Here鈥檚 a look at some of the standout TV series and films debuting on subscription streaming platforms in October:
鈥淭he Peripheral鈥�
In a small town set in the near future, a young woman played by Chlo毛 Grace Moretz plugs into the beta test of a virtual reality headset on the advice of her brother. She hopes to make an extra buck to support her family by wandering the streets of a futuristic London. But she soon discovers that not everything in the cyber world is artificial and the online world she inhabits might be a portal to a real future.
Based on William Gibson鈥檚 2014 science-fiction novel, 鈥淭he Peripheral鈥� is a slick, intense and violent eight-episode series from 鈥淲estworld鈥� creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy. (Prime Video, Oct. 21, episodes weekly)
鈥淭he Midnight Club鈥�
At a hospice for the terminally ill, eight teenage patients gather each night to tell scary stories. But long-held secrets linger in the shadows of the facilities, including the mysterious death of a former patient. One night, the friends make a promise that the next of them to die will make contact with the others from beyond the grave. But even before that happens, the group faces the possibility that somebody is already lurking in the afterlife.
Christopher Pike鈥檚 1994 teen horror novel is adapted into a 10-episode thriller packed with eerie scenery and plenty of jump scares from the mind of Mike Flanagan, best known for Netflix鈥檚 鈥淭he Haunting of Hill House鈥� and 鈥淢idnight Mass.鈥� (Netflix, Oct. 7)
Horror Movies
A terrifyingly eclectic selection of spooky films and TV series are headed to streaming platforms for Halloween. Horror platform Shudder explores the colourful LGBTQ history that runs throughout the genre with the docuseries 鈥淨ueer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror鈥� (now available, new episodes weekly), while anthology film 鈥淰/H/S/99鈥� becomes the fifth instalment in the franchise that features found footage of supernatural incidents (Shudder, Oct. 20). Disney Plus invites the whole family around the cauldron with 鈥淗ocus Pocus 2鈥� (Sept. 30).
The Criterion Channel journeys into the vaults with three film collections that all debut Oct. 1. Its 鈥溾��80s Horror鈥� lineup compiles dozens of modern classics from famed auteurs, including Michael Mann鈥檚 鈥淭he Keep,鈥� Paul Schrader鈥檚 鈥淐at People鈥� and Kathryn Bigelow鈥檚 鈥淣ear Dark,鈥� while nine films comprise the 鈥淯niversal Horror Classics鈥� batch of monster movies of the 1930s. And fans of the undead can sink their teeth into 鈥淰ampires,鈥� a bundle that includes the glam eroticism of 1971鈥檚 鈥淒aughters of Darkness,鈥� 1972 blaxploitation favourite 鈥淏lacula鈥� and Canadian-made 1995 dark comedy 鈥淏lood & Donuts.鈥�
鈥淭he White Lotus鈥�
Mike White鈥檚 Hawaii-set social satire 鈥淭he White Lotus鈥� transfixed viewers and critics alike. With its second season, the creator takes the story to Sicily where another branch of the White Lotus resort welcomes a new cast of vacationers, including characters played by Aubrey Plaza, F. Murray Abraham and returning favourite Jennifer Coolidge from the first season. While the plotline has been kept mostly under wraps, expectations are high for plot surprises and top-notch performances, especially since the first season racked up 10 Emmy Awards in September. (Crave, Oct. 30, episodes weekly)
ALSO THIS MONTH:
鈥淩eboot鈥� - Amid the streaming boom, the washed-up cast of an early 2000s family sitcom is rehired for a revival that quickly goes awry. Starring Judy Greer and Keegan-Michael Key. (Disney Plus, now available, episodes weekly)
鈥淪aloum鈥� - A trio of mercenaries wind up in a world of trouble when they鈥檙e forced to make an emergency plane landing in this action-horror-thriller mashup. (Shudder, now available)
鈥淐atherine Called Birdy鈥� - Lena Dunham directs the tale of a teenager in medieval times who rebels against her father鈥檚 matchmaking plans. (Prime Video, Oct. 7)
鈥淭he Mole鈥� - Twenty years after it premiered on ABC, the competition series returns for a three-week showdown. Contestants earn money for a $1-million pot only one can win, while a traitor lurks to throw a wrench in the plan. (Netflix, Oct. 7)
鈥淭he Raccoons鈥� - A digitally restored version of the beloved 1980s Canadian prime-time animated series arrives on streaming for the first time. (Crave, Oct. 8)
鈥淭he Playlist鈥� 鈥� The rise of Daniel Ek, the Swedish entrepreneur who helped forever change the music industry with the creation of his streaming service Spotify, is told in a dramatic limited series. (Netflix, Oct. 13)
鈥淕uillermo Del Toro鈥檚 Cabinet of Curiosities鈥� 鈥� As host of his own anthology series, the director of 鈥淧an鈥檚 Labyrinth鈥� channels Alfred Hitchcock as he introduces eight tales of horror by filmmakers who include Canadian directors Panos Cosmatos, known for Nic Cage thriller 鈥淢andy鈥� and Vincenzo Natali, who rose to fame with sci-fi yarn 鈥淐ube.鈥� (Netflix, Oct. 25)
鈥淭he Good Nurse鈥� - Jessica Chastain is a nurse who fears patients are dying at the hands of her new colleague, played by Eddie Redmayne. (Netflix, Oct. 26)
鈥淎ll Quiet on the Western Front鈥� 鈥� A brutal retelling of Erich Maria Remarque鈥檚 1929 novel surrounding German soldiers near the end of the First World War. (Netflix, Oct. 28)
鈥淗igh School鈥� - Tegan and Sara鈥檚 semi-autobiographical series about the musicians鈥� teenage years in Calgary. (Prime Video, Oct. 28)
RETURNING SHOWS: Netflix marches out fresh seasons of its coming-of-age comedy 鈥淒erry Girls鈥� (Oct. 7), adult-animated oddity 鈥淏ig Mouth鈥� (Oct. 28) and Asian-American reality show 鈥淏ling Empire鈥� (Oct. 5). This month also marks the return of dating competition 鈥淟ove is Blind鈥� (Oct. 19), baking showdown 鈥淣ailed It鈥� (Oct. 5) and new adventures from the globetrotting foodie 鈥淪omebody Feed Phil鈥� (Oct. 18). Over on Crave, Hugh Laurie鈥檚 space comedy 鈥淎venue 5鈥� returns (Oct. 10), and six new episodes of docuseries 鈥淭he Vow鈥� follow the U.S. trial of NXIVM, a 鈥渟elf-help鈥� organization with a dark undercurrent. Apple TV Plus picks up with tropical romantic comedy 鈥淎capulco鈥� (Oct. 21) as its cabana boy lead fumbles towards making his dreams come true.
鈥擠avid Friend, The Canadian Press
