The countdown to Halloween is officially on, which means the best streaming services are cracking open their vaults and unleashing some seriously spine-tingling scares this weekend.
HBO Max takes center stage with the premiere of the highly anticipated IT: Welcome to Derry series, along with the streaming debut of one of this year’s best new movies Weapons. Horror fans can also sink their teeth into the remake of the 90s classic The Hand That Rocks the Cradle and a brand-new Harlan Coben TV show to keep the chills coming.
Not in a spooky mood? Don’t worry, there’s plenty more to watch, including Kathryn Bigelow’s A House of Dynamite, a new season of Mayor of Kingstown, and a fresh Ben Stiller docuseries. So, what are you waiting? Press play already! – Amelia Schwanke, senior entertainment editor
IT: Welcome to Derry (HBO Max)
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I close my eyes and still picture Pennywise down a drain or doing that ridiculous dance he does at the end of the first IT movie. Now, he’s about to haunt my dreams through the small screen, too.
Ever since the first trailer for prequel series IT: Welcome to Derry came out, I’ve been sat. It looks suitable scary, has incredible attention to visual detail and is bringing back Bill Skarsgård as the famed clown for good measure.
It’s already ticking a lot of boxes before we’ve even seen an episode, and I won’t be surprised if Welcome to Derry gets an early season 2 renewal. There’s Easter eggs aplenty for fans of the movies, and for everyone else… well… just be hopeful that you can sleep at night. – Jasmine Valentine, entertainment reporter
A House of Dynamite (Netflix)
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I’ve been waiting for Kathryn Bigelow’s explosive return to the silver screen for more than eight years, and after hearing about the thunderous applause from the premiere of her new political thriller A House of Dynamite at Venice Film Festival, I’ve never been more hyped for a Netflix film.
But fair warning, this isn’t going to be a light watch. The doomsday plot, centered on government and military officials racing to stop a nuclear missile about to strike the United States, is a frenzied play-by-play of dread. Told from multiple perspectives, it’s the kind of film that keeps you on edge from start to finish.
Out of all the new Netflix movies arriving this month, this one sits firmly at the top of my watchlist, not least because of its stacked cast, which includes Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Jared Harris and Gabriel Basso. It might not be a horror film, but honestly? It sounds a lot more terrifying. – AS
Harlan Coben’s Lazarus (Prime Video)
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If you’re a Jasmine Valentine TechRadar content fan, you’ll know I’ve been covering Harlan Coben’s Lazarus extensively (please read the interviews as a little gift to me). The easiest way to describe it is The Silence of the Lambs meets The Sixth Sense, but neither that hook nor the show’s synopsis do it justice.
Unlike Coben’s other projects, this is an original script, and he’s really let his imagination run wild. Laz (Sam Claflin) is a psychologist who returns to his hometown after the death of his father, Dr. L (Bill Nighy). Surprise, Dr. L was also a psychologist – one with many secrets that come to light through literal ghosts (here’s The Sixth Sense bit).
You’re never too sure where in time you are, but it’s a wild ride nonetheless. I guarantee that you won’t see a single twist or turn coming, nor be able to work out the final reveal before it happens. Episode 6 is one for the books, so stick with it. – JV
Weapons (HBO Max)
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If you missed our horror aficionado’s five-star Weapons review (go read it now), let me catch you up: Zach Creggor’s horror hit is a character-driven cocktail of supernatural spooks, dark comedy and mystery, and is easily one of the best horror movies of 2025.
It’s arguably better than the director’s last film Barbarian, and that’s coming from Creggor himself, who said that “this is more, and in a good way”, so expect even more tension and a more intricate plot.
What begins as an investigation into the disappearance of 17 children from the same classroom, all of whom vanished at the same time in the dead of the night, soon spirals into chaos for a small town. To preserve the twist, I recommend watching this completely blind on HBO Max. – AS
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (Hulu/Disney+)
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I originally got this confused with the 1999 political drama Cradle Will Rock, but now that I’m properly informed, I’m even more excited. Hulu has remade the 1992 horror movie for a 21st century audience, and it’s stood the test of time well enough to still send shivers down your spine.
What starts as domestic bliss quickly turns into fatal disaster as nanny Polly (Maika Monroe) is hired by middle class mom Caitlyn (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). Only, shock horror, Polly isn’t actually who she says she is at all.
The line is permanently blurred between villain and victim, and in my opinion, that’s the most horrifying storyline a 2025 film could choose. There’s also a smattering of LGBTQIA+ representation here, and it’s just as important to support fictional gay wrongs as it is gay rights. – JV
Mayor of Kingstown season 4 (Paramount+)
Fire up that Paramount+ subscription, because Taylor Sheridan is back with a new season of one of his hit crime shows – and no, I’m not talking about any of those Yellowstone cowboy series, but the prison show set in Kingstown, Michigan.
In Mayor of Kingstown season 4, the McClusky family’s stronghold is once again under threat. A new adversary, played by Sopranos legend Edie Falco, aims to fill the power vacuum left by the Russian mafia, forcing Jeremy Renner’s Mike to step in and try to restore order.
Sheridan has once again written and created all 10 episodes of the season alongside Yellowstone star Hugh Dillon, so expect plenty more shootouts, dodgy deals and corruption. The first two episodes premiere this Sunday, October 3, with new episodes dropping weekly. – AS
Stiller & Meara: Nothing is Lost (Apple TV)
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I know what you need: an Apple TV documentary about Ben Stiller’s parents. It probably wasn’t the answer on the tip of your tongue (nor was it on mine), but Stiller & Meara is a surprisingly enriching watch.
If you hadn’t already Googled it, these two were essentially a comedic duo of their own, having been married for 60 years until Jerry’s death in 2015. It’s an incredibly sweet and affectionate ode to his parents, but highlights the biting cost of balancing ongoing commitment to entertainment.
It’s amazing to say, but we really do need reminding that the faces we see on screen are indeed just like us, with their own families, marriages and issues. Stiller has created just the right sense of intimacy to bring that to the fore without losing boundaries between viewer and artist. – JV
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