The 20 best new releases coming to streaming in October
For some, October is a welcome release from the long, hot days of summer, but for every other normal person, it’s a time when days get significantly darker, and the coldness of winter seeps into the bones. For the streaming industry, autumn and winter are fruitful times. After all, the bitter cold and harsh rain will often force people inside, where they’re inevitably strapped to their sofas and glued to the TV.
October also sparks the arrival of Halloween content, lining both the walls of the supermarkets as well as the cells of Netflix’s algorithm, wherein the likes of Mike Myers, Freddy Krueger, and Jason Voorhees come out to flourish. Across Netflix, Amazon, Apple TV+, Disney and more, horror content will be slapped on the front page, so, for your sake, we hope you like guts, gore and despicable creatures.
Compiling an extensive list of the best pieces of content coming to streaming in October, look at our list of the 20 best new releases to stream next month below. Featuring explosive new dramas, hilarious new comedies and a good dumping of horror, there’s plenty to look forward to in October.
The 20 best new releases to stream in October:
20. Tales of the Jedi – Season 1 – Disney + – October 26th
The Star Wars franchise has been rapidly expanding through various TV series, and Tales of the Jedi seems to be among the most promising ones. The upcoming show is supposed to be an animated anthology about iconic Jedis from the prequel trilogy era.
Each episode of the show will focus on a particular Jedi from that period, exploring their legendary stories and jaw-dropping adventures. According to the reports that have surfaced, the show will have two paths – one following Ahsoka Tano and the other revolving around Count Dooku.
19. Big Shot – Season 2 – Disney + – October 12th
Although the sports comedy genre is already oversaturated, Big Shot is going to be one of the highlights of October’s streaming schedule. Having premiered last year, the show was renewed for a second season after positive feedback from viewers.
John Stamos delivers an impressive performance as Maryvn Korn, a volatile basketball coach who coaches a girls’ school team after being terminated from his University job. The series was well-received due to its exploration of women’s sports.
18. Catherine Called Birdy – Amazon Prime Video – October 7th
Based on Karen Cushman’s eponymous 1994 novel, Catherine Called Birdy is an upcoming medieval comedy film which has been written and directed by Lena Dunham. When the film was announced, Dunham described it as her “longtime passion project”.
Earlier this month, the film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it was overshadowed by bigger releases but managed to get favourable reviews. Starring Bella Ramsey, Russell Brand and more, this film is worth keeping an eye out for.
17. Luckiest Girl Alive – Netflix – October 7th
Mike Barker’s new Netflix thriller Luckiest Girl Alive has been in production for a while now. It stars Mila Kunis as Ani, a 28-year-old who seems to have it all figured out until her world is turned upside down.
Based on Jessica Knoll’s bestselling book, the film will explore Ani’s traumatic past and ask larger questions about patriarchal oppression. The accounts in the film are semi-autobiographical as Knoll drew upon her own trauma.
16. The Midnight Club – Netflix – October 7th
Mike Flanagan can do no wrong when it comes to creating horror series for Netflix. The creative force behind The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor, Flanagan’s upcoming show has already started garnering attention.
An adaptation of Christopher Pike’s novel, the show revolves around terminally ill residents at a hospice who gather every night to exchange scary stories. When one of them succumbs to their illness, things start getting creepy.
15. The Curse of Bridge Hollow – Netflix – October 14th
Marketed as a family-friendly horror flick, The Curse of Bridge Hollow is a Halloween comedy which features Marlon Wayans as a father. After an ancient spirit decides to mess with his town, Wayans decides to take matters into his own hands with the help of his daughter.
Wayans has built a name for himself in the world of horror for his highly effective exaggerated comedic performances, which subvert the genre. That is why The Curse of Bridge Hollow is going to be a different kind of challenge for the veteran.
14. Rosaline – Disney+ – October 14th
A nice-looking project that shows Disney branching out yet keeping tightly within their own mould at the very same time, Rosaline is an upcoming American romantic comedy film directed by Karen Maine, from a screenplay by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber. Based on the novel When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle, which, in turn, was inspired by William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Rosaline looks like a neat romantic comedy.
Keep your eyes peeled for this one with a strong cast that includes Kaitlyn Dever, Isabela Merced, Kyle Allen, Bradley Whitford, and Minnie Driver.
13. The Peripheral – Season 1 – Amazon Prime Video – October 21st
Having struggled to create their own original content, Amazon is hoping that The Peripheral will fling their streaming service back to the top of the pile. A science fiction series executive produced and created by Scott Smith, The Peripheral is based on the 2014 book of the same name written by William Gibson. With Westworld creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy serving as executive producers, this one will be one to watch out for.
The series is made all the more promising when you realise it includes a cast of Chloë Grace Moretz, Gary Carr and Jack Reynor.
12. The School for Good and Evil – Netflix – October 19th
Much hyped by Netflix, The School for Good and Evil is hoping to be the next Harry Potter, particularly as the Fantastic Beasts series fails, telling the story of two giant schools facing each other in a fantastical setting, one meant for heroes and the other for villains. Helmed by the Bridesmaids director Paul Feig, the upcoming fantasy movie is based on the 2013 novel of the same name by Soman Chainani and is being adapted by David Magee and Feig.
The new movie stars Sophia Anne Caruso, Sofia Wylie and Laurence Fishburne are long anticipated by fans.
11. The Redeem Team – Netflix – October 7th
If there’s one thing that we know Netflix can do well, it’s sports documentaries. Their latest release, The Redeem Team, is directed by Jon Weinbach, who previously produced the remarkable basketball docuseries The Last Dance. Also produced by NBA stars LeBron James and Dwayne Wade, the new documentary follows the U.S Olympic Men’s Basketball team who travelled to the 2008 Beijing Olympics to claim back their coveted gold medal.
The streaming service has proven time and time again that it is more than capable of putting a compelling documentary together, and this one looks no different.
10. Hellraiser – Hulu – October 4th
The iconic horror villain Pinhead is back, with the upcoming supernatural movie directed by David Bruckner and a screenplay by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski. An adaptation of the 1986 novella The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker, which also inspired the popular 1987 horror movie Hellraiser, the brand new adaptation has a lot to live up to if it wants to match the quality of the original.
Though not a straight remake, the new Hellraiser movie is sure to nick a few ideas from the original. The cast includes Jamie Clayton, Odessa A’zion and Brandon Flynn.
9. Raymond & Ray – Apple TV+ – October 21st
Featuring two iconic Hollywood names who aren’t used to their names hogging the comedic limelight, Raymond & Ray stars Ewan McGregor and Ethan Hawke. They play two half brothers who reunite at their father’s funeral, with whom they both shared a bad relationship. Directed by Rodrigo García, the film had its world premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival and was warmly received.
If there are two actors you can trust, it’s McGregor and Hawke, with the former having recently saved Disney’s Obi-Wan Kenobi series from mediocrity.
8. Candy – Season 1 – Hulu – October 12th
Dipping their toes into slightly riskier waters, Disney is releasing the limited series Candy on October 12th, a biographical crime drama created by Nick Antosca and Robin Veith. Starring Jessica Biel as the real-life Candy Montgomery, who was accused of the axe murder of her neighbour, Betty Gore (Melanie Lynskey) in the 1980s, the series has already recieved rave reviews after premiering on Hulu earlier this year.
The series represents Disney’s continued drive to branch out from their established Marvel and Star Wars franchises.
7. Shantaram – Season 1 – Apple TV+ – October 14th
Based on the novel of the same name by Gregory David Roberts, Shantaram is an upcoming thriller from creators Eric Warren Singer and Steve Lightfoot. Drawing inspiration from Roberts’ own life experience, the new show follows a bank robber from Australia who flees the country to India to escape the authorities. Starring Charlie Hunnam and Richard Roxburgh, the show will premiere on Apple TV on October 14th.
Perhaps the most exciting aspect of this new project is that Nitram director Justin Kurzel is attached, a daring filmmaker who has never been afraid of pushing cinematic boundaries.
6. Marvel’s Werewolf By Night – Disney + – October 7th
Why does a Marvel series find its way so far up our list of anticipated October releases? The short answer is that they’re finally trying something new after trying to meme themselves back into popularity. Directed by the composer Michael Giacchino and written by Heather Quinn and Peter Cameron, the series is being framed as the first Marvel Studios Special Presentation in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and follows a secret group of monster hunters, each competing for a powerful relic.
Starring Gael García Bernal, Laura Donnelly and Harriet Sansom Harris, we really hope Marvel’s Werewolf By Night will be worth a watch.
5. Wendell & Wild – Netflix – October 28th
Now and again, Netflix will come out with something remarkably original, and the new stop-motion horror comedy Wendell & Wild is one of those pieces of content. Directed by Henry Selick, the same mind behind Nightmare Before Christmas and Coraline, from a screenplay written by Selick and Jordan Peele, the film follows two scheming demon brothers who are forced to face their arch-nemesis.
Starring Keegan-Michael Key and Peele as the titular characters with Lyric Ross, Angela Bassett, James Hong, and Ving Rhames in supporting roles, the film looks totally unmissable.
4. Somewhere Boy – All 4 – October
Channel 4 are remarkably consistent, with their latest drama series Somewhere Boy looking like yet another hit. Produced by the same makers as The End of the F***ing World and Misfits, Somewhere Boy follows Danny, a boy who grew up in a rural home and was told that the outside world was full of monsters. Finally leaving home, Danny soon discovers that he must re-evaluate everything he once knew about life.
Starring Lewis Gribben, Samuel Bottomley, Lisa McGrillis and Rory Keenan, the show has no release date, but October is rumoured.
3. Big Mouth – Season 6 – Netflix – October 28th
When it comes to contemporary animated comedies, Netflix’s Big Mouth is considered to be one of the very best. An American coming-of-age sitcom created by Andrew Goldberg, Nick Kroll, Mark Levin, and Jennifer Flackett, the series follows teenagers in New York who explore puberty and the trials and tribulations of growing up with an ever-changing body and the complexity of sexual intercourse.
Now in its sixth season, the success of the show is certainly helped by the fantastic voice cast that includes the likes of Nick Kroll, John Mulaney, Jason Mantzoukas and Jenny Slate.
2. The Good Nurse – Netflix – October 26th
The Netflix movie The Good Nurse is one of the most anticipated movies of Autumn 2022. The drama, starring Eddie Redmayne and Jessica Chastain, was tipped for success at the Academy Awards. Telling the story of an infamous caregiver who is implicated in the deaths of hundreds of hospital patients, the film is helmed by the Mindhunter director Tobias Lindholm with a script by Krysty Wilson-Cairns of 1917 and Last Night in Soho fame.
Based on the book by Charles Graeber, the true crime story also features the likes of Noah Emmerich, Kim Dickens, Nnamdi Asomugha and Ajay Naidu.
1. Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities – Netflix – October 25th
Our pick of the streaming content in October goes to the new Guillermo del Toro series, Cabinet of Curiosities, a hand-crafted new horror anthology that will perfectly gear you up for Halloween chills.
Described by the Mexican filmmaker as “beautiful and horrible, at exactly the same time” in the trailer, the new horror series will bring together some of the finest minds in modern horror to celebrate the terrifying genre. With eight episodes in total, the show will be released as part of the streaming service’s Netflix & Chills Halloween event, hoping to capitalise on horror content in October.
While challenging the genre’s tropes, each episode will tell a contained story about entirely different stories and characters. Included in the exciting list of directors is Panos Cosmatos, who helmed 2018s Mandy, Australian filmmaker Jennifer Kent, director of The Babadook; and Ana Lily Amirpour, who helmed the critically acclaimed vampire flick, A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night.
