The countdown to Halloween is formally on, which suggests the most effective streaming companies are cracking open their vaults and unleashing some significantly spine-tingling scares this weekend.
HBO Max takes middle stage with the premiere of the extremely anticipated IT: Welcome to Derry sequence, together with the streaming debut of one among this yr’s finest new films Weapons. Horror followers may also sink their tooth into the remake of the 90s basic The Hand That Rocks the Cradle and a brand-new Harlan Coben TV present to maintain the chills coming.
Not in a spooky temper? Don’t fear, there’s lots extra to observe, together with Kathryn Bigelow’s A House of Dynamite, a brand new season of Mayor of Kingstown, and a recent Ben Stiller docuseries. So, what are you ready for? Press play on one among our picks already! – Amelia Schwanke, senior leisure editor
IT: Welcome to Derry (HBO Max)
IT: Welcome to Derry | Official Trailer | HBO Max – YouTube
I shut my eyes and nonetheless image Pennywise down a drain or doing that ridiculous dance he does on the finish of the primary IT film. Now, he is about to hang-out my desires by way of the small display screen, too.
Ever because the first trailer for prequel sequence IT: Welcome to Derry got here out, I’ve been sat. It seems to be appropriate scary, has unbelievable consideration to visible element and is bringing again Bill Skarsgård because the famed clown for good measure.
It’s already ticking loads of containers earlier than we have even seen an episode, and I will not be shocked if Welcome to Derry will get an early season 2 renewal. There’s Easter eggs aplenty for followers of the films, and for everybody else… effectively… simply be hopeful that you could sleep at night time. – Jasmine Valentine, leisure reporter
A House of Dynamite (Netflix)
A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE | Official Trailer | Netflix – YouTube
I’ve been ready for Kathryn Bigelow’s explosive return to the silver display screen for greater than eight years, and after listening to in regards to the thunderous applause from the premiere of her new political thriller A House of Dynamite at Venice Film Festival, I’ve by no means been extra hyped for a Netflix movie.
But truthful warning, this is not going to be a lightweight watch. The doomsday plot, centered on authorities and army officers racing to cease a nuclear missile about to strike the United States, is a frenzied play-by-play of dread. Told from a number of views, it’s the sort of movie that retains you on edge from begin to end.
Out of all the brand new Netflix films arriving this month, this one sits firmly on the prime of my watchlist, not least due to its stacked solid, which incorporates Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Jared Harris and Gabriel Basso. It may not be a horror movie, however truthfully? It sounds much more terrifying. – AS
Harlan Coben’s Lazarus (Prime Video)
Lazarus – Official Trailer | Prime Video – YouTube
If you are a Jasmine Valentine TechRadar content material fan, you may know I’ve been overlaying Harlan Coben’s Lazarus extensively (please learn the interviews as somewhat present to me). The best option to describe it’s The Silence of the Lambs meets The Sixth Sense, however neither that hook nor the present’s synopsis do it justice.
Unlike Coben’s different tasks, that is an authentic script, and he is actually let his creativeness run wild. Laz (Sam Claflin) is a psychologist who returns to his hometown after the loss of life of his father, Dr. L (Bill Nighy). Surprise, Dr. L was additionally a psychologist – one with many secrets and techniques that come to mild by way of literal ghosts (this is The Sixth Sense bit).
You’re by no means too positive the place in time you might be, however it’s a wild trip nonetheless. I assure that you simply will not see a single twist or flip coming, nor be capable to work out the ultimate reveal earlier than it occurs. Episode 6 is one for the books, so keep it up. – JV
Weapons (HBO Max)
Weapons | Official Trailer – YouTube
If you missed our horror aficionado’s five-star Weapons evaluate (go learn it now), let me catch you up: Zach Creggor’s horror hit is a character-driven cocktail of supernatural spooks, darkish comedy and thriller, and is definitely probably the greatest horror films of 2025.
It’s arguably higher than the director’s final movie Barbarian, and that is coming from Creggor himself, who mentioned that “that is extra, and in a great way”, so anticipate much more rigidity and a extra intricate plot.
What begins as an investigation into the disappearance of 17 youngsters from the identical classroom, all of whom vanished on the identical time within the useless of the night time, quickly spirals into chaos for a small city. To protect the twist, I like to recommend watching this utterly blind on HBO Max. – AS
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (Hulu/Disney+)
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle | Official Trailer | Hulu – YouTube
I initially received this confused with the 1999 political drama Cradle Will Rock, however now that I’m correctly knowledgeable, I’m much more excited. Hulu has remade the 1992 horror film for a twenty first century viewers, and it is stood the check of time effectively sufficient to nonetheless ship shivers down your backbone.
What begins as home bliss rapidly turns into deadly catastrophe as nanny Polly (Maika Monroe) is employed by center class mother Caitlyn (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). Only, shock horror, Polly is not really who she says she is in any respect.
The line is completely blurred between villain and sufferer, and in my view, that is essentially the most horrifying storyline a 2025 movie might select. There’s additionally a smattering of LGBTQIA+ illustration right here, and it is simply as necessary to help fictional homosexual wrongs as it’s homosexual rights. – JV
- Watch The Hand That Rocks the Cradle on Hulu (US) and Disney+ (internationally)
Mayor of Kingstown season 4 (Paramount+)
Fire up that Paramount+ subscription, as a result of Taylor Sheridan is again with a brand new season of one among his hit crime exhibits – and no, I’m not speaking about any of these Yellowstone cowboy sequence, however the jail present set in Kingstown, Michigan.
In Mayor of Kingstown season 4, the McClusky household’s stronghold is as soon as once more below risk. A brand new adversary, performed by Sopranos legend Edie Falco, goals to fill the ability vacuum left by the Russian mafia, forcing Jeremy Renner’s Mike to step in and attempt to restore order.
Sheridan has as soon as once more written and created all 10 episodes of the season alongside Yellowstone star Hugh Dillon, so anticipate lots extra shootouts, dodgy offers and corruption. The first two episodes premiere this Sunday, October 3, with new episodes dropping weekly. – AS
Stiller & Meara: Nothing is Lost (Apple TV)
Stiller & Meara: Nothing is Lost — Official Trailer | Apple TV – YouTube
I do know what you want: an Apple TV documentary about Ben Stiller’s dad and mom. It most likely wasn’t the reply on the tip of your tongue (nor was it on mine), however Stiller & Meara is a surprisingly enriching watch.
If you hadn’t already Googled it, these two had been basically a comedic duo of their very own, having been married for 60 years till Jerry’s loss of life in 2015. It’s an extremely candy and affectionate ode to his dad and mom, however highlights the biting price of balancing ongoing dedication to leisure.
It’s wonderful to say, however we actually do want reminding that the faces we see on display screen are certainly identical to us, with their very own households, marriages and points. Stiller has created simply the proper sense of intimacy to carry that to the fore with out shedding boundaries between viewer and artist. – JV
