Hulu’s adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale hit our screens at precisely the right moment—a time when many had Americans begun to wonder if our democracy was as robust as we’d always assumed. It brought Margaret Atwood’s grim vision of a totalitarian, patriarchal, and fanatical future America (now known as The Republic of Gilead) to life with sharp writing, electric performances, a striking visual style, and instantly iconic costume designs.
The best books like The Handmaid's Tale
The Handmaid’s Tale is a literary adaptation, after all, and the series maintained that novelistic feel. If you’re a reader, here are more books that explore similar themes.
The Testaments, by Margaret Atwood $8.09 at Amazon $18.00 Save $9.91 Shop Now Shop Now $8.09 at Amazon $18.00 Save $9.91 Future Home of the Living God, by Louise Erdrich $10.29 at Amazon $18.99 Save $8.70 Shop Now Shop Now $10.29 at Amazon $18.99 Save $8.70 Women Talking, by Miriam Toews $8.72 at Amazon $17.00 Save $8.28 Shop Now Shop Now $8.72 at Amazon $17.00 Save $8.28 The Children of Men, by P.D. James $11.40 at Amazon $18.00 Save $6.60 Shop Now Shop Now $11.40 at Amazon $18.00 Save $6.60 The Gate to Women's Country, by Sheri S. Tepper $7.45 at Amazon $7.99 Save $0.54 Shop Now Shop Now $7.45 at Amazon $7.99 Save $0.54 SEE 2 MOREFuture Home of the Living God, by Louise Erdrich
If you’re intrigued by ideas around reproductive freedom, bodily agency, and how quickly society could revert to a more primitive state, Future Home of the Living God is the perfect choice. In a grim future, evolution has gone haywire—plants and animals appear to be evolving backwards, and a range of threats challenge humanity’s survival. When the government begins rounding up pregnant women, Cedar Hawk Songmaker flees, embarking on a violent journey as she fights for herself and the autonomy of women everywhere.
The Children of Men, by P.D. James
It’s sometimes forgotten that the precipitating event leading to the Republic of Gilead in The Handmaid’s Tale is a fertility crisis. James’ dystopian novel goes one step further—by the year 2021, no children have been born for more than 25 years. The novel explores the slow dissolution of civilization in the face of humanity’s inevitable extinction, with each grim development more horrifyingly plausible than the last. If it’s the dystopia of it all that you love, this novel is the ideal choice.
The best movies like The Handmaid's Tale
Hollywood loves a good dystopian epic, so there is no shortage of grim films offering possible futures no one wants. If you’re looking to stay in this lane, here are some terrific films to queue up.
The Handmaid's Tale (1990)
The most direct way to stay in the universe of The Handmaid’s Tale is to watch the first adaptation, from 1990. Starring Robert Duvall, Natasha Richardson, and Faye Dunaway, the film was scripted by Nobel Prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter and offers a more compressed and melodramatic—but no less horrifying—version of the story. It’s very 1990, but it offers an intriguingly different perspective on the material. Stream The Handmaid’s Tale on Apple TV.
The Handmaid's Tale (1990) at Apple TV+ Learn More Learn More at Apple TV+The Assessment (2024)
If you want to keep exploring the themes and big questions the show tackles, The Assessment is your jam. Set in a future where increased lifespans and resource scarcity have led made reproduction a highly-regulated act requiring advanced technology, the film focuses on a couple, Mia and Aaryan (Elizabeth Olsen and Himesh Patel), applying to have a child. The government assessor, Virginia (Alicia Vikander), arrives to live with them for seven days to evaluate their application. The testing quickly takes a dark turn, and the film explores the power dynamic and raw emotions linking all three of these fascinating individuals. Stream The Assessment on Hulu or rent it on Prime Video.
The Assessment (2024) $4.99 at Prime Video Learn More Learn More $4.99 at Prime VideoAnniversary (2025)
If you want to explore the details of how a society can slide into madness, Anniversary is a great choice. At a party celebrating her 25th anniversary with her husband, liberal professor Ellen (Diane Lane) meets her son’s new fiancée, Liz (Phoebe Dynevor), a former student. Liz has developed a movement called Change that promotes totalitarian governance, and over the next five years, her ideas gradually become violently mainstream, destroying Ellen and her family along the way. Stream Anniversary on Hulu or rent it on Prime Video.
Anniversary (2025) $5.99 at Prime Video Learn More Learn More $5.99 at Prime VideoDogville (2003)
Lars von Trier’s 2003 film adheres to his principles of Dogme 95—filmmaking that eschews technology and special effects in favor of storytelling fundamentals. The sets are minimal (buildings and rooms are often represented by lines on the floor), but the story is compelling. A woman named Grace (Nicole Kidman) flees gangsters and takes refuge in the town of Dogville. Although welcomed at first, as the townfolk realize the power they have over the desperate woman, her situation grows increasingly grim. It's a story that explores how eager seemingly everyday people are to wield power over one another. Stream Dogville on Mubi.
Dogville (2003) at Mubi Learn More Learn More at MubiGattaca (1997)
The loss of physical autonomy, the impact of wealth and social status, and the might of government regulation of biology are major themes in The Handmaid’s Tale, making this 1997 sci-fi movie a good choice. In the future, genetic engineering allows the creation of “valids,” people with superior genetics. Children conceived naturally (who thus have a higher chance of mutation and subsequent health problems) are relegated to the lower tiers of society. The film explores the extremes people pursue to escape the limitations—both natural and imposed—of their physical bodies. Rent Gattaca on Prime Video.
Gattaca (1997) $3.99 at Prime Video Learn More Learn More $3.99 at Prime VideoThe best video games like The Handmaid's Tale
If there’s one lesson to take away from The Handmaid’s Tale, it’s that compliance and going along to get along lead us to the abyss. If you want to take a more active role in your dystopian entertainment, check out these games.
République
Platforms: Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Platystation, Steam
Republique - PlayStation 4 $43.10 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $43.10 at AmazonDetroit: Become Human
Platforms: PlayStation, Steam
Detroit: Become Human - PlayStation 4 $29.90 at Amazon $33.15 Save $3.25 Shop Now Shop Now $29.90 at Amazon $33.15 Save $3.25Signalis
Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Steam
Signalis - PlayStation 4 $37.50 at Amazon $42.99 Save $5.49 Shop Now Shop Now $37.50 at Amazon $42.99 Save $5.49Papers, Please
Platforms: Android, iOS, Steam
Papers, Please $9.99 at Steam Shop Now Shop Now $9.99 at SteamDustborn
Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, Steam
Dustborn Limited Retail Edition - PlayStation 5 $20.51 at Amazon $39.99 Save $19.48 Shop Now Shop Now $20.51 at Amazon $39.99 Save $19.48The best podcasts like The Handmaid's Tale
Whether you want to catch every detail and discuss every behind-the-scenes decision or find narrative fiction exploring the same territory, here are some podcasts any fan of The Handmaid’s Tale should check out.
Above the Garage
Credit: Podcast logoIf you’re looking for a friendly deep-dive into The Handmaid’s Tale, this podcast is perfect. Kate Ettingoff and Kimberley Williams are superfans who have no compunction about thinking way too hard about each episode. If you can’t find any friends who want to stay up all night discussing the show with you, head on over to this podcast.
Eyes on Gilead
Credit: Podcast logoHosts Fiona Williams, Haidee Ireland, Sana Qadar, and Natalie Hambly clearly love the show—but they also aren’t afraid to criticize it. The recaps offered by Eyes on Gilead are detailed and thoughtful, but the hosts also have a lot of fun discussing the plot lines and themes, which is essential when said plots and themes are so dark and heavy.
Eliza: A Robot Story
Credit: Podcast logoCreated in a partnership with the Pankhurst Trust and Manchester Women’s Aid (which are dedicated to challenging gender inequality and assisting victims of domestic violence), Eliza: A Robot Story focuses on a robot who falls in love with her owner, who then works to give her true sentience—but nothing is as it seems. The story explores the ways those who have power over us can be abusive and coercive in subtle ways, without resorting to violence, echoing some of the gaslighting the Handmaids experience in the show.
The Gospel of Haven
Credit: Podcast logoFor an exploration of the way society distorts and becomes increasingly oppressive when stressed, this wild sci-fi story fits the bill. In The Gospel of Haven, a community lives within their living god—literally inhabiting the divine body. Their ritualistic existence is devoted to keeping that body healthy, but when it begins to fail, whether from old age or disease, and their world starts to break down, those in power resort to greater and greater acts of desperate violence and oppression to maintain their grip. It mirrors the way Gilead forms in part as a reaction to an infertility crisis threatening humanity’s future, but addresses the process much more viscerally and directly.
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