Check out our list below, if you dare.

“Halloween” (1978)

Streaming on AMC+ and Fubo

The OG. The classic. The icon. John Carpenter’s “Halloween” was a small-budget indie that spawned a franchise as slow-moving serial killer Michael Myers tormented the sleepy town of Haddonfield, Illinois on Halloween night. Jamie Lee Curtis achieved “scream queen” status with her turn as a babysitter who stands off against Myers in this and five additional sequels. You’ll find more “Halloween” movies streaming on AMC+ and Fubo and the 2018 film, a direct sequel to the original, is streaming on Netflix.

“Scream” (1996)

Streaming on Max

Wes Craven reinvented the horror genre with 1996’s “Scream,” a slasher in which the bad guy has seen every iconic horror movie and taunts his victims with his cinephile knowhow. Countless ripoffs would follow in its wake, but “Scream” remains one of the best, scariest and funniest horror movies ever made.

“Trick ‘r Treat” (2007)

Streaming on Max

This anthology film, set on Halloween night, became a cult classic on home video and for good reason. The film tells a series of short stories all set in the same town on the same night – Halloween. We’re still waiting on that sequel.

“The Nightmare Before Christmas” (1993)

Streaming on Disney+

The perfect bridge between Halloween and Christmas (sorry Thanksgiving), the Tim Burton-produced, Henry Selick-directed stop-motion musical remains one of Disney’s most valuable brands over three decades later.

“Halloweentown” (1998)

Streaming on Disney+

This Disney Channel Original Movie was a favorite of Millennials growing up and stands as a family friendly alternative to the nightmare-inducing classics on this list.

“Hocus Pocus” (1993)

Streaming on Disney+

A flop upon release, “Hocus Pocus” gained “icon” status in the years that followed thanks in part to countless airings on the Disney Channel every Halloween. The sequel, released in 2022, is on Disney+ as well but nothing touches the original.

“A Nightmare on Elm Street” (1984)

Streaming on Max

If it’s iconic slasher villains you’re looking for, Freddy Kruger — a baddie who kills teenagers in their dreams — in Wes Craven’s “Nightmare on Elm Street” is a must.

“Friday the 13th” (1980)

Streaming on Paramount+, AMC+ and Shudder

And if you’re watching Freddy, you best be watching machete-wielding Jason too.

“The Exorcist” (1973)

Streaming on Max

For pure scares, William Friedkin’s possession film “The Exorcist” remains one of the most terrifying films ever made.

“The Shining” (1980)

Streaming on Max and AMC+

Ditto Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining,” which is terrifying for different reasons. Author Stephen King was notably not a fan of Kubrick’s interpretation of his book, which ditches the overt supernatural aspects for a more grounded take on a father going insane.

“Beetlejuice” (1988)

Streaming on Max

Few do “Halloween vibes” better than Tim Burton and his 1988 classic horror-comedy “Beetlejuice” is a great way to set the mood. Especially in the wake of the sequel’s release, which is not currently streaming but is available to purchase or rent on Digital. It’s solid!

“The Addams Family” (1991) and “Addams Family Values” (1993)

Streaming on Paramount+ and Fubo

They’re creepy and they’re kooky. While “The Addams Family” is a spooky delight, the sequel “Addams Family Values” is arguably even better with a pitch-perfect performance by Joan Cusack as a serial killer who weds Christopher Lloyd’s Uncle Fester in a bid to take his fortune – but he just won’t die!

“Shaun of the Dead” (2004)

Streaming on Peacock

There’s gotta be a zombie movie on this list, and Edgar Wright’s zom-rom-com “Shaun of the Dead” is a great way to spend Halloween week. Funny, spooky, romantic and altogether cool, it’s a classic for a reason.

“Practical Magic” (1998)

Streaming on Max

For witchy vibes, you cannot go wrong with “Practical Magic.” The ‘90s film stars Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as sisters/witches who navigate an abusive relationship with their witchy powers, all set against a perfect fall backdrop.

The post Where to Stream 15 Classic Halloween Movies This Year appeared first on TheWrap.

Check out our picks for the best Halloween movies on Netflix below.

Halloween (2018)

2018’s “Halloween” kicked off a brand new trilogy of films in the franchise from director David Gordon Green, and the first is a direct sequel to the original 1978 “Halloween” – one of the scariest films of all time. In this new movie Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie Strode is still suffering PTSD from being attacked by Michael Myers in the ’70s, and finds herself facing her worst fear when Michael escapes from prison on October 30. Judy Greer stars as Laurie’s daughter and Andi Matichak is Laurie’s granddaughter in a horror movie that also confronts generational trauma. A sly twist in this one: Laurie and Michael aren’t brother and sister.

The Fear Street Trilogy

In the trio of “Fear Street” movies, a group of friends confronts a series of murders and how they are historically connected to their town of Shadyside. The films take place in reverse chronological order — the first staged in 1994, the second in 1978 and the last in 1666, where everything started. Each film is rated R, and the rating makes sense with the amount of gore, blood and guts spattered throughout the trilogy. The more psychologically thrilling and emotionally scary scenes balance it out, especially because they bring about so much suspense, and veterans of fright Maya Hawke and Sadie Sink bring skills they developed for “Stranger Things” to this similarly shocking trio of movies. Themes of serial killing, murder, possession and witches drive the plot. Beware the name Sarah Fier. 

Scream (2022)

The “Scream” franchise got revitalized in 2022 from “Ready or Not” filmmakers Radio Silence, and while this new film doesn’t reach the heights of Wes Craven’s first two entries in the iconic slasher franchise, it’s a sharp and enjoyable return. The story is split between returning characters played by Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette and new characters played by Melissa Barrera, Jack Quaid and Jenna Ortega. When Ghostface returns to Woodsboro, both groups find themselves intertwined as twist upon twist unfurls with Radio Silence paying deep homage to the original “Scream” both in style and structure.

There’s Someone Inside Your House

If you’re looking for a good old-fashioned teenaged slasher, the Netflix original “There’s Someone Inside Your House” is worth checking out. Released in 2021, the story follows a young transfer student (played by Sydney Park) at a high school with a shady past who gets nervous when fellow students with dark secrets are getting picked off (and outed) one by one. Shades of “Scream” layer this teen horror flick, which is directed with gusto by Patrick Bice, the filmmaker behind the “Creep” movies.

Nightbooks

A new release for the 2021 Spooky Season, “Nightbooks” is a solid Halloween movie for a younger crowd. Based on the novel of the same name by J.A. White, the story opens with a young boy named Alex (Winslow Fegley) who decides to run away from home, only to be lured into a magical apartment owned by a witch (Krysten Ritter). Now stuck inside, Alex is forced to write a new scary story each day, and tell that scary story to the witch each night. He struggles to be creative while also trying to figure out a way out of this trap. This one’s got a fun, spooky vibe while also not being too scary for youngsters.

Hubie Halloween

This Halloween comedy is worth it for the cast’s combined star power alone. Led by Adam Sandler, who plays main character Hubie, the story revolves around the town of Salem on Halloween night, when the festivities call for Hubie’s expertise. You can find characters played by the late Cameron Boyce, his “Jesse” costars Peyton List and Karan Brar and fellow Disney stars China Anne McClain and Bradley Steven Perry. Fellow comedians Ben Stiller, Rob Schneider, Kevin James, Tim Meadows and Kenan Thompson add layers of laughs to the film, while the ensemble also includes Paris Berelc, Julie Bowen, Jackie Sandler, June Squibb and Maya Rudolph.

Day Shift

How’s this for a concept? Jamie Foxx plays a pool cleaner in the San Fernando Valley that moonlights as a vampire slayer. When his adorable wife (Meagan Good) threatens to move away with his daughter, he makes an effort to rejoin the vampire hunters’ guild and is saddled with a dorky auditor (played by Dave Franco) to go along with his crusty mentor (Snoop Dogg). Of course, along the way, Foxx uncovers a vast vampire conspiracy that threatens the safety of everyone in the valley. Produced by “John Wick” director Chad Stahelski and written by Shane Black protégé Shay Hatten, “Day Shift” has an agreeable, mid-1980s action movie vibe. The kind of thing you’d stumble across one day on the USA Network and probably watch until the end. (The finale is even set in a mall – an abandoned mall, but a mall nonetheless.) “Day Shift” might not be for everybody, but if you’re tuned into its very specific, gore-splattered wavelength, it’s a bloody good time.

Mr. Harrigan’s Phone

Based on a novella of the same name from Stephen King’s 2020 collection “If It Bleeds,” “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone” follows Craig (Jaeden Martell, a veteran of King thanks to his role in “It”), a young man who works for an elderly business tycoon, the titular Mr. Harrigan (Donald Sutherland). When Harrigan dies, the nature of their relationship changes too. And considering this is based on a King story, you know it’s headed in an altogether horrific direction. Produced by the twin powerhouses of Jason Blum and Ryan Murphy, whose last horror collaboration was 2014’s underseen gem “The Town That Dreaded Sundown,” “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone” was written and directed by John Lee Hancock, whose last film was 2021’s nifty crime thriller “The Little Things.” It’ll be interesting to see how Hancock expands the world of the original novella, which at around 70 pages was as slender as it was spooky.

Ouija: Origin of Evil

Once upon a time, “The Haunting of Hill House” and “Doctor Sleep” filmmaker Mike Flanagan made a prequel to the “Ouija” movie that was actually kind of great. The 2016 release “Ouija: Origin of Evil” takes place in 1967 Los Angeles and follows a young widow (Elizabeth Reaser) who works with her daughters as a medium out of her suburban home. When a Ouija board is introduced to the family, the youngest daughter becomes possessed. The film is chock full of great scares but also has Flanagan’s knack for emotion built into it, resulting in something far scarier, better and more compelling than Blumhouse’s original “Ouija” movie (which you definitely do not have to have watched to enjoy this one).

The post The Best Halloween Movies on Netflix Right Now appeared first on TheWrap.

So it is with great relish that we present the 31 best Halloween movies ever, exclusively featuring films that actually take place on Halloween, or at least during the Halloween season. The point is, if Halloween doesn’t play a major part in the movie it’s not fair to call it a “Halloween movie,” and as long as Halloween shows up in some important way, it doesn’t matter where the film is frightening, funny, or even just for little kids.

We’re narrowing the field down to theatrically released features and shorts and feature-length TV movies. Halloween specials deserve their own list, so we apologize to all the fans of “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” and “Witch’s Night Out” and “The David S. Pumpkins Halloween Special.” Your time will come. Maybe. Someday.

Now break out your candy corn and dive right in, because it’s time to get hallowed (and/or weened)!

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)

The best-remembered of Disney’s early animated anthology films (unless you count “Fantasia”) is a double feature of classic literature adaptations. The first half, based on Kenneth Grahame’s “The Wind in the Willows” and narrated by Basil Rathbone, is a perfectly respectable fantasy about anthropomorphic animals and the dangers of reckless driving. But the second is a spectacular interpretation of Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” narrated by Bing Crosby, which features spooky Halloween music and a terrifying Headless Horseman who throws a flaming Jack O’Lantern right at the audience. It’s not the only great “Sleepy Hollow” adaptation (we’ll get to another one later), but it remains the most iconic interpretation of the decapitated Halloween specter.

“The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad” is streaming on Disney+.

Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

Frank Capra is best known for his romanticized visions of Americana in classics like “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” but he had a freaky streak too. His classic screwball horror-comedy “Arsenic and Old Lace” stars Cary Grant as a hapless writer who visits his two kindly aunts on Halloween, only to discover they have a shocking secret: They’re both serial killers. Grant is at his befuddled best as he runs around finding hidden corpses, and the film has a brilliant meta twist in the second half where his long-lost brother arrives, having just had plastic surgery to look just like Boris Karloff.

Betty Boop’s Hallowe’en Party (1933)

Iconic cartoon flapper Betty Boop ruled the silver screen in the early 1930s, but her brand of humor was more playfully suggestive than anything Disney was doing. (It’s very tame by modern standards.) Her adventures often skewed fantastical — “Minnie the Moocher,” arguably her most memorable short, features Cab Calloway as a dancing ghost — but she didn’t hold a proper “Hallowe’en Party” until 1933. Betty invites all the local animals, a scarecrow named Scary, and even some bonafide monsters to her hilarious bash, while she decorates for the season and fends off the advances of a brute who, don’t worry, gets his spine-tingling comeuppance. Betty Boop declined in popularity after the Production Code watered down her entire appeal, and to newer audiences she may be obscure, but her cartoons are still as funny as ever.

Cobweb (2023)

Take about lousy timing: Samuel Bodin’s excellent directorial debut “Cobweb” came out the same weekend as “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” so nobody noticed it. At all. And that’s a shame because it’s a frightfully devious film. Woody Norman stars as a boy whose overprotective parents, played by Lizzy Caplan and Antony Starr, won’t let him go out on Halloween and lock him in the basement when he talks back. As he tries to escape his increasingly disturbing home life, he starts hearing voices inside the walls, telling him to do terrible things. Caplan and Starr are both horrifying, Bodin fills the first two-thirds of the movie with absolute dread, and the third act is a wild showstopper.

“Cobweb” is streaming on Hulu.

Dark Harvest (2023)

Another overlooked treat, David Slade’s “Dark Harvest” takes place in a small midwestern town in the early 1960s. Every Halloween the local teenage boys have to protect the community from Sawtooth Jack, a demonic scarecrow who grows out in the fields all year, and threatens to kill anyone in his path to the center of town. Slade’s film, based on a novel by Norman Partridge, combines iconic Halloween horrors with creepy YA conspiracies, as the teenaged heroes gradually realize their parents aren’t telling them the whole story, and that Sawtooth Jack might have a very good reason to want all the townsfolk dead. A fantastic modern Halloween campfire story, filmed with panache, and boasting one of the most memorable movie monsters in recent memory.

“Dark Harvest” is streaming on Prime Video.

Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981)

There’s no shortage of killer Halloween scarecrow movies. We didn’t even have room for all of them on this list. But no retrospective of Halloween classics would be complete without the 1981 made-for-tv slasher “Dark Night of the Scarecrow.” Larry Drake stars as an intellectually disabled man living in a small town, who tries to rescue a little girl from a vicious dog but gets accused of attacking her himself, and gets lynched by an angry mob. The next year, he returns from the grave to kill the people responsible, including an absolutely despicable, hateful monster of a man played by Charles Durning. Don’t be fooled by the network television origins: “Dark Night of the Scarecrow” may not be very gory but it is surprisingly sinister, and ranks among the best films in the early slasher cycle.

“Dark Night of the Scarecrow” is streaming on Prime Video and Shudder.

Donnie Darko (2001)

Richard Kelly’s career went in odd directions but his first film remains one of the most striking debuts of the century so far. Jake Gyllenhaal plays the title character, a teenager in the 1980s who keeps seeing a horrifying entity in a rabbit costume named Frank, who tells him the world will end on the night of a Halloween party. Soon, Donnie begins doing strange things he cannot explain, like flooding his high school, burning down a local celebrity’s house, and learning the secrets of time travel. “Donnie Darko” is a gloomy, smart film about teenage angst and the mysteries of the universe. And, of course, about Halloween… the time when all the masks come off.

“Donnie Darko” is streaming on Prime Video.

Ernest Scared Stupid (1991)

It’s easy to overlook them nowadays but the first few “Ernest P. Worrell” movies were actually quite good. Jim Varney successfully translated his TV commercial persona, that of a lovable working class goofball who accidentally breaks everything he touches, into a series of films about saving summer camps, saving Christmas, saving his girlfriend from an evil doppelganger, and saving Halloween from magical trolls. This title is accurate: “Ernest Scared Stupid” is an incredibly silly film, aimed entirely at children, but even adults can get a good chuckle out of the film’s weirdest moments. If you’ve always wondered why your friends sometimes refer to milk as “miak” like it’s the funniest thing in the world, this movie is why.

“Ernest Scared Stupid” is streaming on Hoopla.

Ghostwatch (1992)

The year was 1992, and BBC1 decided to air a TV movie designed to look like a live television event, complete with real talk show host Michael Parkinson, “live” calls from the public, and a tour through an honest-to-goodness haunted house. Lesley Manning’s film, written by Stephen Volk, gradually mutates into a terrifying horror thriller that genuinely convinced many people in the audience that the nightmare was real, forcing the filmmakers to later apologize, and keeping “Ghostwatch” off the air for many years. It remains, to this day, one of the most frightening Halloween movies ever made, and the obvious inspiration for future Halloween cult classics like “WNUF Halloween Special” and “Late Night with the Devil.”

“Ghostwatch” is streaming on AMC+ and Shudder.

Ginger Snaps (2000)

Of all the classic movie monsters, werewolves somehow get the shortest end of the stick. It’s hard to count how many classic vampire movies, ghost movies, and Frankenstein movies there are, but for some reason great werewolf movies tap out at — if we’re being extremely generous — maybe a dozen. But “Ginger Snaps” is definitely one of the best. Emily Perkins and Katharine Isabelle star as Brigitte and Ginger, two gloomy, death-obsessed sisters who think they’ll be close forever. But after Ginger is attacked by a dog she experiences strange new urges and physical transformations, which make Brigitte think her sister might really be cursed. The allegory for puberty is on the nose but extremely clever, Perkins and Isabelle give heartbreaking performances, and the climax on Halloween night is harrowing. (The sequel and prequel are worth checking out too.)

“Ginger Snaps” is streaming on Shudder and Fubo.

Halloween (1978)

John Carpenter’s “Halloween” really staked a claim on the holiday, not just by calling itself “Halloween” (which was rather bold), but by being one of the best and most influential horror movies ever crafted. You probably know the story: A young boy murders his sister on Halloween night, and returns decades later to wreak havoc on more teenage girls. The simplicity gives “Halloween” its enduring power: It’s always scary, always relevant. Jamie Lee Curtis’ performance as the heroic babysitter Laurie Strode shot her to stardom, and serial killer Michael Meyers — along with John Carpenter’s easy-to-replicate, low-budget slasher formula — have inspired knockoffs every year since. Heck, practically every month. “Halloween” isn’t just a historically significant movie, it’s one of the load-bearing walls for the entire motion picture medium.

“Halloween” is streaming on Shudder, Fubo and AMC+.

Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)

The “Halloween” sequels and remakes are extremely hit-and-miss, and they’re not even all equally Halloween-y. While “Halloween 4,” “Halloween H20,” Rob Zombie’s “Halloween II” and the first two David Gordon Green movies deserve honorable mentions, it’s Tommy Lee Wallace’s “Halloween III: Season of the Witch” that qualifies as another, proper ghoul-tide classic. The film stars Tom Atkins as a doctor investigating mysterious deaths in the days leading up to October 31st, who uncovers a bizarre supernatural/sci-fi conspiracy involving human sacrifice and killer Halloween masks. Audiences initially balked at “Season of the Witch” for having nothing to do with Michael Myers, but future generations have recognized the film as an entertainingly weird holiday treat in its own right. No, it’s as good as the original, and it sure as hell ain’t better, but it’s so darned fun it doesn’t matter.

“Halloween III” is streaming on Peacock and AMC+.

Halloweentown (1998)

Hey, remember, these aren’t all horror movies! Halloween is a night for children to play dress up and extort their neighbors for free candy, and they deserve fun holiday films that won’t give them nightmares. This Disney Channel Original stars Debbie Reynolds as the grandmother of three kids who don’t know they come from a long line of witches. When they follow her back to her hometown — her Halloween town — they find a lovable cavalcade of monsters and oddballs. And, naturally, they save the whole place using the magical power of family, and also literal magic. It’s very family friendly fluff, but the ingenuity and handmade quality of “Halloweentown’s” many creatures (you gotta love that skeleton cab driver) makes it a memorable slumber party staple.

“Halloweentown” is streaming on Disney+.

A Haunting in Venice (2023)

Kenneth Branagh’s third Agatha Christie adaptation is an ominously eerie murder mystery, set in a haunted Italian palazzo on Halloween night. Famed detective Hercule Poirot (Branagh) has been invited to debunk a world-famous spiritualist (Michelle Yeoh), but when she turns up dead he must solve the crime while, he is increasingly afraid, encountering what may very well be the actual spirit realm. The cast is another litany of memorable suspects — Tina Fey, Jamie Dornan, Kelly Reilly, Jude Hill, etc. — and Branagh smartly abandons the lavish approach he adopted for “Murder on the Orient Express” and “Death on the Nile” in favor of a claustrophobic, shadowy, chilling atmosphere. It’s the best of his Poirot films so far, and an instant Halloween classic.

“A Haunting in Venice” is streaming on Hulu.

Hocus Pocus (1993)

Disney’s “Hocus Pocus” was initially quite unpopular. Decades later, it was declared a cult classic. Now it’s just a plain ol’ Disney classic. Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker star as The Sanderson Sisters, a coven of 17th century witches who are resurrected on Halloween night in 1990s and wreak havoc on the modern world. They’re practically the supernatural Three Stooges, but Kenny Ortega’s film finds the right balance, keeping them a very real threat to the film’s teen leads, even though they’re whimsically befuddled by modern culture and technology. Surprisingly mature by modern Disney standards — there’s a plot point about virginity, which would never fly with the Mouse House today — and loaded with grim and groovy Halloween imagery. (The 2022 sequel “Hocus Pocus 2” wasn’t worth the wait, but it makes for an okay double feature.)

“Hocus Pocus” is streaming on Disney+.

Hubie Halloween (2020)

Don’t laugh. Actually, do laugh. Adam Sandler’s late-era comedies are often excruciatingly terrible but “Hubie Halloween” is another story. It’s a satisfying and good-natured holiday romp that ranks among his funnier farces. Sandler stars as Hubie, a small town goofball who works tirelessly every year to make sure everyone has a safe Halloween, including the people who bully him, which is almost everybody. He’s got his job cut out for him this year because the residents of Salem, MA are going missing, and he thinks his neighbor Walter (Steve Buscemi) — who is obviously a werewolf — might be responsible. Steve Brill’s comedy has a stacked cast, including Ray Liotta, June Squibb, Michael Chiklis, Maya Rudolph, and Kenan Thompson, along with the usual parade of Sandler’s regulars. Oh yes, and the costume department deserves an extra special shout out: Everybody’s Halloween costumes are a hoot and a half.

“Hubie Halloween” is streaming on Netflix.

Lady in White (1988)

The 1980s were a great time for scary kids movies — films that were technically supposed to be for all ages, but rode a thin line between terrifying and fun — and while not all of them belong on this list, Frank LaLoggia’s “Lady in White” is required Halloween viewing. Lukas Haas stars as Frankie, a 9-year-old boy who gets trapped in his school on Halloween night, and watches the ghost of a little girl relive her horrible murder. It turns out she was the victim of a serial killer who has plagued this town for years, and it’s up to Frankie to uncover everyone’s secrets and save the girl’s soul and, eventually, his own life. It’s a hard PG-13, with at least one act of surprising, serious violence, but it’s a fantastic gateway for young horror fans who are looking to transition from sleepover monster flicks to the real, scary deal.

“Lady in White” is streaming on Screenpix.

May (2001)

Angela Bettis gives one of the horror genre’s most haunting performances in Lucky McKee’s debut feature, about a shy girl who can’t seem to connect with anybody. She loves parts of them, but the rest of them always let her down. So one day she finally gets it into her head to take all those best parts, cut them off, and sew them together to create the perfect partner. “May” culminates in one particularly disturbing Halloween night, as she carts severed limbs down the street in a cooler and drunk college kids ask her, “Got any cold ones in there?” The cult of “May” has grown for the last 20+ years, turning this obscure indie gem into one of the 21st century’s most significant horror movies. By the time you witness the film’s incredible final moments, you’ll understand why.

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

Vincente Minnelli’s musical is often considered a Christmas classic because the ending takes place at Christmastime. Well, two can play at that game. “Meet Me in St. Louis” covers the life of a family over half a calendar year, and the middle of the movie takes place during Halloween, so we’re claiming for Halloween too. Tootie (Margaret O’Brien), the future murderer of snowmen, attends a Halloween bonfire and goes out pranking the neighborhood, which leads to a terrible misunderstanding that almost derails the whole love story between her older sister Esther (Judy Garland) and their neighbor John (Tom Drake). It’s mostly a lovely movie, but be warned — the song “Under the Bamboo Tree”’ is more racist than you might have remembered.

The Munsters (2022)

Rob Zombie is no stranger to Halloween movies. He made two remakes of the classic Michael Myers films, the roadside attraction horror hit “House of 1,000 Corpses,” a brutal killer clown movie called “31,” and heck, even his best film “Lords of Salem” makes for a fitting double feature with “Hocus Pocus.” But his greatest Halloween classic is the one he made for all ages, a goofy and good-natured prequel to the classic TV series “The Munsters.” Jeff Daniel Phillips and Sheri Moon Zombie are perfectly cast as Herman and Lily, a Frankenstein and a vampire who fall in love and overcome all odds to get married. Eventually they move to the suburbs, where a wild Halloween party accidentally convinces them that all their neighbors are also fun-loving monsters. Colorful and creative, and shockingly mild-mannered for a Rob Zombie joint, “The Munsters” may not be brilliant cinema but it’s infectiously Halloween-y.

“The Munsters” is streaming on Netflix.

Murder Party (2007)

Before Jeremy Saulnier earned critical acclaim for his intense thrillers “Blue Ruin,” “Green Room” and “Rebel Ridge,” he cut his teeth on a low budget horror comedy that is, you might be surprised to learn, somehow his most cynical movie so far. Chris Sharp stars as a friendly but friendless guy who accepts an invitation to a Halloween party, only to discover that he’s the party favor. All the other attendees are demented artistes who plan to kill him in a desperate attempt to win a large grant from a sinister millionaire. “Murder Party” is every horrible Halloween party you’ve ever attended, filled with the most terrible people you’ve ever met, but the movie has plenty of tricks in store for them, culminating in a violent catharsis that unleashes hell on high art.

“Murder Party” is streaming on Fubo.

Night of the Demons (1988)

Have you ever wondered what the “Evil Dead” movies would look like if they were a whole lot hornier and took place on Halloween? Let me introduce you to “Night of the Demons,” a cult horror classic about a bunch of teenagers who break into a funeral parlor on October 31st, get possessed by evil forces and then murder each other when they’re not having sex (and sometimes during. B-movie icon Linnea Quigley and future animal psychic Amelia Kinkade (yes, really!) steal the film as two of the nastier and funnier — and in Quigley’s case, nakeder — monsters. “Night of the Demons” is shamelessly prurient, and there’s no better night for that kind of thing than Halloween.

“Night of the Demons” is streaming on Prime Video, Peacock and AMC+.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Is “The Nightmare Before Christmas” a Christmas movie or a Halloween movie? If you answered “yes,” you are correct. The two holidays are inextricably linked in Henry Selick’s classic stop-motion animated adaptation of a Tim Burton poem. The story of a skeleton with a mid-life crisis who decides to skip Halloween and hijack someone else’s holiday is a masterpiece of character and production design, with eye-popping imagery in every shot, and deliriously demented songs by Danny Elfman. Disney panicked and took the studio’s name off of the PG-rated “The Nightmare Before Christmas” in 1993, releasing it under their Touchstone banner instead. Now it’s one of their signature classics, with the Disney name proudly displayed. (What is it about Disney Halloween movies from 1993, anyway?)

“The Nightmare Before Christmas” is streaming on Disney+.

Rockula (1990)

Perhaps the greatest of all the unsung horror musicals, “Rockula” stars Dean Cameron as Ralphie, a 400-year-old virgin whose true love keeps getting reincarnated every 22 years, and keeps getting murdered by a pirate on Halloween night. In the 1980s she’s a rock star named Mona (Tawny Fere), so Ralphie starts his own vampire-themed rock band to catch her attention. Wonderfully kitschy, with over-the-top performances by famed one-hit-wonders Toni Basil (“Hey Mickey”) and Thomas Dolby (“She Blinded Me With Science”), and cameos by the great Bo Diddley and Susan Tyrell as members of Ralphie’s band. The songs are dorky and catchy, the humor is wacky and weird, and everyone’s having a great time — especially the audience.

“Rockula” is streaming on Prime Video, Fubo and MGM+.

Sleepy Hollow (1999)

It’s no surprise that Tim Burton, cinema’s most lucrative and popular goth, loves Halloween. He’s revisited the holiday many times over the years, but while “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is the best Halloween movie he’s ever been associated with, “Sleepy Hollow” is the best one he’s ever directed. An ingenious adaptation of Washington Irving’s classic ghost story stars Johnny Depp as Ichabod Crane, a detective investigating a series of mysterious beheadings in the title town. The plot is more convoluted than necessary but the film’s incredible aesthetic beautifully captures the allure of a classic Hammer Horror movie, and the decision to play Ichabod as a shameless coward adds humorous contrast to the film’s otherwise grim aesthetic and tone.

“Sleepy Hollow” is streaming on Paramount+ and AMC+.

Tales of Halloween (2015)

Michael Dougherty’s “Trick ‘r Treat” is the most popular Halloween horror anthology — don’t worry, we’re getting to it later — but “Tales of Halloween” is just as good, and arguably even better. Horror filmmakers like Lucky McKee, Darren Lynn Bousman, Axelle Carolyn and Mike Mendez (to name a few) teamed up for a series of 10 interconnected scary stories, all taking place on the same night. There’s a slasher villain running afoul of a trick or treating alien, man-eating Jack O’Lanterns, a deadly war over who’s got the best Halloween decorations, and lots more besides. For an anthology film with 10 shorts the level of quality remains incredibly high, and because they’re so brief, even if you don’t love one of them, another is coming up in just a few minutes. Inspired holiday mischief from beginning to end, with a memorable cast of horror icons like Adrienne Barbeau, Lin Shaye, Barbara Crampton, and Barry Bostwick, and cameos from fan-favorite directors Joe Dante, Stuart Gordon, Adam Green and Mick Garris.

“Tales of Halloween” is streaming on Prime Video.

Trick or Treat (1952, short)

Donald Duck pranks his trick or treating nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie instead of giving them candy, and that just won’t do. Witch Hazel — the rare cartoon character who seems to exist in both the Disney and Warner Bros. universes — decides to teach Donald a lesson by using magic to wallop him senseless until he finally gives up his hoard of treats. Gorgeously animated and with an unforgettable theme song, “Trick or Treat” is still one of Disney’s best cartoon shorts. (Other spooky Disney shorts — like 1929’s “Skeleton Dance,” and 1937’s “The Old Mill” and “Lonesome Ghosts” — are also perfect for the holiday season, but they’re disqualified on a technicality: None of them take place on Halloween.)

Trick or Treat (1986)

Oh yes, quite a lot of Halloween movies are called “Trick or Treat.” (We even wanted to include at least one more but we ran out of room.) This Charles Martin Smith film doesn’t get nearly as much press as the others, and that’s a shame because it’s a heavy metal blast. Marc Price stars as a teenaged outcast whose favorite rock star, Sammi Curr (Tony Fields), dies and comes back as a demon when his final record is played backwards. Oh, you’d better believe mayhem ensues, peaking at a Halloween concert where Sammi murders his audience by shooting lightning out of a magic guitar. Smith’s “Trick or Treat” mercilessly lampoons the conservative “Satanic Panic” of the 1980s, and even enlists Ozzy Osbourne — the “Prince of F–ing Darkness” himself — to play a finger-wagging Reverend.

Trick ‘r Treat (2007)

Writer/director Michael Dougherty transformed his scary 1996 animated short “Season’s Greetings” into an ambitious Halloween horror anthology film, with a big ensemble cast — Anna Paquin, Dylan Baker, Leslie Bibb, etc. — and holiday atmosphere galore. Ghost children, old-fashioned monsters, the gruesomest of all Jack O’Lanterns, and a bravura finale in which Brian Cox finds out the hard way why you should always give out candy on October 31st. Inexplicably shelved for two years before barely eking its way into theaters, “Trick ‘r Treat” quickly blew past cult movie status and has now established itself as one of the most popular Halloween movies of them all.

“Trick ‘r Treat” is streaming on Max.

2 in the AM PM (2007)

Before J.G. Quintel created the beloved animated kids series “Regular Show,” he submitted a weird little short to Spike & Mike’s Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation, and a cult classic was born. “2 in the AM PM” stars Quintel and fellow animator Sam Marin as gas station clerks working the graveyard shift on Halloween. They accidentally eat candy laced with LSD and hallucinatory hijinks commence, including memorable transformations into Quintel and Marin’s future “Regular Show” characters, and a suspenseful interaction with an oblivious cop. Lo-fi animation + high energy humor = Halloween magic.

“2 in the AM PM” is streaming on YouTube.

The Worst Witch (1986)

Jill Murphy’s children’s book series “The Worst Witch” has been adapted several times, including two TV series co-starring future stars Felicity Jones and Bella Ramsey. But the original TV movie is a nostalgic favorite, and remains a perfect Halloween staple. Fairuza Balk, who would eventually return to these witchy roots in “The Craft,” stars as Mildred Hubble, a student at a school for witches. She infuriates her mean potions teacher Miss Hardbroom (Diana Rigg) and gets her broom sabotaged at a public event and, oh yeah, it does sound like it inspired a certain other fantasy series, doesn’t it? In any case this low, low, low budget TV classic is adorable at every turn, and Tim Curry steals the whole thing with a Halloween theme song you have to see to believe.

“The Worst Witch” is streaming on Prime Video and Tubi.

The post The 31 Best Halloween Movies of All Time (That Are Actually Set on Halloween) appeared first on TheWrap.

Directed by Hannah Macpherson (“School Spirits”) from a script she co-wrote with “Freaky” and “It’s a Wonderful Knife” screenwriter Michael Kennedy, “Time Cut” also stars Michael Shanks and Griffin Gluck.

Naturally, the time-travel horror movie leans into the aesthetics of the era its set in, from the many midriff-baring ensembles, bedazzled belts, Ed Hardy shirts and Ugg boots to a soundtrack full of nostalgic needle drops. From Avril to Lavine to Hillary Duff to Fat Joe, the “Time Cut” songs are bonafide early-2000s chart-toppers. Well, most of them — there’s also an Olivia Rodrigo song for good measure.

Here’s a handy track list for all the songs in “Time Cut.”

• “What’s Luv?” by Fat Joe
• “Pork and Beef” by The Coup
• “Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl” by Olivia Rodrigo
• “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton
• “Ain’t Got You” by Keven Qian
• “So Yesterday” by Hillary Duff
• “Teenage Dirtbag” by Wheatus
• “Coming Home” by Emma Jayne
• “Get Poppin” by PMG
• “Complicated” by Avril Lavine
• “All You Wanted” by Michelle Branch

The post Here Are All the Songs in ‘Time Cut’ appeared first on TheWrap.

These vampire films range from terrifying to sorrowful to funny. There’s a little something for everyone, so take your pick and dive in.

Check out our list of the best vampire movies streaming below.

“Bram Stoker’s Dracula”

Streaming on Paramount+

Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation of “Dracula” is a gorgeous, haunting film. Gary Oldman stars as the titular vampire, Winona Ryder is Mina and the supporting cast includes Keanu Reeves and Anthony Hopkins. The “Godfather” director employed filmmaking techniques from the silent era to achieve the film’s special effects, resulting in something that is tactile and blood-soaked.

“Interview With the Vampire”

Streaming on Max

Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise as vampires who may or may not be in love with each other? Need we say more? The 1994 adaptation of Anne Rice’s “Interview With the Vampire” follows the decades-long relationship between Cruise’s Lestat and Pitt’s Louis, his new protégé. They wallow and mourn over the years, but they sure as heck look pretty doing it.

“30 Days of Night”

Streaming on Peacock and Paramount+

If you want a muscular, terrifying vampire movie check out David Slade’s “30 Days of Night.” Based on the comic, the 2007 film takes place in a small Alaska town as it prepares for a month of darkness. And wouldn’t you know it, once that month of darkness begins a band of vampires starts to attack. Josh Hartnett, Ben Foster and Danny Huston star in this visually striking film.

“Hotel Transylvania”

Streaming on Paramount+

For the kiddos! Adam Sandler’s animated fright-fest is a good time. He plays Dracula – or “Drac” – who runs a hotel in Transylvania (get it?). But when his daughter (voiced by Selena Gomez) falls in love with a human (voiced by Andy Samberg), there’s trouble.

“The Lost Boys”

Streaming on AMC+

A classic. Joel Schumacher’s 1987 film stars Jason Patric and Corey Haim as brothers who move to California, only to become embroiled with a gang of vampires. Kiefer Sutherland, Corey Feldman and Dianne Wiest also star.

“Let the Right One In”

Streaming on Prime Video

This 2008 Swedish vampire film has a touch of the romantic, albeit of the tragic kind. The story follows a young girl vampire and her relationship with a 12-year-old boy who’s suffering from being bullied. It’s a sad and spooky film. And the American remake, directed by Matt Reeves and starring Chloe Grace Moretz, is good too – it’s streaming on Tubi.

“A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night”

Streaming on Kanopy

Billed as an “Iranian vampire western horror film,” the 2014 feature “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night” is a stylish twist on the genre. Written and directed by Ana Lily Amirpour, the movie stars Sheila Vand.

“The Monster Squad”

Streaming on Hoopla and Pluto TV

This one’s for all the ‘80s kids. “The Monster Squad” is a “Goonies”-esque tale of a group of monster-obsessed kids who suddenly become their city’s only home when classic Universal monsters – including Dracula – come to life and start attacking. It’s sharp, funny and genuinely scary.

“Only Lovers Left Alive”

Streaming on Paramount+

Leave it to Jim Jarmusch to make the most mournful vampire movie of all time. “Only Lovers Left Alive” stars Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton as a pair of vampires who are tired. We follow as they pontificate and argue and romance one another, and it’s utterly transfixing.

“Day Shift”

Streaming on Netflix

If you’re looking for something on the new side, Jamie Foxx’s Netflix movie “Day Shift” is fun. It follows a blue-collar dad who hunts vampires for a living, all under the guise of being a pool cleaner. Dave Franco, Meagan Good and Snoop Dogg also star in this Netflix original.

“Vampires vs. the Bronx”

Streaming on Netflix

Another Netflix original, 2020’s “Vampires vs. the Bronx” is exactly what it sounds like: vampires invade The Bronx, and it’s up to a group of teenagers to defend their neighborhood. Lorne Michaels produced this film from writer/director Oz Rodriguez, with a cast that includes Jaden Michael and Sarah Gadon. There’s a meta quality to the film as the teens certainly know of vampires — and even watch “Blade” on TV.

“Nosferatu”

Streaming on Prime Video

The OG. Brush up on F.W. Murnau’s 1922 classic before the latest remake hits theaters in December. It’s a fright.

The post The Best Vampire Movies Streaming Right Now appeared first on TheWrap.

Below, we’ve assembled a list of the best movies available to stream on Max right now, from comedies to blockbusters to rom-coms to Oscar-winning dramas and beyond. Since first launching in 2020, HBO Max quickly solidified itself as lowkey one of the best streaming services around, with a robust library of some genuinely great movies past and present to choose from. It now has a different name, but it’s a true bounty of choice with plenty of older films alongside bona fide new releases.

Take a look at our curated list of the best movies on Max below. This list will be updated weekly with new titles, so be sure to check back often.

Doctor Sleep

A sequel to “The Shining” has no reason being this good, but that’s the magic of filmmaker Mike Flanagan. The writer and director behind the Netflix series “The Haunting of Hill House” and “Midnight Mass” brings his touch to Stephen King in “Doctor Sleep,” which stars Ewan McGregor as the grown-up Danny Torrance who is drawn back to the Overlook Hotel by the sudden arrival of a band of near-immortal psychics. The film toes the line between supernatural and grounded horror beautifully, and in that regard serves as a bridge between Stanley Kubrick’s supernatural-lite approach to “The Shining” and King’s more ghostly source material.

Caddo Lake

I cannot tell you about “Caddo Lake.” You don’t want me to tell you anything about “Caddo Lake.” This is a film best experienced as cold as possible. There are neat twists. It stars Dylan O’Brien and Eliza Scanlen, it takes place along the Louisiana/Texas border, and it is both thrilling and moving. That’s all you need to know. Don’t watch the trailer, don’t read the synopsis, just watch it. Trust me!

The Shining

Max also has the OG horror classic. One of the scariest films ever made, Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” is the story of a father slowly going insane while serving as caretaker of an empty hotel high up in the mountains. Based on the book by Stephen King, the 1980 film stars Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance, who agrees to live in a snowed in hotel with his wife and young son over the winter. But once they arrive, Jack slowly starts to go insane (due in part to the fact that the hotel is haunted) and then things turn murderous. You no doubt know the iconography for this one, but if you’ve never seen it it’s certainly a thing to behold.

The Martian

“The Martian” is one of the most enjoyable movies Ridley Scott has ever made, and he’s made some crowdpleasers. Based on the book by Andy Weird and written by Drew Goddard, the film stars Matt Damon as an astronaut who gets stranded on Mars and must fend for himself while awaiting potential rescue from his crew. It’s a funny, thrilling and at times moving sci-fi blockbuster with an arresting lead performance from Damon, who acts opposite no one at all for the bulk of the movie. It’s got a killer supporting cast too — Jessica Chastain, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kristen Wiig, Sebastian Stan, Michael Peña and Sean Bean all co-star. If you’re looking for a feel-good sci-fi film, this’ll do the trick.

21 Jump Street

The “21 Jump Street” movie is so good. That’s a rather unexpected thing to say, but that’s kind of what filmmakers Phil Lord and Chris Miller do best – turn bad ideas into great movies. Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum play two young police officers who are sent undercover at a high school to try and trace the origins of a new drug on the market, but whereas their own high school experience saw Hill being bullied and Tatum as top dog, the duo find the social dynamics have changed since they were teenagers. The story puts a smart spin on your typical high school movie while delivering some truly inspired (and insane) comedy in the process.

Interview With the Vampire

The late Anne Rice was famously cautious about this Hollywood adaptation of her book “Interview with the Vampire,” but once the film was completed she wholly endorsed this lush, epic vampire tale. The story follows a vampire named Louis (played by Brad Pitt) who in the present day recounts his epic tale of vampiredom to a journalist. His story begins in 1791 Louisiana where he was turned by the vampire Lestat (played by Tom Cruise), who then becomes his companion through the next couple of centuries. The supporting cast includes Antonio Banderas, Christian Slater and a young Kirsten Dunst.

Beetlejuice

Tim Burton’s comedy classic is a great watch pretty much anytime, but now especially as Burton’s long-awaited sequel “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” arrives in theaters in September. “Beetlejuice” revolves around a couple who die in a car accident (played by Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis) and become ghosts trapped inside their home where they’re forced to witness its sale and renovation by a gauche family from the city. They enlist the help of a “bio-exorcist” named Beetlejuice (played by Michael Keaton), and all hell breaks loose. The film is a colorful and inventive twist on the afterlife, offering up a darkly comic spin on the living dead.

Trainwreck

Maybe Judd Apatow’s most classical film, “Trainwreck” is one-part raunchy R-rated comedy, one-part semi-autobiographical tale and one-part old fashioned romantic comedy. Written by and starring Amy Schumer, the story concerns a woman with relationship issues who starts dating a doctor (played by Bill Hader in a charming leading role). As with any rom-com their relationship has ups and downs, but the film is populated by colorful characters that flesh out the life of Schumer’s lead, offering a dimensionality that’s too often lacking from this particular genre. The movie is also really funny and co-stars LeBron James, Brie Larson, Colin Quinn and Mike Birbiglia.

How to Train Your Dragon

One of the sweetest and most compassionate animated movies of the century, 2010’s “How to Train Your Dragon” is a sweet delight. Set in a Viking village, the film follows a boy named Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel), the son of the gruff village chieftain (voiced by Gerard Butler), who befriends an injured dragon against everyone’s wishes. In this world, dragons are seen as the enemy, but Hiccup’s relationship with his new pal – who he names Toothless – provides a path to greater empathy.

Lady Bird

Coming-of-age movies are a dime a dozen, but “Lady Bird” stands among the best of the best. Writer-director Greta Gerwig’s 2017 film is a triumph of storytelling as it chronicles the journey of a smart high school senior (played by Saoirse Ronan) who struggles through various strained relationships as she prepares to go to college. Set in Sacramento, the film draws from Gerwig’s youth as it captures a wickedly relatable teen story that traverses the love, heartbreak, and loss that come with growing up. The movie scored five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actress for Ronan.

The Devil Wears Prada

A feel-good movie if there ever was one, “The Devil Wears Prada” also boasts one of Meryl Streep’s most delicious performances. Set in the world of high fashion, Anne Hathaway stars as a young woman who lands a coveted job as an assistant to Miranda Priestly (Streep), a powerful fashion magazine editor with a knack for tearing people down. Emily Blunt co-stars as Hathaway’s jealous co-worker in what would be a breakout role for the actress, and like so many feel-good movies it’s hard to quantify exactly why this film is so rewatchable, but it is.

Dune: Part Two

One of the best sci-fi sequels ever made, “Dune: Part Two” adapts the second half of Frank Herbert’s novel with the same creative team (and cast) back from the first “Dune.” That includes visionary director Denis Villeneuve who steers the story of an anti-hero’s rise as Timothee Chalamet’s Paul Atreides is painted as a complex figure whose quest for revenge and power takes him down a dangerous path. Austin Butler and Florence Bugh are brilliant additions to the ensemble, Zendaya gets a chance to really shine and Rebecca Ferguson is perfectly witchy as Chalamet’s mother who aims to spread the gospel that her son is a true messiah. It’s also thrilling as heck, with truly stunning sci-fi action throughout.

The Harry Potter Franchise

All eight films in the “Harry Potter” franchise are currently streaming on HBO Max, making for a fulfilling binge-viewing if you so desire. The eight-part series still stands as one of the best and most complete film franchises of all time, as it charts the adventures of a boy wizard from his very beginnings to his final showdown with the evil Lord Voldemort. What makes “Harry Potter” so brilliant is the films evolve and mature along with the characters, so while the first few films are bright and cheery – just like their young protagonists – the latter films are dark and complex, reflecting the characters being forced into adulthood.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

If you’re in the mood for a romantic comedy with a bit of an R-rated edge, check out “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.” Jason Segel wrote and stars in the film as a man who’s just been dumped by his TV star girlfriend (played by Kristen Bell) and decides to go to Hawaii to get away… only to run into her and her new rock star boyfriend (played by Russell Brand) staying at the same hotel. Produced by Judd Apatow, the film is a swell mix of raunchy humor and genuine heart, and also stars Mila Kunis and Jonah Hill.

Parasite

Winner of four Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, 2019’s “Parasite” is a masterful portrait of class in the packaging of a white-knuckle thriller. Written and directed by Bong Joon-ho, the film follows a poor family in Seoul who do what they need to get by. When their eldest son gets a job tutoring the daughter of a wealthy family, they begin to infiltrate the rich folks – inside their opulent estate – one by one under the guise of a chauffer, housekeeper and “art therapist.” It’s a rich, darkly funny and tragic chronicle of the myth of class mobility.

A Ghost Story

If existential dread is your bag, “A Ghost Story” is one of the more unique entries in the “ghost movie” genre in the last decade. This original indie from writer/director David Lowery stars Casey Affleck as a man who dies and becomes a ghost, destined to haunt the small Texas home he shared with his wife for all time. It’s a decidedly lo-fi affair — Affleck and other ghost characters appear wearing sheets with their eye holes cut out, and Lowery presents the film in 1:3 aspect ratio. But it’s also a tremendously moving piece of work that builds to a climax that packs an emotional wallop.

Barbie

The biggest film of the year is now streaming on Max. “Barbie” is an impossibly good blockbuster. It has the care, wit and charm you’d expect from a Greta Gerwig joint, but the scale only possible with the kind of budget provided to certain IP. Margot Robbie is impeccable as she traces a journey of awareness for the titular doll, especially as it relates to Barbie’s place in the world as a woman. And Ryan Gosling once again proves he’s quietly the best comedic actor working today with his turn as himbo Ken. This movie is a dream.

Midsommar

Ring in the impending spring with “Midsommar,” one of the brightest and most colorful horror movies ever made. Ari Aster’s 2019 film that became an A24 favorite stars Florence Pugh as a young woman grieving the death of her sister and parents who invites herself on a trip to a midsummer festival at a commune with her boyfriend and his friends. But what starts as a curious and lovely trip into a tight-knit community soon turns into a nightmare as the rituals planned for this particular festival aren’t all fun and games. Pugh is incredible and Aster proves to be a master at tone as he keeps a visually restrained approach that makes the horrors all the more horrifying.

Mad Max: Fury Road

Prepare for the prequel “Furiosa” by catching “Mad Max: Fury Road.” You don’t have to be familiar with the “Mad Max” franchise in order to appreciate the pulse-pounding at the story of this film, which finds captive Max (played by Tom Hardy) hopping aboard an oil tanker driven by Furiosa (Charlize Theron) who is absconding from Immortan Joe’s Citadel with his “wives” in tow. A chase ensues, and indeed the entirety of “Mad Max: Fury Road” is one car chase from start to finish, but captured in jaw-dropping form by Miller, who takes a meticulous approach to the action. But on top of the theatrics, the film is also a meaty feminist diatribe that leaves you with much to chew on after you’ve finished your popcorn.

The Informant!

Whether it’s “Ocean’s Eleven,” “Magic Mike” or “Logan Lucky,” filmmaker Steven Soderbergh has a very specific, very hilarious, very dry sense of humor that’s like a breath of fresh air. This is certainly true of Soderbergh’s 2009 film The Informant!, one of his absolute best. The film stars a beefed-up Matt Damon as Mark Whitacre, a rising star at a food processing corporation in the 1990s who decided to turn whistleblower — except he’s very, very bad at it. “The Informant!” is based on true events, but Mark is played as such a buffoon and his increasingly strange behavior is chronicled in hilarious fashion by Soderbergh. Damon gives one of his most exciting performances, and the film also offers up one of the best examples of narration ever.

Southside With You

This little-seen indie is a remarkable take on the biopic, as it pulls back the curtain on the lives of Barack Obama and Michelle Obama by imagining a single day in their lives in 1989, when a meeting to discuss community organizing turns into a date. Parker Sawyers plays the former president while Tika Sumpter plays the former first lady, and Richard Tanne writes and directs this engaging drama that takes inspiration from Richard Linklater’s “Before” trilogy.

All That Breathes

You can watch one of the documentaries up for this year’s Best Documentary Feature Oscar on HBO Max this month, and it’s a great one. “All That Breathes” follows two brothers living in New Delhi who capture and treat birds that are dropping from the sky due to the increasing pollution. What really makes this doc soar, though, is director Shaunauk Sen’s cinematic approach to the film. Long takes, slow pans and evocative cinematography capture life in New Delhi in a transfixing way, making the emotional twists and turns all the more impactful.

Batman Returns

Tim Burton’s 1992 sequel remains one of the boldest, most interesting and sexiest Batman movies ever made – and it holds up tremendously well. “Batman Returns” is the superior follow-up to Burton’s 1989 hit, with Michael Keaton reprising his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman. Michelle Pfeiffer is phenomenal as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, with the character serving as a tempting mirror of Bruce Wayne’s own dichotomy — a more violent path towards vigilantism and revenge. There’s also Danny DeVito’s snarling Penguin, and perhaps most terrifying of all Christopher Walken’s soulless businessman Max Schreck. With a Christmas setting and Burton pushing the Gothic aesthetics to the extreme, this is one of the best Batman movies ever made.

The Batman

Putting a new spin on a character like Batman is incredibly difficult, but director Matt Reeves and star Robert Pattinson accomplish this and much more in the 2022 reboot “The Batman.” The film picks up in Bruce Wayne’s second year of prowling the streets as the caped crusader, and finds him roped into an investigation into a series of killings committed by The Riddler (Paul Dano). Reeves draws from films like “Zodiac” and “All the President’s Men” to result in a process-driven (and wildly compelling) crime thriller that packs some of the most striking cinematography in the character’s history thanks to Oscar-winner Greig Fraser. And that score by Michael Giacchino is a new classic. At three hours in length this one’s quite long, but it’s the detective-driven Batman story fans have long been waiting for.

Dune

Director Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” is the kind of prestige, epic sci-fi adaptation that studios rarely make, and for that alone it’s worth seeking out. Based on the Frank Herbert novel of the same name, the film stars Timothee Chalamet as the young Paul Atreides, a man who accompanies his family House Atreides as they’re tasked with overseeing the mining of a valuable resource on the planet Arrakis. But once they arrive, they struggle against the planet’s native population and the nefarious House Harkonnen who wants its position back at all costs. This film, gorgeously crafted, is the first half of the “Dune” story with the second half adapted in the sequel “Dune: Part Two.”

Malignant

You must be on the right wavelength to enjoy “Malignant,” but if you’re down for a horror movie that plays out with a knowing wink, this might become a new favorite. From “Aquaman” and “The Conjuring” director James Wan, the film stars Annabelle Wallis as a woman who begins to have visions of people being murdered, and when she starts digging into her past she discovers disturbing secrets – all while a killer is on the loose. This thing goes from creepy horror film to murder mystery to campy monster movie and never misses a beat, and the third act is a total blast.

Singin’ in the Rain

Quite simply one of the most joyous films ever made, there’s no way that “Singin’ in the Rain” will leave you in a bad mood. Released in 1952, the film is set against the backdrop of the transition from silent films to “talkies” and revolves around three Hollywood performers: Gene Kelly is Don Lockwood, Debbie Reynolds is Kathy Selden and Donald O’Connor is Cosmo Brown. In addition to telling a compelling Hollywood-set story, the film boasts some of the most mesmerizing musical numbers ever put to film, from the acrobatics of “Make ‘Em Laugh” to Kelly’s iconic “Singin’ in the Rain.” This is a perfect feel-good movie.

The Suicide Squad

While filmmaker James Gunn brought a lighter sensibility to his “Guardians of the Galaxy” films for Marvel Studios, his DC film “The Suicide Squad” harkens back to the darkness of his earlier work. Not quite a sequel and not quite a reboot, the 2021 film largely stands alone as it follows the anti-hero team of Task Force X – which includes Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn and Idris Elba’s Bloodsport – as they’re assigned to sneak into a foreign country on a top secret mission. R-rating antics abound, but there’s a surprising humanity at the center of this gloriously weird and wild superhero movie.

Spielberg

If you’re a fan of the work of Steven Spielberg, then the documentary “Spielberg” is a must-watch. The film is anchored by an interview with Spielberg himself (and his family members) as it runs through his storied career, with the filmmaker offering candid insight along the way. If you’ve ever wondered how Spielberg took the blow of “1941” or why “Catch Me If You Can” was rooted in a family secret, those answers and more are found within.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League

At four hours in length, “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” is really for interested parties only, but for those with even a passing familiarity with “Man of Steel,” “Batman v. Superman” and “Wonder Woman,” this HBO Max exclusive marks a fascinating, rich and wildly different take on “Justice League” than the one that was released in theaters in 2017. Presented in six chapters with an epilogue, everyone gets more story this time around, and it’s for the better. Cyborg (Ray Fisher) provides some emotional heft; Superman (Henry Cavill) actually gets some depth; and Ben Affleck’s Batman gets more to do than half-heartedly pull together a Justice League. This film is director Zack Snyder’s unfiltered vision for better and for worse, and that includes some major teases for sequels that never came to fruition, plenty of violence and lots of slow motion. And honestly? It’s good.

No Sudden Move

Steven Soderbergh’s HBO Max original film “No Sudden Move” is a heck of a crime thriller. Set in 1954 Detroit, it stars Don Cheadle as a gangster short on cash who wants to leave town, and who reluctantly agrees to do a job that immediately goes sideways. He’s then on the run with a fellow gangster played by Benicio Del Toro, trying to figure out who he can trust and discovering who’s behind it all. The script by Ed Solomon brilliantly weaves a twist-filled story with thematic resonance, as the film uses historical context to add to the complexity of its plot and characters.

2001: A Space Odyssey

If you’re looking to watch a sci-fi classic that may or may not make your head hurt a little bit, try Stanley Kubrick’s masterful 1968 film “2001: A Space Odyssey.” The epic adventure takes place in the year 2001 (then the future) and follows a crew that’s sent to Jupiter after a mysterious monolith is discovered on Earth. Aboard the ship is a computer named HAL that wreaks havoc on the mission. This is one of the most visually stunning and perplexing films of all-time – a true work of art that’s open to various forms of interpretation by the time you reach the end of the journey.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

With the holiday season comes plenty of vacation time, and if you’re in for a really long binge-watch, “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy will do the trick. Peter Jackson’s epic trio of J.R.R. Tolkein adaptations remain some of the most accomplished achievements in the history of moviemaking, as this fantastical tale of a young hobbit who sets out to save the world as he knows it is crafted with ingenuity and passion to spare. Whether it’s your first or fifth time to Middle-earth, it’s a journey well worth taking. As a bonus, HBO Max offers both the theatrical versions and the richer extended versions available to stream.

The post The 41 Best Movies on Max Right Now appeared first on TheWrap.

Check out our list of the best movies on Amazon Prime video below. The list will be updated weekly with new titles.

“Challengers”

“Challengers” is hypnotic. At once a tennis drama, steamy love triangle and dark comedy, the film charts the relationship between three gifted tennis players — played by Zendaya, Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor — over the course of several years. Directed by “Call Me by Your Name” filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, the film offers a fractured narrative, zipping back and forth in time to maximize the impact of reveals, turns and hook-ups. Backed by a pulsating score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, the film builds to a thrilling finale that’ll have you leaping out of your seat. – Adam Chitwood

“Bram Stoker’s Dracula”

As Francis Ford Coppola prepares to unveil his epic “Megalopolis,” why not revisit one of his best and somewhat underrated films? “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” is a lush, loving and horrific adaptation of its namesake with Gary Oldman playing the vampire, Winona Ryder as Mina Harker and Anthony Hopkins as Van Helsing. What sets “Dracula” apart is Coppola revived filmmaking techniques from the silent era, resulting in a movie that looks like nothing else that was being made at the time. The effects and production design are jaw-dropping. – Adam Chitwood

“The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” Trilogies

Just in time for the second season of Prime Video’s prequel series “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” which debuts at the end of the month, Amazon has Peter Jackson’s entire “Lord of the Rings” saga available to stream now. The three “Lord of the Rings” films stand as one of the most astounding cinematic achievements in history, earning a bevy of Oscars between them and setting the bar for high-expectation adaptations. Jackson returned to direct the “Hobbit” prequel trilogy and while the story should have been kept to two films per the original plan and there’s a CG overload throughout, there are some bright spots and it’s worth revisiting if you haven’t seen them since they first hit theaters. – Adam Chitwood

“Planes, Trains and Automobiles”

This John Hughes classic stars Steve Martin and John Candy as two strangers who team up to try and get home in time for the holiday, traversing various modes of transportation all while Martin absolutely cannot stand Candy. It’s hilarious and heartbreaking and might just be Hughes’ best movie. – Adam Chitwood

Looper

Before Rian Johnson helmed “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” he first entered the sci-fi realm with his excellent 2012 thriller “Looper.” The film opens in the year 2044 where a 25-year-old man named Joe (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) works for a crime syndicate that murders people who are sent back in time from the year 2074, as a means of disposing of the bodies. But when his older self (played by Bruce Willis) shows up, he’s forced with an existential dilemma. On top of all of this, Emily Blunt plays the mother to a child who may or may not grow up to one day be one of the most evil person of the planet, and the two Joes – young and old – find themselves operating in the same timeline. This is fascinating sci-fi that’ll make you think. – Adam Chitwood

The Idea of You

Based on the Robinne Lee bestseller of the same name that was famously partially inspired by Harry Styles fanfiction, “The Idea of You” is more romantic drama than romantic comedy, but one thing’s for sure: it’s certainly romantic. Anne Hathaway stars as a mother who strikes up a relationship with the lead singer of her daughter’s favorite band, played by rising star Nicholas Galitzine. Complications ensue as tends to happen when you date a pop star, but director Michael Showalter brings a tender touch to this story of loneliness and the desire to be loved. – Adam Chitwood

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning

Tom Cruise returns as Ethan Hunt in “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning,” delivering another adrenaline-pumping installment in his acclaimed 20+ year action franchise. Once again, Cruise gives his all to the jaw-dropping stunts that have come to define his long-running, unusually consistent spy franchise. “Fallout” and “Rogue Nation” director Christopher McQuarrie also returns, and once again demonstrates his knack for crafting intricate set-pieces with breathless stakes. As for newcomers, Hayley Atwell’s Grace makes a welcome, magnetic addition to Hunt’s impossible adventures while the reliably great Shea Whigham acts as a fantastic, endlessly exasperated obstacle to the mission at hand. The film isn’t quite as successful in its attempts to reckon with god-like AI, but “Mission: Impossible” continues to be among the most technically accomplished, character-fueled action franchises in film history. – Haleigh Foutch

Evil Dead Rise

One of horror’s most flexible, yet consistently quality franchises got another reinvention with “Evil Dead Rise.” Director Lee Cronin stepped in and took the “Evil Dead” back to its hard horror roots with the latest installment, transplanting the demonic undead action from the classic cabin in the woods setting to a decrepit condemned city apartment that feels every bit as isolated and hopeless. One of the more blood-soaked and seriously twisted installment, “Evil Dead Rise” also boasts an all-timer Deadite performance from Alyssa Sutherland. – Haleigh Foutch

The Silence of the Lambs

Still the only horror film to win Best Picture, “The Silence of the Lambs” is a classic for a reason. Director Jonathan Demme’s adaptation stars Jodie Foster as a young FBI trainee who is tasked with enlisting imprisoned serial killer/cannibal Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) for help in tracking down a serial killer of women who goes by the name Buffalo Bill. Demme’s direction is the secret weapon here, preventing the film from becoming gross or exploitative and submerging the viewer into the point of view of Foster’s character. The film won Oscars for Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Adapted Screenplay. – Adam Chitwood

Gladiator

Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator” holds up and then some. And with “Gladiator II” hitting theaters later this year, now’s the perfect time to revisit this Best Picture-winning epic. Russell Crowe stars as a Roman general who is arrested and whose family is murdered when a new king (played by Joaquin Phoenix) takes over. Crowe’s character escapes, finds himself rescued by slave traders and ends up becoming a gladiator, which brings him back to Rome and face-to-face with the man who ruined his life. Epic battles, an epic Hans Zimmer score and delicious performances make this one of Scott’s best. – Adam Chitwood

A.I.

As A.I. is all the rage, it’s a great time to revisit Steven Spielberg’s underrated 2001 film “A.I. Artificial Intelligence.” This is a unique collaboration between Spielberg and Stanley Kubrick – Kubrick developed the project for years but never made it, as he was waiting for visual effects to advance enough for the film to be possible. Spielberg took the spirit of Kubrick’s take on the Philip K. Dick source material and wrote the screenplay himself, resulting in something of a dark and twisted “Pinocchio” story about a lifelike A.I. boy (Haley Joel Osment) who dreams of becoming human so his adoptive mother will finally love him. It’s tragic and terrifying. – Adam Chitwood

Everybody Wants Some!!!

Glen Powell is (deservedly) everywhere these days, but if you missed his breakout role in Richard Linklater’s incredible 2016 hangout film “Everybody Wants Some!!” now’s the perfect chance. Described as a spiritual sequel to Linklater’s seminal “Dazed and Confused,” this film takes place in the 1980s and revolves around a group of college students (in contrast to the ‘70s high school setting of “Dazed”). It is a pure hangout movie in the sense that the plot is light but the characters are rich, and we follow a number of Texas college kids – most of whom are on the baseball team – over the course of a couple of days. Blake Jenner, Zoey Deutch, Wyatt Russell and Tyler Hoechlin costar. – Adam Chitwood

Psycho (1960)

A trio of Alfred Hitchcock classics are on Prime Video this month, and are all must-watches for very different reasons. First up is “Psycho,” a classic horror film about a woman (Janet Leigh) on the run who winds up at a nearly abandoned motel called the Bates Motel, where she crosses paths with its mild mannered owner Norman (Anthony Perkis). Then things get very bad. 60 years later, this one still terrifies. – Adam Chitwood

Rear Window

Next up we have “Rear Window,” one of the most purely entertaining films ever made. Jimmy Stewart plays a professional photographer recuperating from a broken leg who’s confined to a wheelchair. To pass the time in his New York City apartment, he spies on the open windows in the building next door. One night, he thinks he witnesses a murder, and things spiral out of control there. The production design alone makes this a classic, but ever the master of suspense, Hitchcock grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go. – Adam Chitwood

Vertigo

And finally there’s “Vertigo.” Somewhat ignored upon release, this one is now hailed as one of the greatest films ever made. Jimmy Stewart plays a retired detective suffering agoraphobia who’s asked to tail a friend’s wife. She’s been acting strange, you see, and he wants to get to the bottom of what’s going on. Is she possessed? Is she crazy? Is he crazy? Everything’s on the table as one of Hitchcock’s most personal films unfolds, laying bare his prurient obsessions. – Adam Chitwood

Batman Returns

One of the best Batman movies ever made, Tim Burton’s 1992 sequel “Batman Returns” is wild. Following his 1989 smash hit, Burton leaned hard into the weird for this follow-up, which finds Michael Keaton’s Bruce Wayne squaring off against a trio of villains: Michelle Pfeiffer’s vengeful Catwoman, Danny DeVito’s snarling Penguin and Christopher Walken’s pure evil Max Schreck. Pfeiffer is phenomenal as Selina Kyle, playing a foil to Wayne as the film touches on what motivates revenge and what is just. The movie also just looks incredible, with Gotham City bathed in snow and Burton relishing how far he can push the violence on a PG-13 rating. – Adam Chitwood

Good Will Hunting

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s breakout 1998 drama “Good Will Hunting” remains a stellar and poignant film all these years later. Damon and Affleck won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar for their story of a genius janitor who struggles to reach his full potential. The Boston-set film also finds Robin Williams turning in one of his finest (and Oscar-winning) performances, with lovely direction from Gus Van Sant. – Adam Chitwood

Mission: Impossible 1-5

The first five “Mission: Impossible” movies are now streaming on Netflix, and they are a great hang. This is one of the best franchises still running, as Tom Cruise offers death-defying stunts and an entirely new vibe for each movie owing to a change in directors. Brian De Palma’s first entry is a sexy thriller, John Woo’s “Mission: Impossible 2” is a balletic actioner, J.J. Abrams’ “Mission: Impossible III” is nearly a rom-com and Brad Bird’s “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” brings the ensemble to the forefront for a full team movie. These films are spectacular, and you can also stream “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” and “Dead Reckoning” with a Paramount+ trial. – Adam Chitwood

Asteroid City

Wes Anderson’s latest film “Asteroid City” is now streaming on Prime Video, and it’s one of his best. Released just this year, the story continues the Russian nesting doll structure that Anderson enacted so well in “The Grand Budapest Hotel” as it follows a troupe of actors who are performing a play about a bunch of people who end up quarantined in a 1950s desert after they’re visited by an alien. The film packs an emotional punch as Anderson was clearly inspired by the pandemic with this one, and it boasts yet another incredible cast that includes Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Edward Norton, Bryan Cranston and Steve Carell.

The Firm

Who doesn’t love a good legal thriller? They truly don’t make movies like “The Firm” anymore – a character-driven, two-and-a-half-hour mid-budget human drama. Based on the John Grisham book of the same name, the 1993 release stars Tom Cruise as a Harvard Law School graduate who lands a high-profile gig at a top law firm in Memphis, But as he gets deeper into the job, he starts to uncover secrets and conspiracies within. The late, great Sydney Pollack directs and the cast includes Jeanne Tripplehorn, Ed Harris, Holly Hunter and Hal Holbrook.

Bones and All

The 2022 horror drama from “Call Me by Your Name” and “Suspiria” director Luca Guadagnino stars Timothee Chalamet and Taylor Russell as two young cannibals living in 1980s America, struggling to contain their impulses as they strike up a tenuous relationship. Based on the book of the same name by Camille DeAngelis, it’s a chilling, moving and sometimes sweet film that will rattle you to your bones with a stirring performance by Mark Rylance.

The Truman Show

If you’re itching for more meta fun after “Barbie,” check out “The Truman Show,” a film director Greta Gerwig says she looked towards for inspiration for her take on “Barbie.” Directed by Peter Weird, the 1998 film stars Jim Carrey as a man who has no idea that his entire life is being filmed for a reality TV show, and that his small town is actually an enormous soundstage in which every moment of his life is loosely scripted. It’s wholly unique and inventive, and came at a time when “reality TV” was first starting to take hold of audiences all over the world. In a testament to its quality, it holds up tremendously well today. – Adam Chitwood

Air

Have you ever wondered how Nike secured the rights to Michael Jordan’s likeness and created the unstoppable Air Jordan brand? Well, even if you haven’t, here’s a movie that explains it anyway. Matt Damon stars as Sonny Vaccaro, a plucky employee of upstart Nike (which was on the verge of shutting down its basketball division), who comes across a Freshman player that he thinks has what it takes – Michael Jordan (who is never fully seen, just glimpsed in archival footage and from the neck down). He’s got to convince his boss, Phil Knight (Ben Affleck), his fellow Nike colleagues (including Chris Tucker and Jason Bateman) and, most crucially, Jordan’s parents (played by real-life couple Viola Davis and Julius Tennon). Oddly charming and uplifting for a movie nakedly about the triumph of capitalism, it is smartly directed by Affleck and features a ton of winning performances. Even if you don’t care about the Air Jordan brand and how it was secured by Nike, you’ll still be utterly riveted. – Drew Taylor

Jackass Forever

If you’re looking to laugh your face off, go with “Jackass Forever.” The fourth film in the “Jackass” franchise finds the same old crew tackling brand new stunts, except this time they’re all in middle-age (which, honestly, makes the stunts ever funnier). There is a pure adrenaline rush that comes with watching this movie, but what makes it special is the camaraderie and love these guys have for one another — all while putting each other in terrible situations. — Adam Chitwood

I Want You Back

A clever rom-com with a heck of a charming duo, Amazon’s “I Want You Back” stars Charlie Day and Jenny Slate as two strangers who bond after being dumped by their respective partners at the same time. Determined to get them back, they conspire together to sabotage their ex’s new relationships, building a complicated web of friendships, feelings and — of course — accidentally falling for each other. Day and Slate make for a fantastic pair of lovable wrecks at their worst, sparking believable chemistry while delivering the laughs. – Haleigh Foutch

Hong Kong action legend John Woo delivered one of his best American studio films with the 1997 favorite “Face/Off.” Starring John Travolta as family man FBI agent Sean Archer and Nicolas Cage as his criminal, identity-thieving arch-enemy Castor Troy, who takes over Archer’s life with the help of a plastic surgeon and a revolutionary face-swapping procedure. It’s a completely bonkers blast of a film, with two old-school movie star performances from Travolta and Cage, both of whom fully embrace Woo’s wild over-the-top vision of a cat-and-mouse crime thriller that never stops escalating the action. – Haleigh Foutch

The Outfit

A contained spy thriller with a heck of a lead performance, “The Outfit” hails from Oscar-winning “The Imitation Game” writer Graham Moore who serves as writer and director on the story of an English tailor (played by Mark Rylance) who gets caught up in a mob war one night while working late in his shop on Saints Row. Zoey Deutch, Dylan O’Brien and Johnny Flynn co-star in the film which largely takes place in the same location, but is dripping with tension and packed with reveals. – Adam Chitwood

The Lost City of Z

A Tom Holland adventure movie of a very different sort, “The Lost City of Z” is based on the David Grann book of the same name and follows a British explorer in the early 1900s who is sent to Brazil to search for a supposed lost city in the Amazon. Charlie Hunnam plays the explorer Percy Fawcett, Robert Pattinson plays fellow explorer Henry Costin and Tom Holland plays Percy’s son Jack. As directed and written by James Gray, “The Lost City of Z” is an enthralling story about colonialism and the relationship between a father and a son. – Adam Chitwood

Lucy and Desi

If you’ve already seen Aaron Sorkin’s fictional account of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in “Being the Ricardos,” check out the Amy Poehler-directed documentary “Lucy and Desi.” The film explores the partnership between the “I Love Lucy” stars, offering an insightful and candid look at the relationship between the two buoyed by interviews with Lucie Arnaz Luckinbill, Norman Lear, Desi Arnaz Jr, Carol Burnett and Bette Midler. – Adam Chitwood

The Courier

“The Courier” is a great “dad movie,” and that’s pejorative. This Cold War thriller is based on a true story and stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Greville Wynne, a British businessman who was recruited by the Secret Intelligence Service to serve as a messenger between a Russian spy source and the British government in the 1960s. What begins as an exciting romp turns deadly serious, and Cumberbatch commands the screen in the lead role (flanked by Rachel Brosnahan as his wife and Jessie Buckley as his handler). This one’s taut, compelling and surprisingly emotional. – Adam Chitwood

Brittany Runs a Marathon

The 2019 comedy “Brittany Runs a Marathon” manages to be both hilarious and inspiring at the same time, as Jillian Bell stars as a twentysomething woman living in New York City named Brittany who decides to try and get her life together – and to start, she’s going to train to run the New York Marathon. But as Brittany gets deeper and deeper into running, making new friends along the way, she discovers that a change on the inside may be what’s most prudent to pointing her life in the right direction. Bell is fantastic in the lead role, and writer/director Paul Downs Colaizzo’s script is pleasantly surprising in where it takes Brittany’s story. – Adam Chitwood

Suspiria

After he made the Oscar-winning romance “Call Me by Your Name,” filmmaker Luca Guadagnino took on a horror classic with 2018’s “Suspiria.” Set in 1988 Berlin, the film stars Dakota Johnson as a young woman leaving her Mennonite family in Ohio to audition for and train as a dancer at an esteemed academy. But as her training continues, it becomes clear that perhaps this dance troupe has something more sinister, more witchy going on. The brilliance of Guadagnino’s take on the story is how it uses the supernatural horror to tell a real-life horror story about fascism, and the festering wound of evil. Tilda Swinton is mesmerizing pulling double duty here as the dance troupe’s leader and a male doctor curious about the goings-on at the school. – Adam Chitwood

The Report

If a real-life investigative thriller in the vein of “All the President’s Men” is more your speed, check out “The Report.” Released in 2019, the true-story drama stars Adam Driver as Daniel Jones, a staffer for Senator Dianne Feinstein (played by Annette Bening) who is tasked with investigating the CIA’s use of torture following the 9/11 attacks. Writer/director Scott Z. Burns crafts a film that is taught with tension, but also powerful in its pursuit of the truth. The ensemble includes Jon Hamm, Michael C. Hall, Corey Stoll, Ted Levine and Maura Tierney. – Adam Chitwood

Late Night

Screenwriter Mindy Kaling pulled from the world of late night television for her 2019 comedy “Late Night,” which stars Emma Thompson as a veteran late night TV personality who is in danger of being pushed out by the network, and enlists the help of a new (and inexperienced) writer (played by Kaling) to bring some diversity to her all-male writing staff. The comedy has shades of a mismatched buddy film, behind-the-scenes Hollywood tale and middle-aged drama, and it’s anchored by a terrific performance from Thompson as a woman struggling to keep up with the times. – Adam Chitwood

It’s a Wonderful Life

If you’re looking to get into the holiday spirit, you can’t go wrong with Frank Capra’s 1946 classic “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The film stars James Stewart as George Bailey, a man extremely down on his luck who, after attempting to take his own life, is shown what life in his small town would look like had he never existed. While the film is ultimately uplifting, it’s far darker than many remember, and is a brilliant tale about life and the relationships we make (and take for granted) along the way. – Adam Chitwood

Cold War

If you’re into period dramas, the 2018 film “Cold War” is a must-see. Directed and co-written by Pawel Pawlikowski, the Polish-language drama takes place in Poland and France and begins in the 1940s before ending in the 1960s as it follows the relationship between a musical director and a young singer he discovers. Against the backdrop of their love affair, the war rages on. – Adam Chitwood

The Big Sick

A romantic comedy straight from the heart, the based-on-a-true-story “The Big Sick” is delightful and emotional all at once. Written by Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon, the film is based on the origins of their relationship as Gordon slipped into a coma soon after they started dating, and Nanjiani was forced to confront his own fears and contend with Gordon’s parents all with the uncertainty of her condition looming large. Zoe Kazan portrays Gordon in the film with a hearty dose of moxie, and Nanjiani delivers a complex performance that clearly pulls from the depths of his personal life – not just his relationship with Kazan’s character, but his own relationship to his family. – Adam Chitwood

The Handmaiden

“Oldboy” filmmaker Park Chan-wook’s 2016 epic erotic drama “The Handmaiden” is absolutely one of his best films, and is a blast from start to finish. The psychological thriller plays out in three parts chock full of twists and turns, but begins as the story of a con man who conspires with a pickpocket to hatch a plan that would involve marrying a Japanese heiress and committing her to an asylum, thus stealing her wealth. But the film takes a number of turns as various romantic and sexual entanglements ensue. This one’s for adults only. – Adam Chitwood

Manchester by the Sea

“Manchester by the Sea” is a brilliant film, but fair warning it’s also a significant bummer. This 2016 film won Oscars for Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay and stars Casey Affleck as a janitor living in Massachusetts who is suddenly tasked with caring for his nephew following his brother’s abrupt death. The event triggers substantial trauma that Affleck’s character has yet to process, and what follows is a somber, sometimes darkly funny and ultimately touching meditation on grief and guilt. – Adam Chitwood

One Night in Miami

Regina King’s 2020 drama “One Night in Miami” is an excellent snapshot of a moment in time, and how four of the most famous African-Americans in history each approached the changing societal landscape of the 1960s. Set over the course of one night in 1964, the story follows four friends – Cassius Clay (Eli Goree), Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge) and Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.) – as a night of celebrating soon turns into a night of lively conversation about their roles and responsibilities to the African-American community. The film is cleverly drawn and tremendously compelling, and provides much food for thought as it connects the struggles of the 1960s to today. – Adam Chitwood

The Vast of Night

If you like hidden gems, 2020’s “The Vast of Night” is one of the most exciting indies of the last few years. Set in 1950s New Mexico, the story takes place over the course of one evening where a young switchboard operator and a radio DJ pick up a mysterious audio frequency that may or may not be inhuman in nature. This small-scale sci-fi mystery is light on effects but heavy on evocative filmmaking, intrigue and dimensional characters. It’s so good, a scene with a man talking about his experience with aliens over the radio will have you on the edge of your seat. – Adam Chitwood

Sound of Metal

2019’s “Sound of Metal” is an indie with a heart of gold – and an Oscar-winning one at that. The film stars Riz Ahmed as a metal drummer named Ruben who begins to lose his hearing. He leaves his bandmate to go to a facility for Deaf recovering addicts, where he begins to learn how to live his life differently but also struggles with his own demons. Ahmed gives a powerhouse performance, and the film’s sound design puts you right in Ruben’s headspace. – Adam Chitwood

Love and Friendship

If it’s a lovely costume dramedy you’re in the mood for, 2016’s “Love and Friendship” is an absolute delight. Based on the Jane Austen novel “Lady Susan,” the film is written and directed by Whit Stillman and stars Kate Beckinsale as a recently widowed woman who sets out to secure wealthy husbands for herself and her daughter. A comedy of errors ensues, with Beckinsale and Chloe Sevigny sharply leading an ensemble that also includes Stephen Fry, Tom Bennett and Xavier Samuel. – Adam Chitwood

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Turns out, a significant part of it actually was, yes! Directed by “Wolf Creek” and “Rogue” filmmaker Greg McLean, “Territory” was shot at several filming locations across Australia, a lot of them found in the real-world Top End. While Marianne Station itself is fictional, the very real Tipperary Group of Stations subbed in as the location. However, the Lawson Homestead itself? That’s a set, constructed on the property for filming.

From Marianne Station to the “Sorry Place,” here’s your guide to where Netflix’s “Territory” was filmed.

Marianne Station

In “Territory,” the Lawson-owned Marianne Station is the biggest cattle station in the world, but is it real? Not quite. Marianne Station is a fictional location created for the show, however, it was filmed on a real, giant cattle station in the Northern Territory.

The Tipperary Group of Stations, which spans 954,000 acres, served as the heart of “Territory” as the real-world stand-in for the scenic Marianne Station. Known as one of the world’s largest cattle stations, Tipperary’s sweeping landscapes, cattle yards and 72 paddocks made it ideal for scenes of mustering cattle and daily station life. Over 200 cast and crew lived on-site during the production of “Territory,” utilizing actual station workers as extras for authenticity. For those hoping to visit, they do offer tours.

The Lawson Homestead

Colin Lawson and Marianne Ranch may be stuck in the past, but Tipperary Station is very much a modern working facility. That meant the production team had to create a homestead that evoked the “old days” and the Lawson legacy dating back to the 1800s. Production designer Matt Putland and his team built the exterior Lawson Homestead from the ground up in just eight weeks.

“Territory” Filming Locations List

After filming in the Northern Territory for the first six weeks, production moved south, where they shot locations including Sandra Kirby’s posh residence and the Bull Bar.

Wondering about the rest? You can see a convenient list of the “Territory” filming locations below, from the “Sorry Place” to Nolan’s Laggan Downs station.

• Tipperary Group of Stations, Northern Territory – Used as Marianne Station, the home and operational hub for the Lawson family’s cattle empire.
• Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory – One of the largest national parks in Australia was a key location featured in the series’ first and last episode; this was where they filmed scenes for the sacred spot called the “Sorry Place.”
• Wangi Falls, Northern Territory – This scenic spot in the Litchfield National Park is where Susie and Lachie’s romance blossoms.
• Lee Point, Darwin, Northern Territory – Serves as the coastal lands in Nolan Brannock’s Laggan Downs station.
• Crab Claw Island Resort, Darwin, Northern Territory – Serves as the backdrop for a secret Episode 1 meeting between Emily and Sandra.
• Mallala, Adelaide Plains, South Australia – This region played a major role during the South Australia portion of filming. It’s where Nolan Brannock’s Laggan Station station, the Young Turks’ camp and Hank Hodge’s Bethel Creek property were filmed.
• Balhannah, Adelaide Hills, South Australia – Used for Sandra Kirby’s chic city residence.
• Taperoo, Lefevre Peninsula, South Australia – Depicted as Uncle Bryce’s home and the setting for Community scenes.

The post Inside Marianne Station: Where Was Netflix’s ‘Territory’ Filmed? appeared first on TheWrap.

Check out our picks for the best new movies streaming in October 2024 below.

“¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!”

Paramount+ – Oct. 2

Produced by Sweet Relief, MTV Documentary Films and the producers of the Emmy-nominated “South Park” making-of “Six Days to Air,” “¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!” follows Trey Parker and Matt Stone on their most ambitious, foolhardy mission yet – to renovate and reopen a beloved, sprawling Mexican restaurant from their childhood. Casa Bonita, located in Lakewood, Colorado, is more than a restaurant for most – it’s an experience. With a 30-foot indoor waterfall, complete with cliff jumpers, a series of cave-like nooks and different dining areas themed to different regional Mexican architectural styles, Casa Bonita inspired wonder and awe in those who visited, like Parker, who visited the restaurant when he was a child. Together, Parker and Stone put up more than $3 million to buy the restaurant after its owners filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy during the coronavirus epidemic. Together, they put another $40 million into the restaurant, to update and redo the furnishings and to put a new, more contemporary menu together with chef Dana Rodriguez. They also did away with tipping and instead paid the staff $30 an hour for their hard work. (The Colorado minimum wage is $13.65.) And this new documentary details all of their pain and heartache in excruciating detail. Viva Casa Bonita! – Drew Taylor

“Hold Your Breath”

Hulu – Oct. 3

“Hold Your Breath,” a new film by Karrie Crouse and Will Joines, recently played the Toronto International Film Festival, where it was warmly received. And it’s easy to see why – the hook for the movie is pretty undeniable. It follows a young mother (Sarah Paulson) in 1930s Oklahoma who becomes convinced that a malevolent force is hiding in the era’s many dust storms. The movie has a ridiculously wonderful cast that includes Amiah Miller, Annaleigh Ashford, Alona Jane Robbins and Ebon Moss-Bachrach and a score from Arcade Fire and Bon Iver collaborator Colin Stetson (who also scored recent horror favorites like “The Menu” and “Herditary”). This looks very, very scary. – Drew Taylor

“House of Spoils”

Prime Video – Oct. 3

Is it even Halloween without a new Blumhouse movie? “House of Spoils,” written and directed by Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy, stars recent Oscar winner Ariana DeBose as a chef who is trying desperately to get her new restaurant off the ground. She is up against, as the official synopsis reveals, “kitchen chaos, a dubious investor, crushing self-doubts and the powerful spirit of the estate’s previous owner.” So if “The Bear” was set in the haunted hotel from “The Shining?” The supporting cast includes Barbie Ferreira, Arian Moayed, Marton Csokas and Amara Karan and the trailer made us both incredibly nervous and oddly hungry. Make of that what you will. – Drew Taylor

“Salem’s Lot”

Max – Oct. 3

Welcome (back) to “’Salem’s Lot.” While this new adaptation of Stephen King’s 1975 novel was originally meant for theatrical exhibition, it makes sense that it’s debuting on Max. The two previous adaptations, a two-part 1979 CBS event (that starred David Soul and James Mason) and a 2004 made-for-cable (also two parts, this time starring Rob Lowe and Rutger Hauer), had both aired on television, along with a prequel series on Epix that lasted for a season and elements of “Castle Rock” (more on that later). The only adaptation to actually make the big screen was 1987’s cheap charmer “A Return to ‘Salem’s Lot.” Just as the town of ‘Salem’s Lot is cursed with tragedy, so are the adaptations damned to television. In this latest iteration, Lewis Pullman stars as Ben Mears, the Soul/Lowe character, a novelist who returns to his sleepy (and potentially doomed) home town of Jerusalem’s Lot to work on a new novel and finds that this hamlet has been taken over by filthy vampires. (Don’t you hate when that happens?) Writer/director Gary Dauberman seems to be updating the original 1979 as much as he is attempting to capture the soul of King’s original novel. The results are somewhat mixed, with the story feeling at times rushed (there was a reason every other adaptation stretched across multiple broadcast nights), but it is also undoubtedly thrilling, with a killer cast that includes Alfre Woodard, King regular William Sadler, Bill Camp, Pilou Asbæk and Makenzie Leigh. And Dauberman and his collaborators (including “The Conjuring” mastermind James Wan) do stage some nifty set pieces, like a climactic vampire battle at the local drive-in (the story’s 1970’s setting is mercifully maintained). This will get you some much-needed, pre-Halloween thrills. Boo! – Drew Taylor

“Didi”

Peacock – Oct. 4

This coming-of-age dramedy first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year where it received rapturous reviews. Written and directed by Sean Wang, the film is an irreverent ode to first-generation teenagers, set in the Bay Area in 2008 and following a 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy, played by Izaac Wang (“Good Boys,” Disney’s “Raya and the Last Dragon”). – Adam Chitwood

“It’s What’s Inside”

Netflix – Oct. 4

“It’s What’s Inside,” which premiered during the midnight line-up at Sundance in January and was promptly snapped by up Netflix for $17 million (the largest deal made at this year’s festival), follows a group of kids (Brittany O’Grady, James Morosini, Gavin Leatherwood, Nina Bloomgarden, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Reina Hardesty, Devon Terrell, David W. Thompson, and Madison Davenport) who play a game that ends up with them switching bodies. You know, that old chestnut. It looks to channel some of the freewheeling, slightly demonic fun of “Talk to Me” and “Ready or Not,” with the Gen Z bite of “Bodies Bodies Bodies” and the body-swapping hijinks of any 1980’s comedy (“Vice Versa,” “Like Father Like Son,” “18 Again,” etc.) The trailer is very engaging and people had a blast with the movie at the festivals. Can’t wait to get a group together and watch this one ourselves. – Drew Taylor

“Bad Boys: Ride or Die”

Netflix – Oct. 8

Yes, it is a huge tragedy that the third film already used the title “Bad Boys for Life,” since that would make the perfect title for the fourth movie. But here we are. “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” sees the franchise, which began way back in 1995 with Michael Bay’s directorial debut (!), veer into “Fast and Furious” territory, with a convoluted storyline that sees Will Smith’s character’s estranged son Armando (Jacob Scipio), introduced in the last film, take center stage. You see, Smith and Martin Lawrence’s Miami cops are being framed. And they have to stay alive and untangle the mystery while doing so. It’s a nifty concept, with the two old friends and partners both bickering with and alongside the younger character. And it allows directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, who also directed the third film, just enough narrative framework to stage big action set pieces like a plane crash and a shootout in a Day-Glo art exhibit and a climactic showdown in a derelict alligator farm, with a kind of reckless abandon. This might not be anything revolutionary (it’s the fourth “Bad Boys” movie for crying out loud) but it is fitfully entertaining, a gleefully violent and profane big budget adventure that ticks all the boxes and gets the job done, something that precious few Hollywood films can actually say. Bring on movie #5. – Drew Taylor

“Caddo Lake”

Max – Oct. 10

Celine Held and Logan George, filmmakers who focused their attention on a young mother and her child living underneath New York City in their debut feature “Topside,” return to profile another marginalized community in “Caddo Lake,” this time adding a lovely genre layer onto what would otherwise be a compelling-enough character piece. “Caddo Lake” follows the path of parallel narratives – in one, a young roughneck oil worker (Dylan O’Brien) searching for answers surrounding his mother’s tragic death; in the other a girl (Eliza Scanlen) frantically searches for her missing half-sister. Both are part of the rural bayou community of Caddo Lake, where you travel by boat to get around and everybody knows everybody else’s business. How the storylines intersect and what happens after is half the fun of “Caddo Lake,” so the less we’re saying about the actual plot, the better. But do know that there is something mysterious – perhaps supernatural – about the lake. And know that M. Night Shyamalan, one of our modern masters of suspense, is a producer, so you’ll probably be on the edge of your seat for most of the runtime. Even stranger than what happens in the movie is the fact that “Caddo Lake,” full of empathy for its characters and ending on an unexpectedly powerful emotional note, is headed straight to Max, where it could easily be forgotten amid the tidal wave of Halloween-centered programming. This deserves more – it’s very special, indeed. Don’t miss a trip to “Caddo Lake.” You won’t regret it. – Drew Taylor

“Mr. Crocket”

Hulu – Oct. 11

As it turns out, Hulu’s “Bite Size Halloween” short film collections were more of an incubator for future feature films as much as they were showcases for up-and-coming genre talent. One of the 2022’s crop of shorts, “Mr. Crocket,” is now getting the feature film treatment. The original short’s director, Brandon Espy, returns to co-write (with Carl Reid) and direct the feature version, which follows a young mother who looks to retrieve her child from a demonic kids’ show host (the titular Mr. Crocket, played by Elvis Nasco). The movie features creatures and characters designed by illustrator Alex Pardee, and recently played Austin, Texas’ premiere genre film festival Fantastic Fest, where it received an enthusiastic response. (One of Pardee’s creations crept down the red carpet.) This is one of the biggest original horror films for this Halloween. Just be sure to keep an eye on your kids. You’ve got to be careful when Mr. Crocket is around. – Drew Taylor 

“The Three Musketeers – Part I: D’Artagnan and Part II: Milady”

Hulu – Oct. 15

In 2023, a two-part adaptation of French author Alexandre Dumas’ classic “The Three Musketeers” was released in Europe. Now, the movies are finally streaming in America. This international coproduction (financed by France, Germany, Spain and Belgium) was a critical and commercial smash, with a sensational cast that includes François Civil, Vincent Cassel, Romain Duris, Eva Green, Vicky Krieps and Pio Marmaï and cinematography by early Denis Villeneuve collaborator Nicolas Bolduc. (By contrast, the last time we got a “Three Musketeers” movie, it was directed by the guy who made “Resident Evil,” featured more hammy acting than several days’ worth of soap operas, and featured a number of blimp battles.) “The Three Musketeers – Part I: D’Artagnan” and “The Three Musketeers – Part II: Milady” – all for one and one for all! – Drew Taylor

“Brothers”

Prime Video – Oct. 17

There’s plenty of reasons to get excited about “Brothers.” The film stars Josh Brolin as a reformed (mostly) criminal, whose attempts at a normal life are wildly derailed when he reunites with his twin brother (Peter Dinklage) for a cross-country road trip. Their destination? A big-time score. According to the official synopsis, the pair will be “dodging bullets, the law and an overbearing mother along the way, they must heal their severed family bond before they end up killing each other.” Other reasons to get pumped? The movie also stars Brendan Fraser, Marisa Tomei, Taylour Paige (who starred with Dinklage in the as-yet-unreleased “Toxic Avenger” remake), Glenn Close and M. Emmett Walsh (in his final film performance). Plus, the movie’s script was written by the great Macon Blair (“I Don’t Feel at Home in the World Anymore,” the aforementioned “Toxic Avenger” remake) and directed by Max Barbakow. This is the follow-up to Barbakow’s directorial debut, the wonderful “Palm Springs.” And honestly, we need a “Twins”-style comedy in the world. It’s been too long. – Drew Taylor

“MaXXXine”

Max – Oct. 18

Ti West’s ”X” trilogy concludes in typically gonzo, gory fashion. 2022’s “X” was a new horror classic, following a group of charming pornographers (led by Mia Goth’s Maxine Minx) as they attempted to film a smutty movie in a Texas farmhouse sometimes in the 1970’s. (Of course, the farmhouse turned out to be owned by a couple of murderous old coots.) “Pearl,” also released in 2022, focused on the title character (also played by Goth), as her taste for blood developed around World War I. Now, with the third film, the aesthetic particulars have shifted from “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” grindhouse movie to sparkly Technicolor musical to, now, grimy 1980’s direct-to-video slasher movie. In “MaXXXine,” our title character has survived the carnage in Texas and taken to working as an adult actress in the Los Angeles underground. She strives for legitimacy, landing a role in a mainstream horror movie, just as the demons of her past start to show themselves in increasingly brutal ways. While “MaXXXine” wasn’t as lovingly received as the earlier chapters of the saga, it still feels like a fine ending to the unexpected trilogy (A24’s first horror franchise), full of sex and blood and banging soundtrack cuts (Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s “Welcome to the Pleasuredome” is a particular highlight). Kevin Bacon shows up as a sleazy private detective, there’s a chase through the Universal backlot (including the “Psycho” house) and somebody gets murdered in a video store. What more do you want? – Drew Taylor

“Woman of the Hour”

Netflix – Oct. 18

In 1978 a real-life serial killer, Rodney Alcala, appeared on kitschy game show “The Dating Game.” He was in the middle of his murder spree (he was eventually sentenced for five deaths, implicated in two more, but could have killed more than 100 people) and got chosen by one of the contestants. Thankfully, she never went on the date. Could she have been his next victim? “Woman of the Hour,” based on a Black List screenplay called “Rodney and Sheryl,” is directed and produced by its star Anna Kendrick. When the movie premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last fall, it was an immediate sensation. Netflix, which had developed an earlier version of the movie, reacquired the film. And now we all get to squirm on our couches. Kendrick plays the potentially doomed “Dating Game” contestant and Daniel Zovatto is the murderer. And even if you’ve seen one of the countless true crime documentaries on the subject matter, “Woman of the Hour” feels like it will bring a fresh perspective to the situation. We can’t wait to see what Kendrick does with the material. We’re sure it’s absolutely killer. – Drew Taylor

“Canary Black”

Oct. 24 – Prime Video

Kate Beckinsale plays a tough-as-nails CIA agent working overseas, whose husband is kidnapped, forcing her into a compromising situation. She’s forced to steal a secret document (the titular “Canary Black”) from the agency’s hard drive; otherwise, her civilian sweetie will be killed. And honestly, “Canary Black” looks like a ton of fun – it’s got a pleasingly all-star supporting cast that includes Rupert Friend, Saffron Burrows, Goran Kostić and one of the final performances from the late, great Ray Stevenson; it was shot by legendary French cinematographer Thierry Arbogast; and it was directed by Pierre Morel, a protégé of Luc Besson’s and the filmmaker behind the first “Taken” film. Honestly, we’ll probably never get another “Atomic Blonde” movie. Might as well enjoy what comes our way instead. – Drew Taylor

“Don’t Move”

Netflix – Oct. 25

“Don’t Move” really is the stuff of nightmares. Kelsey Asbille, of “Yellowstone” fame, plays a young woman grappling with the death of her young son. While on a hike where she contemplates taking her own life, she is injected by a paralytic agent by a serial killer (Finn Wittrock from “American Horror Story”). He tells her that she’ll have minutes, then maybe a few seconds, to actually move her body. Then it’ll shut down. Not only can she not run away; she can’t even scream for help. Pretty wild right? Adam Schindler and Brian Netto brilliantly direct from a white knuckler of a script by T.J. Cimfel and David White. And the relatively young team has a genre juggernaut in their corner, with actual legend Sam Raimi producing. It’s the kind of movie that so fully puts you in Asbille’s shoes that you can’t help but spend the entire run time wondering what you would do in a similar situation. Not excessively gory or profane, “Don’t Move” is just a simple thriller that will make your skin crawl, in the best possible way. Don’t miss it. – Drew Taylor

“Trap”

Max – Oct. 25

M. Night Shyamalan returns with one of his oddest and most endearing movies ever. “Trap” follows Cooper (Josh Hartnett) as he takes his young daughter to a concert put on by her favorite artist Lady Raven (Saleka Night Shyamalan). What Cooper doesn’t know is that the concert is an elaborate ruse to catch a notorious serial killer only known as The Butcher. You see, Cooper is The Butcher. And he’s going to squirm. (This is all revealed in the first trailer, don’t worry, we’re not spoiling anything.) From that simple premise, Shyamalan spins an appropriately knotty web for Cooper, as he tries to escape detection – of both the police and his young daughter, who he clearly loves. (Hayley Mills, a veteran of “The Parent Trap,” shows up here as a dogged FBI profiler. She’s trying to trap a parent. Get it?) Sure, it’s occasionally quite silly, but Shyamalan keeps things fun and taut, with gorgeous cinematography by Sayombhu Mukdeeprom and some nifty songs by his daughter as Lady Raven. Does the whole thing hang together? Mostly! Could it have benefitted from an R-rating? Absolutely! (One of Shyamalan’s heroes is clearly Jonathan Demme and this feels like a feature-length version of Lecter’s escape in “The Silence of the Lambs.”) But it’s undeniably wonderful that Shyamalan is still out here, making weird little movies that he bankrolls himself and that always turn a profit. And honestly, we’d love to see the filmmaker return to these characters years down the line, like he did with “Unbreakable.” But you know what they say about nostalgia? It’s a trap. – Drew Taylor

“Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band”

Hulu – Oct 25

Is there such a thing as too many Bruce Springsteen documentaries? This one, which played at the Toronto International Film Festival last month, follows Springsteen and the E Street Band in the wake of the pandemic as they begin rehearsals for a return to live performances, offering an intimate look at the entire process. – Adam Chitwood

“The Exorcism”

Shudder – Oct. 30

Strange but true: Russell Crowe has starred in two exorcism movies in the past two years and they have both been really, really great. Last year he appeared in “The Pope’s Exorcist” (to be clear, he was working for the pope, he wasn’t exorcizing the pope), a gonzo, 1980’s-set chiller based on actual events. This year he shows up in “The Exoricsm,” which was written and directed by Joshua John Miller, whose father Jason Miller played Father Karras in William Friedkin’s immortal “The Exorcist.” (He also appeared briefly in the wonderful, underrated “The Exorcist III.”) In this new film Crowe plays Miller’s stand-in, an actor dealing with substance abuse problems and a tenuous relationship with his child (in this case a daughter played by Ryan Simpkins). “The Exorcism” is, as you can tell, both autobiographical and wildly metatextual, with the movie folding in on itself, becoming a terrifying look at how, to create great art, sometimes you have to feel a little possessed. The movie’s outrageously great supporting cast includes Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg, Adrian Pasdar, David Hyde Pierce and Samantha Mathis. When it opened this summer, it was overlooked for the flashier, more cannily marketed “Longlegs.” But “The Exorcism” will have its day. It’s just waiting to be a cult sensation. – Drew Taylor

“Time Cut”

Netflix – Oct. 30

Remember “Totally Killer,” the Prime Video movie that starred Kiernan Shipka as a girl who travels back in time 35 years to stop a knife-wielding maniac from murdering her mom? Well, “Time Cut” is very similar. We’re talking very similar. Madison Bailey, a Netflix regular thanks to her work on “Outer Banks,” plays a girl who travels back in time 20 years to stop a knife-wielding maniac from murdering her sister. Both films are built around similar mechanics, with the time-traveling family member forging an emotional bond with their murdered loved one. And even the mask that the killer wears is nearly identical. Of course, while “Totally Killer” traded in 1980’s nostalgia, “Time Cut” instead leans heavily into early-aughts nostalgia, which is odd considering that, for those of us who lived through it, the time was aesthetically bland and not particularly memorable. Another big difference – “Totally Killer” was rated R, while “Time Cut” sticks with a more all-audiences PG-13. But hey, “Time Cut” does have a horror movie pedigree, with a script co-written by Michael Kennedy, who co-wrote 2020’s excellent “Freaky.” And Christopher Landon, who directed “Freaky” and the two “Happy Death Day” movies, produced. (Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer who was killed on the set of “Rust,” worked on this movie before tragically leaving to work on that western.) Listen, it’s a new horror movie with a great soundtrack, some charming performances and an almost unhealthy amount of nostalgia. You could do worse this Halloween. – Drew Taylor

“Despicable Me 4”

Netflix – Oct. 31

Who doesn’t want to spend Halloween with Gru (Steve Carell) and the gang? In “Despicable Me 4,” Gru and his family (Kristen Wiig, Miranda Cosgrove and the like) are put into witness protection, after running afoul of the villainous Frenchman Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell). This means that the very offbeat family finds themselves in a very cookie cutter suburban neighborhood. (Stephen Colbert and Chloe Fineman play their WASP-y neighbors.) While all of this is going on, some of the minions are endowed with superpowers for reasons that still aren’t entirely clear – one can fly, another is super strong, etc. And a young friend of Gru’s kids (Joey King), an aspiring super-villain, tries to lure Gru back into a life of crime. It’s a lot. But it’s also refreshing to watch an animated movie that is exclusively concerned with gags, as opposed to larger social issues or emotional stakes. This is purely silly stuff. And it works surprisingly well as such. In particular, there’s a karaoke dance number towards the end of the movie that will send your entire family into hysterics. You can’t keep a good villain (or minion for that matter) down. – Drew Taylor

“Practical Magic”

Max – Oct. 1

If “Agatha All Along” has you itching for witchy content, you can’t do much better than “Practical Magic.” Part rom-com, part autumnal delight, part witch-fest, the 1998 film stars Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock as sisters descended from a long line of witches who attempt to use their magic to destroy the evil spirit of an abusive boyfriend. The vibes are ever-present here, and the top-notch supporting cast includes Stockard Channing, Dianne Wiest, Aidan Quinn and Evan Rachel Wood.

“Psycho”

Netflix – Oct. 1

Alfred Hitchcock’s horror classic “Psycho” holds up tremendously well, 60 years after its release. about a woman (Janet Leigh) on the run who winds up at a nearly abandoned motel called the Bates Motel, where she crosses paths with its mild mannered owner Norman (Anthony Perkis). Then things get very bad. 60 years later, this one still terrifies. – Adam Chitwood

“You’re Next”

Netflix – Oct. 1

If you want to watch something that’s both scary and surprising, get thee to “You’re Next.” This 2011 slasher from filmmaker Adam Wingard – who would go on to direct the “Godzilla vs. Kong” movies – is a twist on both the slasher and home invasion genres. After opening with a shocking kill, the film moves into its main premise: an estranged family is gathering in a home, only to be attacked and killed off one-by-one by a group of assailants wearing creepy masks. We won’t spoil the further twists and turns but this one’s a blast. – Adam Chitwood

“Scream (2022)”

Netflix – Oct. 11

The “Scream” franchise got revitalized in 2022 from “Ready or Not” filmmakers Radio Silence, and while this new film doesn’t reach the heights of Wes Craven’s first two entries in the iconic slasher franchise, it’s a sharp and enjoyable return. The story is split between returning characters played by Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette and new characters played by Melissa Barrera, Jack Quaid and Jenna Ortega. When Ghostface returns to Woodsboro, both groups find themselves intertwined as twist upon twist unfurls with Radio Silence paying deep homage to the original “Scream” both in style and structure.

“A Quiet Place: Part II”

Netflix – Oct. 12

Another spooky season pick, “A Quiet Place: Part II” is John Krasinski’s bold sequel to his unique horror hit about a world overrun by aliens who hunt by sound. “Part II” picks up after the first film left off as Emily Blunt’s character is forced to care for her children alone, and she encounters a stranger played by Cillian Murphy who she’s not so certain she can trust. But what makes “Part II” really sing is Millicent Simmonds, who steps into a lead role here as she ventures out on her own into the dangerous landscape.

The post The 25 Best New Movies Streaming in October 2024 appeared first on TheWrap.

There’s a lot to consider, is what we’re saying, but if you pick one of the scary movies on this list we guarantee you’ll be satisfied.

“Abigail”

Streaming on Peacock

While this enjoyable spin on the vampire genre doesn’t quite match the perfection of their uproarious 2019 horror comedy, “Ready or Not,” co-directors Tyler Gillett, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin have once again assembled a crack cast fighting tooth and nail to survive the night in a spooky mansion. The premise: A “Reservoir Dogs”-esque team of criminals, whose names are not known to each other, have been assembled to kidnap a rich man’s daughter. The task is simply to watch the girl until the ransom is paid. Except it’s not quite that simple. Melissa Barrera (“Scream”)  Kathryn Newton (“Freaky”) and Dan Stevens (“The Guest”) are among the criminals, who slowly realize that their abductee is not the frightened little girl she appears to be, but a ruthless and cunning vampire. — Sharon Knolle

“Cobweb”

Streaming on Hulu

One of the best sleepers of last year was “Cobweb,” a there’s-something-in-the-crawl-space chiller that plays more like a dark fairy tale than a cheapo midnight movie. Woody Norman (the little kid from Mike Mills’ tremendous “C’Mon C’Mon”) starts to have dreams about a missing sibling hidden in the walls of his suburban home. His parents (a note-perfect Lizzy Caplan and Anthony Starr) are relentlessly cheery and insist that he’s simply imagining things, which is always a red flag. And his teacher (Cleopatra Coleman) suspects there’s trouble at home, which his parents strenuously deny. Of course, all things come to a bloody head, which is very satisfying. Samuel Bodin makes his directorial debut working from a Black List-approved script by Chris Thomas Devlin, creating an unnerving atmosphere full of dread and dark comedy. And the movie’s Halloween-time setting makes it a perfect movie to get you into the spirit. But “Cobweb” is like the cursed videotape in “The Ring” – you’ve got to show it to five people after you see it. That will insure it’s staple as a future cult classic. Let’s make it happen. – Drew Taylor

“Late Night With the Devil”

Streaming on Shudder

A once-popular ’70s late night talk show host Jack Delroy (the always terrific David Dastmalchian) tries an out-there stunt to boost his falling ratings: Invite a possessed girl on and have her channel the devil, live! The film from Cameron Cairnes and Colin Cairnes perfectly captures not only the bygone era to a tee, but expertly builds tension with minor glitches during the broadcast, which turn into a chaotic nightmare to rival that freakishly awful chimp attack in Jordan Peele’s “Nope.” – Sharon Knolle

“Suitable Flesh”

Streaming on Hulu

Joe Lynch’s tale of occult horror — which is based on an H.P. Lovecraft story — begins when psychiatrist Elizabeth Derby (an incredibly game Heather Graham) becomes obsessed with her troubled young male patient. He tells her an incredible story about being possessed by his late father’s spirit, which can’t possibly be true, can it? Oh yes, it is, we find out, as do Derby’s unsuspecting husband (Johnathon Schaech) and medical colleague (horror icon Barbara Crampton). It’s campy, silly, sexy, gory fun for the right kind of horror fan. – Sharon Knolle

“Immaculate”

Streaming on Hulu

In Michael Mohan’s spooky church horror “Immaculate,” Sydney Sweeney cloaks up as an American nun named Cecilia who joins a covenant in a remote area nestled in rural Italy. But the dark secrets of the holy manor come alive in the form of creepy disturbances and bloody chases that will leave you at the edge of your seat speechless. The film was written by Andrew Lobel and it stars Benedetta Porcaroli, Álvaro Morte, Simona Tabasco, Giulia Heatherfield and more. – Raquel “Rocky” Harris”

“The First Omen”

Streaming on Hulu

One of the best horror movies of the year is also one of the best movies of the year (period). Nell Tiger Free plays an American novitiate who journeys to Rome in the early 1970s. She’s working at orphanage, where she fears that one of the young girls might be part of an evil conspiracy within the church. If you’ve seen the original “Omen,” released back in 1976, then you probably know where this is headed, but it’s a testament to co-writer/director Arkasha Stevenson that she still provides some big surprises, including one of the more shocking moments in recent horror history. The movie has a lovely, 1970’s vibe and is clearly paying homage to the Italian horror movies from that period (there’s more than a little classic “Suspiria” cooked into its DNA), without ever being too reverential. If you were on the fence about this one – and, we get it, an “Omen” prequel released in 2024 is a dicey proposition – put those fears aside. “The First Omen” absolutely delivers. It’s a satanically good time. – Drew Taylor

“Saw X”

Streaming on Starz

For 20 years, James Wan and Leigh Whannell’s “Saw” franchise has been haunting viewers and while building a following of devout fans. It’s the very reason why the universe has continued to expand, with its latest addition being “Saw X.” In the 10th installment, John Kramer (Tobin Bell) is back, and he sets his sights on a group of scammers who have tricked thousands into investing in a fake medical procedure they claimed would cure even the most life-threatening illnesses. For Kramer, who is battling late-stage cancer, their plot cuts deep, but his revenge slices even deeper. The film, which was directed by Kevin Greutert, stars Bell, Synnøve Macody Lund, Shawnee Smith, Renata Vaca, Costas Mandylor and more. – Raquel “Rocky” Harris

“Sister Death”

Streaming on Netflix

Do we have too many “young nuns getting menaced by malevolent forces” movies on this list already? What’s one more? “Sister Death” ostensibly serves as the prequel to 2017’s based-on-a-true-story gem “Veronica.” This time the story is set in 1940s Spain, where a young nun attempts to uncover the truth at a convent that has been converted into a girls’ school following the Spanish Civil War. Co-writer/director Paco Plaza, returning from the original film, wisely uses the young nun’s experience as a metaphor for the tragedy and horror that Spain endured during the war, with the truth of that experience deepening the supernatural scares (and vice versa). It’s a remarkable, deeply scary piece of work and a worthy follow-up to the equally terrific “Veronica,” in some ways deepening that earlier film while it expands the lore of the franchise. Are you ready to meet “Sister Death?” – Drew Taylor

“Thanksgiving”

Streaming on Netflix

More than fifteen years later, Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino’s “Grindhouse” is still paying off dividends. As part of that double-feature experience, there were a series of trailers for fake movies that played as a kind of interstitial between films. One of those fake trailers, Rodriguez’s “Machete,” spawned two (!) movies. And Roth has finally come back around for “Thanksgiving,” his New England slasher movie. How could he resist? (The trailer version of “Thanksgiving” featured Michael Biehn, Jordan Ladd and Jay Hernandez; none of them returned for the feature-length version.) Roth clearly loves the holiday-themed slasher movie (among them: “My Bloody Valentine,” “Silent Night, Deadly Night” and, of course, “Halloween”) and tries to give Thanksgiving the same treatment, setting it in a town obsessed with the holiday (Plymouth, Massachusetts), that has just undergone a shared tragedy (a Black Friday sale gone bloodily wrong), with a masked killer, dressed like Mayflower pilgrim John Carver, seeking revenge. It’s all very straightforward, with Patrick Dempsey as the sheriff of the town and a very charming Nell Verlaque as our final girl. Of course, where the movie shines is in the elaborate murder sequences, with only a couple lifted directly from the original “Grindhouse” trailer. (There’s a parade float pile-up that is a particular favorite.) And with “Thanksgiving” Roth got something that he couldn’t even conjure with “Badlands” – an honest-to-goodness franchise. The sequel drops next year. Hopefully it’s not just lukewarm leftovers. – Drew Taylor

“The Pope’s Exorcist”

Streaming on Netflix

Earlier this year Russell Crowe starred in the meta horror movie “The Exorcism.” It is very good but not streaming yet (if that changes, we will update this list). A few months earlier, Crowe starred in another, even-better exorcism movie called “The Pope’s Exorcist.” And just to be clear, he is playing an exorcist that works for the Vatican, not someone who is exorcising the Pope (although that would be cool). Crowe plays Father Gabriele Amorth, a real-life exorcist for the Vatican (“The Exorcist” director William Friedkin made a so-so documentary about him a few years ago). In “The Pope’s Exorcist,” Amorth travels to Spain, to help a family that is being haunted by their new (old) house. The movie, it should be noted, is set in 1987 so you get shit like a cool scene set to The Cult’s “She Sells Sanctuary.” Australian director Julius Avery, who also helmed the underrated World War II zombie movie “Overlord” for J.J. Abrams (another great Halloween pick), knows how to mix the horror of the situation with some moments of transcendent comedy. And whatever Crowe is up to, with the accent and all, should be commended. There have been rumblings about a sequel, which would be outstanding and well-earned. We need more of Crowe’s Amorth stomping around and performing exorcisms. The sooner the better please. – Drew Taylor

“Apartment 7A”

Streaming on Paramount+

“Rosemary’s Baby” returns. Sort of. “Apartment 7A” traces the final months of Terry Gionoffrio (now played by the great Julia Garner), the woman who falls to her death in front of Guy and Rosemary Woodhouse in Roman Polanski’s 1968 original. As portrayed by Garner, she’s an ambitious dancer who injures her leg and is taken in by the kindly Minnie and Roman Castavet (Dianne Wiest and Kevin McNally taking over for Ruth Gordon and Sidney Blackmer). But, as we know, there’s more to the Bramford building than spacious New York apartments, and Terry starts to get the devilish vibe too. (Jim Sturgess inverts his natural charm as a menacing theater director and Bramford neighbor.) Garner is, as always, a powerhouse, and co-writer/director Natalie Erika James offers up classic thrills with more contemporary sensibilities, never indulging in unnecessary fan service or easy-to-spot Easter eggs. This would make a great double feature with “The First Omen” from earlier this year (that one is on Hulu). Be sure to check in to “Apartment 7A,” especially if you want some fresh spooky fun this Halloween. – Drew Taylor

“Trap”

Streaming on Max

M. Night Shyamalan returns with one of his oddest and most endearing movies ever. “Trap” follows Cooper (Josh Hartnett) as he takes his young daughter to a concert put on by her favorite artist Lady Raven (Saleka Night Shyamalan). What Cooper doesn’t know is that the concert is an elaborate ruse to catch a notorious serial killer only known as The Butcher. You see, Cooper is The Butcher. And he’s going to squirm. (This is all revealed in the first trailer, don’t worry, we’re not spoiling anything.) From that simple premise, Shyamalan spins an appropriately knotty web for Cooper, as he tries to escape detection – of both the police and his young daughter, who he clearly loves. (Hayley Mills, a veteran of “The Parent Trap,” shows up here as a dogged FBI profiler. She’s trying to trap a parent. Get it?) Sure, it’s occasionally quite silly, but Shyamalan keeps things fun and taut, with gorgeous cinematography by Sayombhu Mukdeeprom and some nifty songs by his daughter as Lady Raven. Does the whole thing hang together? Mostly! Could it have benefitted from an R-rating? Absolutely! (One of Shyamalan’s heroes is clearly Jonathan Demme and this feels like a feature-length version of Lecter’s escape in “The Silence of the Lambs.”) But it’s undeniably wonderful that Shyamalan is still out here, making weird little movies that he bankrolls himself and that always turn a profit. And honestly, we’d love to see the filmmaker return to these characters years down the line, like he did with “Unbreakable.” But you know what they say about nostalgia? It’s a trap. – Drew Taylor

“MaXXXine”

Streaming on Max

Ti West’s ”X” trilogy concludes in typically gonzo, gory fashion. 2022’s “X” was a new horror classic, following a group of charming pornographers (led by Mia Goth’s Maxine Minx) as they attempted to film a smutty movie in a Texas farmhouse sometimes in the 1970’s. (Of course, the farmhouse turned out to be owned by a couple of murderous old coots.) “Pearl,” also released in 2022, focused on the title character (also played by Goth), as her taste for blood developed around World War I. Now, with the third film, the aesthetic particulars have shifted from “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” grindhouse movie to sparkly Technicolor musical to, now, grimy 1980’s direct-to-video slasher movie. In “MaXXXine,” our title character has survived the carnage in Texas and taken to working as an adult actress in the Los Angeles underground. She strives for legitimacy, landing a role in a mainstream horror movie, just as the demons of her past start to show themselves in increasingly brutal ways. While “MaXXXine” wasn’t as lovingly received as the earlier chapters of the saga, it still feels like a fine ending to the unexpected trilogy (A24’s first horror franchise), full of sex and blood and banging soundtrack cuts (Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s “Welcome to the Pleasuredome” is a particular highlight). Kevin Bacon shows up as a sleazy private detective, there’s a chase through the Universal backlot (including the “Psycho” house) and somebody gets murdered in a video store. What more do you want? – Drew Taylor

“The Exorcism”

Streaming on Shudder

Strange but true: Russell Crowe has starred in two exorcism movies in the past two years and they have both been really, really great. Last year he appeared in “The Pope’s Exorcist” (to be clear, he was working for the pope, he wasn’t exorcizing the pope), a gonzo, 1980’s-set chiller based on actual events. This year he shows up in “The Exoricsm,” which was written and directed by Joshua John Miller, whose father Jason Miller played Father Karras in William Friedkin’s immortal “The Exorcist.” (He also appeared briefly in the wonderful, underrated “The Exorcist III.”) In this new film Crowe plays Miller’s stand-in, an actor dealing with substance abuse problems and a tenuous relationship with his child (in this case a daughter played by Ryan Simpkins). “The Exorcism” is, as you can tell, both autobiographical and wildly metatextual, with the movie folding in on itself, becoming a terrifying look at how, to create great art, sometimes you have to feel a little possessed. The movie’s outrageously great supporting cast includes Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg, Adrian Pasdar, David Hyde Pierce and Samantha Mathis. When it opened this summer, it was overlooked for the flashier, more cannily marketed “Longlegs.” But “The Exorcism” will have its day. It’s just waiting to be a cult sensation. – Drew Taylor

“Don’t Move”

Streaming on Netflix

“Don’t Move” really is the stuff of nightmares. Kelsey Asbille, of “Yellowstone” fame, plays a young woman grappling with the death of her young son. While on a hike where she contemplates taking her own life, she is injected by a paralytic agent by a serial killer (Finn Wittrock from “American Horror Story”). He tells her that she’ll have minutes, then maybe a few seconds, to actually move her body. Then it’ll shut down. Not only can she not run away; she can’t even scream for help. Pretty wild right? Adam Schindler and Brian Netto brilliantly direct from a white knuckler of a script by T.J. Cimfel and David White. And the relatively young team has a genre juggernaut in their corner, with actual legend Sam Raimi producing. It’s the kind of movie that so fully puts you in Asbille’s shoes that you can’t help but spend the entire run time wondering what you would do in a similar situation. Not excessively gory or profane, “Don’t Move” is just a simple thriller that will make your skin crawl, in the best possible way. Don’t miss it. – Drew Taylor

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