Hive – Movie Review | Tubi (2/5)

HIVE on Tubi is a supernatural horror movie based on a short film by the same filmmaker. It doesn’t work very well, which is a shame. The actors deliver good portrayals, and the special effects are good, but the story is too weak. Read our full Hive (2026) movie review here!

HIVE is a 2026 Tubi horror movie. This is a supernatural horror story with lots of creepy kids, where a very eerie playground plays a key role as well. It’s actually quite easy to see how this could have worked, but something about the evolution of the story and the pace just did not work for me.

Of course, the multiple commercial breaks don’t help much either. Few movies can handle being torn to pieces by commercials throughout. I recognize that this is the price for free entertainment, but I would opt for fewer (and okay, longer) commercial breaks instead. This has nothing to do with the movie itself, but it suffered a lot from it.

Continue reading our Hive (2026) horror movie review below. Find it on Tubi now.

Not so creepy kids

In Hive, we witness the most terrible first day at work ever. From the opening scene, we all know that the kids in this affluent neighborhood are creepy and strangely connected somehow. The new Nanny, however, has no idea what she’s walking into.

Quick sidenote: Most of the creepy kids didn’t really work for me. There was a distinct “theater kids” vibe to them, and no one was paying enough attention to ensure that the child who couldn’t keep a straight face was moved to the back. Other kids were perfectly creepy, but overall, it screamed theater more than horror movie.

Okay, not so quick sidenote over, but I had to mention it, as it ruined the illusion pretty much right off the bat.

A Nanny nightmare

Anyway, we follow this new Nanny as she loses the child she’s babysitting. They are at a playground, where she is the only adult (though just a teenager), but there are plenty of kids. Even a few that seem like they would have outgrown going to the playground voluntarily.

Again, I mention this only because it ruins the illusion. I wish many kids would be kids and playful much longer than most are.

In any case, the kid (a real brat, of course) goes missing, and now the Nanny has to go on a mission to outwit this strange world, where the kids are connected, the playground exists though no one built it, and the kids have yellow puss and goo coming out of them.

Yeah, it’s yucky and weird. Just not very scary. If that’s what you want, then you’ll want to check out Lee Cronin’s The Mummy instead. Now that is horror!

Creepy kids and a hive mind villain

Admittedly, these days, I think of Pluribus the second I hear “hive mind”, and that was not a good thing for Hive. I mean, where Pluribus is one of the very best (and most unique) genre-mix series I have come across in years, this Tubi horror movie is just okay.

Not okay enough to be good or recommendable, but it’s fine for what it is.

I found myself thinking that this is a good example of what happens when a good short film is turned into a “meh” feature film. Far too often, the story isn’t developed enough to fit the feature film format. As a result, it feels slow, and the story comes across as very small.

Because it is!

Watch Hive on Tubi now

I know I’m not really selling Hive in this review, because I did not enjoy it. However, I can still see that the core story is interesting and that it has lots of potential. There’s a reason writer-director Felipe Vargas (Rosario) was able to turn his short film into this feature film.

The result isn’t very good, but he is far from the first filmmaker who doesn’t nail the transition from short to feature. It’s a hit or miss, and most need some guidance to succeed. Others need to be given the freedom to succeed and not be stifled by others. Whether this movie is the result of the former or latter, I can’t say.

The cast of Hive features strong performances by Xochitl Gomez (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) as the Nanny, Sasha, and Aaron Dominguez (Only Murders in the Building) as her brother, Marco.

There are quite a few strong moments in this feature film version of Hive. Just not a strong enough flow, but hopefully, Felipe Vargas will do better with his next feature film. He’s already proven his strengths with his short film and needs to make it work in a full-length production as well.

HIVE is out on Tubi on April 17, 2026.

Details

Director: Felipe Vargas
Writer: Felipe Vargas
Cast: Xochitl Gomez, Aaron Dominguez, Zenobia Kloppers, Kelly Chandrapaul, Victoria Firsova, Thulani Nzonzo, Tanya van Graan