With winter slowly creeping in and the prospect of a renewed lockdown, many of us will be turning to Netflix to keep us occupied in October. Luckily, there’s quite a bit of new content coming to the popular streaming service next month.
From TV series to movies and classics to brand new releases, there’s good variety. Halloween season is also approaching and Netflix have generously included some great horror choices too, which we think are a staple of this month’s selection. Of course, with Netflix, masses of choice can lead to hours spent endlessly scrolling trying to find that one thing that tickles your fancy. And there’s nothing worse than investing your time and accidentally choosing a dud. Gone are the days when ‘Netflix Original’ was a sign of quality. Life’s too short to find yourself watching Fatal Affair – trust me.
We have scoured the upcoming Netflix releases for October to find the five best things to watch so you don’t have to. Check out our list below:
Apollo 13 – Release Date: TBD October
A classic that should have been added years ago, Apollo 13 is a 1995 space docudrama directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks. Based on astronaut Jim Lovell’s 1994 book Lost Moon, the movie tells the story of him and his crew’s perilous experience as part of the aborted 1970 Apollo 13 lunar mission.
In the movie, Lovell (Tom Hanks) and fellow astronauts Jack Swigert (Kevin Bacon) and Fred Haise (Bill Paxton), face the impossible task of finding their way back to Earth after one of the liquid oxygen tanks on their ship explodes three days into their mission. Lovell struggles with the loss of his dream of walking on the moon and the men must put their disputes aside to make sure they get home safely.
It’s an incredibly dramatic film that highlights the perils of the space race that dominated the mid-to-late 20th century. The simple thought of being in the shoes of those men – floating through space with the real possibility of never returning home – is enough to give anyone chills. The film received critical acclaim upon its release and was nominated for nine Academy Awards. Apollo 13 is not one to miss.
His House – Release Date: 30th October
Information about this upcoming horror/thriller is scarce. I couldn’t even find a trailer (EDIT 02/10: a trailer has since been released and can be viewed below). But boy, does its synopsis sound intriguing and truly original for a genre full of exhausted tropes.
Remi Weekes (in his biggest directorial effort to date) helms this tale of a refugee couple (played by Wunmi Mosaku and Sope Dirisu) who, after a traumatic escape from South Sudan, settle in an alien English town. As they struggle to adjust to their new life in England, it becomes apparent that an evil is lying just beneath the surface of their new home. Matt Smith (of Doctor Who and The Crown) also stars.
The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival back in January. Initial reviews, while few, have been strong – His House currently holds 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Praise has been given to the acting and the successful blending of classical horror imagery with the real-world terror of a third world conflict zone.
Beyond the Mat – Release Date: 1st October
Wrestling legend Roddy Piper called Barry W. Blaustein’s Beyond the Mat “the best documentary ever made on professional wrestling.” This 1999 film is a must-watch – whether you are a lifelong fan or complete newcomer. It provides a riveting portrayal of pro wrestling in its 90s hey-day and takes an in-depth look behind the curtain.
Beyond the Mat primarily focusses on popular wrestling figures Mick Foley, Terry Funk and Jake Roberts in a fascinating showcase of wrestlers at varying stages in their careers. Controversies around these performers form a central part of the film, be it dangerous and gruesome matches, a series of short-lived retirements or a difficult battle with addiction. As a result, watching Beyond the Mat some twenty plus years later is all the more impactful. With such a large amount of time having passed, it’s fascinating to see how decisions they made then, and the wrestling world in general, effects them even now. Not only that, but what was originally quite depressing can now be seen to have had a happy ending.
In addition to the three primary profiles, Blaustein offers insight into the minds of up and coming wrestlers – what inspired them to get into the business and what drives them to succeed. Beyond the Mat is also Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s first film appearance – perfectly illustrating how the wrestling industry launched him into worldwide super stardom. With a Rotten Tomatoes score of 82% and the fact that WWE mogul Vince McMahon did everything to distance his company from the film, it’s undoubtedly a worthy addition to Netflix’s extensive library of great documentaries.
The Conjuring – Release Date: 1st October
Perhaps one of the best mainstream horror films of the past decade, 2013’s The Conjuring is another Netflix must watch this October. Whether you have seen it before or not, James Wan’s supernatural terror-fest is guaranteed to deliver the scares as it adapts the real-life experiences of paranormal investigators Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorrain Warren (Vera Farmiga).
In the movie, the Warren’s travel to Rhode Island in 1971 to assist the Perron family who are experiencing increasingly disturbing events at their isolated farmhouse. James Wan, fresh off his other breakout horror film Insidious (2010), does a fantastic job of creating terror and dread using old-school horror techniques and minimal use of digital effects.
The success of The Conjuring spawned a whole cinematic universe (as every successful film must do these days) with a total of seven films thus far and three more in the works. Admittedly, the quality hasn’t always to the level of The Conjuring (and often significantly less so), but for lovers of horror this film can open the door to many more hours of scare-filled viewing.
The Haunting of Bly Manor – Release Date: 9th October
Perhaps one of the most hotly anticipated TV series of the year, The Haunting of Bly Manor is the follow-up to 2018’s wildly successful Haunting of Hill House. Mike Flanagan, who’s previously directed some pretty great horror movies (Oculus, Ouija: Origin of Evil, and the massively underrated The Shining sequel, Doctor Sleep) is back at the helm and promises a terrifying adaption of Henry James’ 1898 horror classic The Turn of the Screw.
The return of a haunted house setting isn’t the only recurring element from the previous series – some of the cast are back, too. The fantastic Victoria Pedretti (Nell Crain from last series) returns, as does Oliver Jackson-Cohen (Luke Crain) and Kate Siegel (Theo Crain). Mike Flanagan’s series is clearly shaping up to be in a similar vain to American Horror Story. Let’s hope the quality is more consistent, though.
Nine episodes are confirmed and Bly Manor looks to be the essential horror binge-watch of the season. If this series comes even close to replicating the accomplishments of the last one, then it will surely be worth a watch. The Turn of the Screw has been adapted many times in its 120+ year history to varying degrees of success. Fingers crossed this one lives up to the hype.
Honourable Mention – Line of Duty Season 5 – Release Date: 5th October
The wildly popular British police procedural drama from the BBC and Jed Mercurio finally gets its long-awaited Netflix debut next month. For British audiences, it’s been available on BBC iPlayer since its initial release, but there will be some who have missed it. In the series, AC-12 – made up of DS Steve Arnott (Martin Compston), DI Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) and Superintendent Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar) – investigate corrupt cop John Corbett (the brilliant Stephen Graham) and his role in a criminal conspiracy.
Let us know what else you are looking forward to in the comments below!
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