being Human" (US version), "Vampire Diaries", "Charmed", "Lost Girl", "The Tomorrow People", "Black Mirror", "Penny Dreadful", "Hemlock Grove", "Stranger Things", "The Twilight Zone: The Original Series", "Mystery Science Theater 3000" (The Original and The Return), "From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series", "The Rain", "Dark", "MindHunter".
Amazon Instant Video horror offerings include the following. Note: I am only including Prime offerings (not shows available for a fee). They have: "Nosferatu", "The Hills Have Eyes" 2, "Jeepers Creepers", "Motel Hell", "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" 2, "The Woman In Black", "My Bloody Valentine", "Leprechaun" 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, "Carrie", "The House On Sorority Row", "Jaws" 1, 2, "Trilogy Of Terror", "Stepfather" 1,2, 3, "Blair Witch",
Amazon horror TV shows include: "Grimm", "True Blood", "American Horror Story" 1, "13 Nights Of Elvira", and a number of UK ghost hunting/paranormal series.
Hulu movie offerings include: "Let The Right One In", "10 Cloverfield Lane", "Hellraiser 1-2", "I Saw The Devil", "The Host", "My Bloody Valentine", "It", the "Leprechaun" series, "The Hill Have Eyes", "Blair Witch", "Texas Chainsaw Massacre 1- 2", "Children Of The Corn", "Jeepers Creeps" 1- 5", "V/H/S 1-2", "Cabin Fever 1- 2", "Carrie".
A criticism of Hulu is that it doesnt contain ALL the TV episodes of some series. I lists all seasons I found below. Hulu TV series include: "The X Files" seasons 1-10, "Exorcist: The Next Chapter" 1-2, "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" 1-7, "Scream Queens" 1-2, "The Strain" 1-4, "Fear The Walking Dead" 1-3, "American Horror Story" Roanoke, "Angel" 1-5, "The Outer Limits: The Original Series" 1-2, "The Outer Limits Remake" 1-7, "Dark Shadows: The Original Series" 1-2, 20-24, "Dark Shadows: The Revival" 1, "In The Flesh" 1-2, "Damien", "American Gothic", "Alfred Hitcock Presents" 1-4, "Ghost Whisperer" 1-5.
Of course there's always the quality vs quantity debate. Just because a site has lots of horror movies, doesnt mean anyone wants to watch them. When looking for horror movies, I typically go to NetFlix first, then Amazon, then Hulu. Or if you dont want to do the legwork, check out a site like JustWatch.com You can search by title, browse new features or check by genre. Reelgood.com is another good source.
And I said I wasnt going to mention other offerings, but Shudder (owned by AMC) is dedicated exclusively to horror. Check it out here There's a free trial available. Packages start at $4/mth. It has a number of film festival offerings you cant find elsewhere. Shudder is also beginning to offer original programming. And it can be added via Amazon as one of your channels for easy viewing. I'll review Shudder and the other horror streaming services at a later date.
Cost- Hulu is $8mth (if you dont mind watching ads). It's $12/mth without. Hulu also offers a live TV option for $40/mth. Amazon Prime offers a number of movies at a relatively low cost of $119/yr (or $13/mth). There are of course tons of other benefits of Prime membership including free shipping, discounts at Whole Foods, etc. Another great thing about Prime is you can pay per movie/episode for additional content. They provide access to many old and hard to find movies including international offerings. NetFlix is $11/mth and has no ads.
Conclusion- In summation, the big three streaming services are often used by subscribers in different ways. Netflix shines in original content. Hulu is best at TV and Amazon has lots of movies (and you can purchase those that arent part of the Prime subscription). You may end up, as I have, with all three (or some combination thereof). If I had to pick just one, I'd first start with NetFlix, then go to Amazon next. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
Credits:
https://www.indiewire.com/2018/02/netflix-available-television-shows-1201930989/
https://www.hulu.com/press/hulu-grows-to-over-17-million-subscribers-in-2017-emerges-as-powerful-pay-tv-alternative-combining-live-television-with-the-largest-svod-tv-library-in-the-u-s/
https://variety.com/2016/digital/news/netflix-amazon-prime-video-movies-tv-comparison-1201759030/
https://techforluddites.com/netflix-amazon-hulu/
GMonsterTV
TV: Heavy On Sci Fi, Horror & Fantasy; Light On RealityJuly 23, 2018
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