The must-watch title on every major streamer this October
The must-watch title on every major streamer this October
It’s the Halloween edition with picks that run the gamut from funny to spooky to downright terrifying.
Fall is in the air. Well, not where I live where it’s perpetual summer. But I can still get into the spirit of things with a hot cup of cocoa (or maybe an iced cocoa aka chocolate milk?), a few thick sweaters inside my air-conditioned home, and (most importantly)… Halloween movies and TV shows! You’ll find plenty of those on this October streaming list, and they run the gamut from spooky to terrifying to (hopefully) hilarious. So, here’s one movie or TV show I’m most excited to watch this October for every major streamer.
Top title on each streamer for the month of October 2026:
‘VisionQuest’ | Series | Disney+
I’m not a huge superhero guy, but “VisionQuest” sounds more like a sci-fi thriller than the typical fare. Picking up after “WandaVision,” Paul Bettany is back as Vision, and he’s in hiding after he was rebooted. But he’s got all these different AI personalities inside him (including J.A.R.V.I.S., F.R.I.D.A.Y., and James Spader’s Ultron), so he’s consulting those internally to try and figure out who he really is.
Add a bounty on his head that sends him on the run alongside Thomas Shepard (who might be his son reincarnated?) and you’ve got a weird, sci-fi premise wrapped in a superhero costume. If this sounds like your speed, check it out when it premieres on Wednesday, Oct. 14.
VisionQuest
With a bounty on his head, Vision must confront his nature and resist Ultron’s influence to survive.
‘The Invite’ | Movie | HBO Max
If I didn’t have a back injury that’s keeping me from sitting in a movie theater seat, I would have seen “The Invite” already. But luckily for me, it drops on HBO Max Friday, Oct. 23, and we’re all invited (had to)! The movie stars Seth Rogen and Olivia Wilde as Joe and Angela.
Their marriage is on the rocks, and when they invite the strange couple upstairs (Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton) over for dinner, things get weird. I’m not exactly sure what kind of weird, but I’m super excited to find out. Wilde directs with a script from Rashida Jones and Will McCormack.
The Invite
Joe and Angela’s marriage is on thin ice. When they invite their enigmatic upstairs neighbors for a dinner party, the night spirals into unexpected places. Have they reignited the spark or lit the match that burns it all down?
‘Crystal Lake’ | Series | Peacock
The best thing about “Crystal Lake” is that I can actually watch it. See, Jason from the “Friday the 13th” movies doesn’t terrify me. Sure, he can give me a good spook, but not blood-curdling nightmare fuel (which I tend to avoid).
Plus, I really love Linda Cardellini, who’s playing Pamela Voorhees in this prequel series. It starts with young Jason drowning at Camp Crystal Lake and follows the aftermath as his mother spirals into the woman who kicks this entire violent franchise off. And it’s a binge drop, with all eight episodes hitting Peacock on Thursday, Oct. 15 for a little Halloween gift.
Crystal Lake
Single mother Pam Voorhees has been unable to shake her grief after her young, sickly son Jason tragically drowned in the town lake almost a year before. When two strangers arrive at Pam’s door digging into her past, a disturbing chain of events is set into motion, leaving the townspeople of Crystal Lake wondering: just who is Pam Voorhees?
‘Nocturne’ | Series | Apple TV
I always have time for a dark detective show (I read them voraciously too), and “Nocturne” sounds made for me. Based on Lars Kepler’s bestselling Joona Linna books (these I haven’t read), the show follows Jonah Lynn (Liev Schreiber), a detective who moves to a small Pennsylvania town for some peace and quiet.
What he gets is a serial killer, played by Stephen Graham, and he teams up with FBI agent Saga Bauer, played by Zazie Beetz, to try and hunt him down. This one will be a weekly drop, with the first two eps landing on Apple TV on Friday, Oct. 30 — the perfect Halloween warm-up before the real thing.
Nocturne
When a victim of notorious serial killer Jurek Walter unexpectedly turns up alive, detective Jonah Lynn races against time to find the one person still missing, while his protégé Saga Bauer goes undercover to get answers from the killer himself.
‘Hokum’ | Movie | Hulu
It takes a lot for me to watch a straight-up horror movie, but Adam Scott is one reason I’d do it. Which is why I’m perversely excited for “Hokum” to land on Hulu on Saturday, Oct. 10. He plays a novelist who heads to a remote inn in Ireland to scatter his parents’ ashes, then starts hearing stories about an ancient witch haunting the honeymoon suite. Soon he’s seeing disturbing things himself and gets pulled into the mystery of a disappearance.
I like the mystery side, but there’s a good chance I’ll have to close my eyes for big chunks of this as it comes from Damian McCarthy, who did both “Oddity” and “Caveat.” That’s nightmare fuel, but Scott in this kind of role is too interesting for me to pass up.
Hokum
When novelist Ohm Bauman retreats to a remote inn to scatter his parents’ ashes, he is consumed by tales of a witch haunting the honeymoon suite. Disturbing visions and a shocking disappearance forces him to confront dark corners of his past.
‘Below’ | Series | Netflix
I’ll watch Josh Hartnett do just about anything. And that definitely includes fighting a terrifying sea monster that’s attacking his boat in “Below.” Hartnett is a big nostalgia draw for me, as he was in a few big movies that I remember vividly as a teenager, including “The Faculty” and “Lucky Number Slevin.”
In this series, he’s a fisherman with a big underwater problem on his hands, along with a son who comes down with some strange symptoms. It’s like a creature feature, family drama, and mystery box rolled into one TV series that drops all six eps on Thursday, Oct. 8.
Below
When a mysterious sea creature terrorizes a small Newfoundland town, a hard-bitten fisherman and his family fight to protect their close-knit community.
‘The James Bond’ franchise | Movies | Prime Video
The number of times I’ve tried to watch a “James Bond” movie, only to have to either 1) rent it or 2) subscribe to a new service to get it? More times than I’d like to admit. Now, you may have thoughts on Amazon’s shared creative control of the world’s most famous spy, but there’s one definite upside: the ENTIRE “James Bond” movie collection lands on Prime Video on Thursday, Oct. 1.
That includes every movie from every actor (Daniel Craig is my favorite, and “Casino Royale” is his best) from every generation. Plus, a walk (sprint? High-speed chase?) down memory lane is the perfect way to prepare for the official James Bond casting news that’s finally getting down to the wire.
James Bond Movies
The James Bond Collection is a legendary spy film series based on Ian Fleming’s novels, following MI6 agent 007, James Bond, as he takes on global threats with style, gadgets, and charm. Produced by EON Productions, the franchise spans 25 official films (1962–2021) and has featured six actors, from Sean Connery to Daniel Craig. Known for its thrilling action, iconic villains, Bond girls, and unforgettable theme songs, the series remains a cornerstone of the spy genre. With espionage, luxury cars, and shaken-not-stirred martinis, Bond continues to captivate audiences worldwide.
‘Eternally Yours’ | Series | Paramount+
It was only a matter of time before “Ghosts” creators Joe Port and Joe Wiseman took on another supernatural comedy series. And this time it’s vampires, just in time for Halloween! “Eternally Yours” stars Ed Weeks and Allegra Edwards as Charles and Liz, vampires living in present-day Seattle whose marriage has fallen into a serious rut.
Things get worse when their daughter brings home her very human boyfriend… how is that going to work? Watch to find out when it premieres on Thursday, Oct. 8 on CBS and Paramount+ Premium, or the next day for all Paramount+ subscribers.
Eternally Yours
Charles and Liz are a charming, married 500-year-old vampire couple whose relationship has survived centuries because, as vampires, divorce isn’t exactly an option. Together, they navigate modern society and their daughter dating a human.
‘Ludwig’ Season 2 | Series | BritBox
Yes, another detective show, but this one has a decidedly lighter tone. “Ludwig” is back with Season 2, and this time John “Ludwig” Taylor (David Mitchell) — a brilliant puzzle setter — is now officially working with the police to crack impossible crimes.
That means he can stop pretending to be his detective twin brother and just do the darn thing. But the pull is still the same… his brother is missing, and he and Lucy (Anna Maxwell Martin) are still trying to find him. Season 2 premieres Tuesday, Oct. 13 on BritBox, with new eps dropping weekly.
Ludwig
John Taylor lives in quiet solitude, designing puzzles for a living, under the nom-de-plume of ‘Ludwig’. When his identical twin, James, disappears off the face of the earth, John takes over his brother’s identity in a quest to discover his whereabouts.