Care for a scare?
Piggybacking off of last weekend's lineup, October continues to be a month filled with the debut of thrills-filled programming.
Not only is The Haunting of Bly Manor finally debuting on Netflix, ready to sneak up on you at a moment's notice, but another streamer is kicking off its collection of original scary movies from Blumhouse Productions.
Of course, Halloween is just as much about fun as it is scares, so what better way to celebrate the spooky season than with an Adam Sandler movie? Or maybe you just like to revisit Woodsboro this time of year? If so, one of the Scream movies just hit streaming and you can bet we're already poppin' some corn to celebrate.
But we get it, not everyone is into Halloween, so we've also got some non-holiday-themed recommendations as well, including a groundbreaking new reality docuseries, a refreshing romantic comedy and a new show that brings together some of the hottest men on TV. Which, honestly, is maybe even better to receive than a bag full of candy.
If You Want to Hear an Epic Ghost Story: Two years ago, The Haunting of Hill House came out of nowhere to become one of the breakout hits of 2018. And now, Mike Flanagan's anthology series is back for its highly anticipated second season. Set in the 1980s, The Haunting of Bly Manor stars season one breakout Victoria Pedretti as Dani, a newly-hired governess responsible for taking care of two orphaned children (Amelie Bea Smith and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth). Loosely based on The Turning of the Screw by Henry James, Bly Manor features familiar faces in new roles (including Oliver Jackson-Cohen and Henry Thomas), along with welcome new additions Rahul Kohli (iZombie) and T'Nia Miller to the Haunting family.
Like the ghosts that inhabit the manor, the real magic of the franchise is its ability to stick with you long after you finish binge-watching all nine episodes. And we're already speculating which famous haunted home could be the setting for season three. Consider us fully haunted. (Where to Watch: Netflix)
If You Are in the Mood for a Scary Movie Marathon: It's officially spooky season on Amazon, with the streaming platform launching eight new horror movies this fall in its "Welcome to Blumhouse" event. Kicking off the scares are two new films, including The Lie, which stars Joey King as a teen girl who kills her best friend because "she was being a b--ch." The twist? Her parents, Mireille Enos and Peter Sarsgaard, help her cover up the murder.
Black Box, meanwhile, almost feels like an episode of Black Mirror. In Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour Jr.'s debut feature, Mamoudou Athie plays a man attempting to recover his memories after a car wreck killed his wife. But things that a take turn for the Get Out when the doctor (Phylicia Rashad) he turns to for treatment basically sends him to the sunken place to delve into his subconscious. (Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video)
If You Can't Resist an Adam Sandler Movie: In the latest entry into the Adam-Sandler-hangs-out-with-his-friends-and-makes-a-Netflix-movie category, the comedy star tackles his first Halloween-themed film. Hubie Halloween finds Sandler playing the titular Hubie, a man who vows to patrol his hometown of Salem, Mass. each Halloween to ensure his neighbors' safety. So when an escaped convict and a suspicious newcomer threaten more tricks than treats, the town underdog steps up. Expect appearances from Sandler's usual crew, including Rob Schneider, Steve Buscemi, Kevin James and Colin Quinn, along with unexpected cameos from Shaquille O'Neal and Ray Liotta. (Where to Watch: Netflix)
If You're Still in the Mood For Some Scares: Based on Clive Barker's acclaimed and influential horror anthology novels, Books of Blood was originally intended to be a limited series before it was made into a feature film. Anna Friel stars as a college professor who falls for the psychic (Rafi Gavron) who claims to be in touch with her dead son. How's that for a meet-cute? Meanwhile, Britt Robertson plays a troubled student suffering from misophonia—a psychological sensitivity to specific sounds—in a seemingly unrelated saga. (Where to Watch: Hulu)
If You Are in the Mood to See Some of Our TV Boyfriends In the Same Frame: It's almost like the casting directors for The Right Stuff crept into our dreams and Inceptioned us to come up with the cast for Disney+'s astronaut drama: Greek's Jake McDorman, Suits' Patrick J. Adams, Once Upon a Time's Colin O'Donohue and One Tree Hill's James Lafferty star in the series based on Tom Wolfe's 1979 book and the 1983 movie of the same name.
Oh, and it's worth mentioning Leonardo DiCaprio is an executive producer on The Right Stuff, which is a gritty look at what would become America's first reality show as the obsessive original Mercury Seven astronauts and their families become instant celebrities when they joined NASA's Project Mercury in the late 1950s. (Where to Watch: The first two episodes are streaming on Disney+)
If You're Looking For a New Reality Series: Welcome to Deaf U, which follows a tight-knit group of deaf and hard of hearing students at Gallaudet University, a private congressionally chartered university in Washington, DC. This coming-of-age tale—which boasts America's Next Top Model and Dancing With the Stars champ Nyle DiMarco as ones of its producers—is just the latest in Netflix's string of well-produced and inclusive docuseries. Deaf U has all of the usual hallmarks reality TV fans have come to expect, but has heart and humanity, with its cast letting viewers into a dynamic and drama-filled community. (Where to Watch: Netflix)
If You Love a Good Rom-Com-Gone-Wrong: Yami Gautam and Vikrant Massey star as the titular character in Ginny Weds Sunny, a charming Hindi romantic comedy. While the pair initially meet because they are set to have an arranged marriage, the headstrong Ginny turns him down. Undeterred, Sunny teams up with her mother to try and win her over—dance sequence included. (Where to Watch: Netflix)
If You're Looking to Pass the Time Until Scream 5: Justice for Scream 4! With an all-star cast—including OGs Neve Campbell, David Arquette and Courteney Cox, as well as franchise newbies Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, Anthony Anderson, Alison Brie, Adam Brody, Rory Culkin and Nico Tortorella—and modern updates to the horror genre's usual clichés, this underrated romp is worth a weekend watch. (Where to Watch: Hulu)
If You're Looking For Laughs, Lines and Rhymes: Prepare to fall in love with Radha Blank, thanks to The Forty Year Old Version. In her innovative filmmaking debut, which won her the Best Director prize at Sundance earlier this year, Blank dazzles in the starring role as a playwright who attempts to reinvent herself as a rapper—going by the name RadhaMUSPrime—before her 40th birthday. (Where to Watch: Netflix)