13 of the Best New Things to Stream in October 2022
Reading Time: 5 minutesDerry Girls, The White Lotus, Hellraiser, and more are coming to streaming platforms this October.
We kick off ‘spooky season’ (eye roll) with a something that will surprise no one: October means a new slate of horror and Halloween-themed entertainment across all the major streaming platforms. But if genuinely-scary streaming is not for you, this month seems to be a particularly strong one for family programming too. Ultimately, there’s something for everyone on at least one of your preferred streamers this month. Here are all of the best movies, series premieres, and new seasons of returning favorites that will be available to stream in October. Titles are arranged chronologically by premiere date.
Based on the Stephen King story of the same name, this Ryan Murphy adaptation follows a young boy who finds himself able to communicate with his late friend from beyond the grave. One of the biggest fan critiques of the book version is that it’s rather anticlimactic for how long it is, but the film adaptation runs less than two hours. Still, my prediction here is that Mr. Harrigan’s Phone might join the growing list of modern horrors and thrillers that made me say, ‘That could have been a 2016 episode of Black Mirror.’ (Looking at you, Don’t Worry Darling.)
The dessert disasters will be intentionally scary on Nailed It!‘s Halloween-themed season. The streamer also teases some surprise cameos from other Netflix hits, like Umbrella Academy, Cobra Kai, and The Witcher.
I’m a sucker for all things candy corn. I would die for Nicole Byer. I like watching people fail at cooking. What else do you want me to say? To quote my editor Joel Cunningham: ‘Time to disassociate like a motherfucker!‘
Welcome to Monster High, where you can see real teen actors bring your favorite Monster High toys to life. And if you aren’t familiar with the Monster High franchise: They’re Bratz-like fashion toys with a pink-and-black theme that dangerously emboldened my angsty pre-teen sensibilities back in the day. All you really need to know is that this candy-colored musical is sure to be chock full of horror-inspired puns, like the mean girl having ‘mummy issues.’
Did you know that a Batman spinoff-slash-prequel is about to enter its third season? Neither did I. Pennyworth, a show focused on the backstory of Bruce Wayne’s iconic butler Alfred, originally aired on the premium, little-known network Epix. Now that the D.C. property is moving to HBO Max, it might have the chance to grow its fanbase. At the very least, plenty of comic fans will be intrigued enough to check out Alfred’s honorable origins, thwarting fascists’ attempts to overthrow the British government. Obviously.
The film adaptation of this beloved historical children’s novel comes from, of all people, Lena Dunham. We’re moving from the aimless, narcissistic New York 20-somethings in Girls to just, well, one girl: Birdy, a headstrong 14-year-old aristocrat in medieval England. Birdy refuses to get married off, preferring to get up to mischief and push back against a society that would reduce her to a man’s property. October is looking like a strong month for family entertainment across platforms, and Prime Video’s Catherine Called Birdy brings a witty take on what it’s like to be your own person—a worthwhile watch for people of all ages and genders.
The good news: Americans will soon have access to season three of this chaotic, heartfelt romp set in ’90s Northern Ireland. The bad news: This is the final season, as our beloved Derry Girls are graduating from high school this year. Sure, if this show were set in the U.S., network execs would demand that the plot keeps going in some spin-off or another. Tragically, our Irish friends respect when a story has run its course. If you’ve yet to watch the antics of the Derry girls, you’ll cruise through the first two seasons (which only have six episodes each). Get on it. It’s great craic.
Is it really a streaming services round-up if there isn’t a reboot of some kind? The upcoming Hellraiser is not a strict remake of the Clive Barker’s 1987 franchise-launching body horror classic. In fact, this new version ignores the nine follow-up flicks and instead focuses on the original world established in Barker’s seminal film. I’m hoping the arrival of a new Hellraiser leads to an uptick in high-quality Pinhead costumes this Halloween.
Another rhetorical question: Is it really a streaming services round-up if there isn’t an addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Over the weekend, Kevin Fiege—president of Marvel Studios—claimed that Werewolf by Night will ‘introduce a world that will ultimately become quite important to the MCU.’ The story follows Jack Russel (played by Gael Garcia Bernal) as a monster struggling to control his animal instincts, while a secret cabal of monster hunters vie for vie for control of a powerful magic relic. Since Werewolf by Night draws from an obscure minor character in the comics, this television special could be something of an equalizer for MCU stans, haters, and neutral viewers alike.
Allow yourself to get sucked into the trailer for sci-fi thriller The Peripheral, since reading the premise alone might be a tad overwhelming. We’re talking multiple timelines, universe-specific cyberpunk slang, and reality-altering dystopian technologies. Based on the novel by William Gibson, The Peripheral‘s complexity and world building is all the more promising given the involvement of Westworld creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy—aka masters of drawing viewers along on a high-concept, mind-bending trip.
I’m biased here: The Mysterious Benedict Society is one of my all-time favorite children’s books. The story follows four gifted orphans who prove themselves worthy of joining the eccentric Mr. Benedict for a series of mysterious secret missions. Season one proved to be a delightfully loving, zany adaptation in the same vein as Netflix’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. If you’re looking for high-quality family entertainment, you’ll find it with the Benedict Society.
While the stop-motion masterpieces Coraline and The Nightmare Before Christmas are often criminally chalked up to Tim Burton, real fans know they’re the work of Henry Selick. Now, Selick has partnered up with reigning king of horror Jordan Peele for Wendell & Wild. Even better: Next to Peele will be comedy partner Keegan-Michael Key as Wendell. If you aren’t sold on Key and Peele as stop-motion demon brothers, then I don’t know what to tell you.
Mike White’s 10-time Emmy-winning anthology series is back for a second season. While HBO hasn’t announced the official plot for the upcoming season, we know there’s going to be a change of scenery, as well as a (mostly) brand new cast. Season one took place in Hawaii—and somewhat explored the ethics of tourism to the islands—whereas season two is taking us to Sicily. Most important to me, Jennifer Coolidge is back. And Aubrey Plaza is arriving. Arrivederci.
The trailer above for Crimes of the Future is age-restricted, which tracks, since this dystopian thriller ‘isn’t always easy to watch.’ But October 31 isn’t for the squeamish, right? David Cronenberg’s Cannes sensation takes place in a dystopian future where humans no longer feel pain and performing surgery has essentially become a sexual thrill. If you aren’t a fan of body horror, don’t be completely deterred—it’s not all shock value here. This film is surprisingly funny and heartfelt, and plays like an understated satire of the modern art world. Then again, even if you define Crimes of the Future as ‘body horror comedy’ or ‘body horror dramedy,’ there’s no getting around the body horror visuals in this one.