New Movies Streaming in October

As I said in my New Titles Streaming in October article, October is one of my favorite times of year for many reasons, but mostly because it brings Halloween, a crisp slowing-down season, and the streaming of classic horror movies, such as Halloween, Friday the 13th, and A Nightmare on Elm Street. Even Scream--the original, though. While there is plenty to look forward to this month, October also brings with it a host of new movies streaming on some of your favorite platforms.

The $20 million Netflix acquisition Fair Play arrives to steam up screens, and Paramount+ is presenting the exclusive release of Pet Sematary: Bloodlines, the prequel to the classic Stephen King story “Pet Sematary” ... oh, and speaking of pets, Strays also drops on Peacock. I don't know about you, but I'm always down to hang out with cursing dogs. Check out our full list below for the new movies streaming in October!

Appendage (Now Streaming on Hulu)

Huluween has begun, and it comes out swingin’ with this all-new disturbingly bloody horror feature, Appendage. The feature film follows a young aspiring fashion designer’s rise to the top then sticks with her once things at the top go horribly wrong. When Hannah (Hadley Robinson, of Little Women) becomes obsessed with the opportunity to become a renowned fashion designer’s assistant, she begins to notice strange growths and abscesses on her body. Since the condition is baffling the doctors she sees, Hannah turns to a support group with the same mysterious condition, but this only opens the door to an entirely new set of problems.

The Burial (Oct. 13 on Prime Video)

Inspired by true events, when a handshake deal goes sour, funeral home owner Jeremiah O’Keefe (Academy Award winner Tommy Lee Jones, of Men in Black) enlists charismatic attorney Willie E. Gary (Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx, of Ray) to save his family business. Tempers flare and laughter ensues as the unlikely pair bond while exposing corporate corruption and racial injustice in this inspirational, triumphant story.

The Caine Mutiny Court Martial (Oct. 6 on Paramount+ and Showtime)

This flick centers on a naval court-martial (Jason Clarke, of Zero Dark Thirty) who reluctantly agrees to defend a first officer of the Navy (Jake Lacy, of Carol) after he took control of a ship from its domineering captain (Kiefer Sutherland, of 24) during a violent sea storm. The ensuing trial forces the court-martial to question whether the events aboard the ship are true or not.

Fair Play (Oct. 6 on Netflix)

This directorial debut from Chloe Domont (Ballers) rocked the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, where it earned critical acclaim and sold to Netflix in a massive $20 million deal. Starring Bridgerton breakout Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich (Cocaine Bear), the two play co-workers at a hedge fund who are in a secret relationship. Their bond is tested when her career takes off. This looks to be one smart finance drama doubling as a romantic thriller taking a probing look at sexual passion (and politics) in the post-#MeToo age.

Five Nights at Freddy’s (Oct. 27 exclusively on Peacock)

Based on the video game franchise of the same name, Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games) stars as a troubled security guard working his first shift at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. During his first night on the job, he realizes his shift at Freddy’s won’t be a walk in the park when supernatural things (a la Willy's Wonderland, minus Nicolas Cage) start happening that drag him into the heart of an unspeakable nightmare.

Haunted Mansion (Oct. 4 on Disney+)

While’s the Haunted Mansion reboot didn’t break the box office this summer, it is slated to find new life with its debut this month on Disney+ just in time for Halloween. Rosario Dawson (Ahsoka) is a single mother who moves into a haunted house and recruits a tour guide, a psychic, a priest, and a historian to exorcise it of all the ghosts still living there. The ensemble class includes LaKeith Stanfield (The Changeling), Tiffany Haddish (The Afterparty), Owen Wilson (Loki), Danny DeVito (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Dan Levy (Schitt’s Creek), Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween franchise), and Jared Leto (Morbius). My teenaged nieces saw it and gave it a thumbs up: “It was pretty funny,” they said. So there you have it, straight from the word of today's youth.

The Mill (Oct. 9 on Hulu)

Starring Lil Rel Howery (Get Out), The Mill is a sci-fi thriller about a businessman who wakes up beside an ancient grist mill situated in the center of an open-air prison cell with no idea of how he got there. Forced to work as a beast of burden to stay alive, he must find a way to escape before the birth of his child. Will he survive?

Old Dads (Oct. 20 on Netflix)

When a middle-aged father and his two best friends sell their company to a millennial, they soon find themselves out of step and behind the times as they struggle to navigate a changing world of culture, career, and fatherhood. This Netflix comedy stars Bill Burr (Breaking Bad), Bokeem Woodbine (Queen & Slim), Bobby Cannavale (The Watcher), and Rachel Harris (Bad Words). Old Dads is also written and directed by actor/comedian Bill Burr.

Totally Killer (Oct. 6 on Netflix)

The second feature from Nahnatchka Khan (Always Be My Maybe), Totally Killer kind of sounds like a cross between a classic slasher flick and Back to the Future, minus Michael J. Fox and that sweet 80’s soundtrack. Kiernan Shipka (The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) stars as Jamie, a woman on a trip back to 1987 to prevent the murders of her mother (Julie Bowen, of Modern Family) and her friends, who fell victim to a masked killer. Also stars Randall Park (Fresh Off the Boat) and Lochlyn Munro (Riverdale).

Pain Hustlers (Oct. 27 on Netflix)

After directing seven Harry Potter-related movies, Director David Yates turns his attention to the real world, taking cinematic revenge on the rare fentanyl-dispensing pharma company punished for breaking all the rules. Emily Blunt (A Quiet Place) stars as Liza Drake, a struggling mother who lands a job at a pharmaceutical start-up to make money for her sick daughter. However, Liza has no idea the company is a failing, fully-fledged illegal business, and she swiftly finds herself stuck in the middle of a racketeering scheme. Andy Garcia (The Godfather), Catherine O’Hara (Schitt’s Creek), Jay Duplass (Somebody Somewhere), Brian d’Arcy James (Spotlight), and Chloe Coleman (My Spy) co-star.

Pet Sematary: Bloodlines (Oct. 6 on Paramount+)

In a tis-the-season offering, Paramount+ is treating Stephen King fans to the exclusive release of Pet Sematary: Bloodlines, a prequel to King’s original story, “Pet Sematary.” In 1969, a young Jud Crandall has dreams of leaving his hometown of Ludlow, Maine, behind but soon discovers sinister secrets buried within and is forced to contront a dark family history that will forever keep him connected to Ludlow. Banding together with his childhood friends, Jud must fight an anciet evil that has gripped Ludlow since its founding, and once unearthed unearthed has the power to destroy everything in its path.

Strays (Oct. 6 on Peacock)

Even though this blast of a comedy has been available to rent/purchase since September, it's finally hit a streaming platform for those of you who've been waiting for it to do so. When Reggie (Will Ferrell, of Old School) gets abandoned by his dirtbag owner, Doug (Will Forte, of The Last on Earth), the naive but lovable pup falls in with a gang of strays that include a foul-mouthed, street-wise Boston Terrier named Bug (Jamie Foxx, of Django Unchained), an Australian Shepherd named Maggie (Isla Fisher, of Borat), and a therapy Great Dane named Hunter (Randall Park, of Young Rock). Together they embark on an epic adventure to get Reggie home so he can make Doug pay for what he's done. The solution: Reggie plans to bite his d*ck off. Can't say I blame him.

Keeley Brooks is a big ole movies, television, and streaming nerd with a voracious appetite for entertainment consumption and an uncontrollable urge to write about everything she watches, even if it sucks.