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Looking to settle in with a good movie? Me too. That’s why I’ve pored over release schedules to bring you the best original and new-to-streaming movies you can watch on Netflix, Prime, Max, Hulu, and other streaming platforms this week.
Topping my personal must-see list are Don’t Move, a stripped-down thriller with an innovative premise; and Late Night with the Devil, a perfect-for-Halloween horror confection. Those aren’t the only good flicks you can check out this week of course; read on for more.
Don’t Move
Don’t Move aims at suspense stripped of everything but its most basic elements. Kelsey Asbille plays Iris, a young woman (the hero) hiking in an isolated forest (the closed arena). A stranger, played by Finn Wittrock (the villain) injects her with a paralytic drug, and explains how, in 20 minutes, she’ll be completely unable to move (the ticking clock). If you’re into nail-biting suspense, give this movie a shot.
Where to stream: Netflix
Late Night With the Devil (2023)
In October, lots of casuals say, “what’s a good horror movie?” The answer this year is Late Night With the Devil, and I’m not the only one who thinks so: The movie is sitting at 97% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Late Night purports to present the videotape of a 1970s TV talk show where a spooky-themed Halloween episode goes terribly, demonically wrong. The pacing is taut, the performances solid, and the period details are absolutely perfect. It’s scary, too, but in a fun way.
Where to stream: Hulu
Canary Black
In Canary Black Kate Beckinsale plays Avery Graves, a CIA operative so undercover her own husband thinks she has a normal job. When he’s kidnapped by terrorists, Graves must choose between saving his life and betraying her country. Cut off from everyone, Graves must rely on training, her wits, and her fighting skills to deliver the ransom and save her husband.
Where to stream: Prime
Hasan Minhaj: Off With His Head
A lot of standup comedy isn’t about anything beyond surface-level observations about the minutia of modern life, but Off With His Head offers something deeper. Comedian Hasan Minhaj’s promising career—he says he was once tapped to host The Daily Show—was derailed when a New Yorker journalist fact-checked some of the details in his comedy routines last year. Needless to say, the guy has an interesting story to tell. Plus, he’s really funny. So if you’re looking for something more thoughtful than “what is the deal with hats?” check this one out.
Where to stream: Netflix
Carved
Remember back in the ’80s and ’90s, when horror movies with preposterous premises like Uncle Sam and The Gingerdead Man gathered dust on video store shelves? Carved feels like a throwback to those days. The movie asks, “what if there was an evil killer pumpkin that wanted revenge for all the pumpkins we eviscerate on Halloween?” It’s silly, but knowingly silly, so if you want an over-the-top horror comedy B-movie, check out Carved.
Where to stream: Hulu
Last week’s picks
MaXXXine (2024)
In MaXXXine, the third and final installment in Ti West’s X trilogy, Mia Goth reprises her role as Maxine Minx, the adult-film actress from X. With the unpleasantness on the farm behind her, Minx moves to Hollywood to make it big. But there is more unpleasantness in store in the form of a psycho killer who targets people connected to her. West established himself as one the most original and ferocious directors in horror with X and Pearl, and MaXXXine more than lives up to its predecessors.
Where to stream: Max
Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sarah
What kind of jerk would want to mess with quirky, indie-folk duo Tegan and Sarah? “Fegan” (as fans call fake-Tegan) hacked into Tegan’s files and spent 15 years impersonating her in order to trick the band’s fan base into fake friendships and fake romantic relationships. Fanatical digs deeply into the mystery, interviewing victims, experts, and band members, in an effort to track down the person behind the catfish.
Where to stream: Hulu
Family Guy Halloween Special
Everybody likes Halloween specials right? Family Guy has put out sporadic Halloween episodes over its 23-season run, but this year, they’re making a whole thing about it, like The Simpsons. So if you want to see Stewie’s teddy bear Rupert become a knife-wielding killer, the gang compete in a pumpkin carving contest, and more Family Guy-style Halloween madness, check it out.
Where to stream: Hulu
The Last of the Sea Women
For countless generations on South Korea’s Jeju Island, the haenyeo, sea women, have been free-diving to harvest seafood for their livelihood. But changing times and a changing ocean suggest that the few remaining sea women, most in their 60s, 70s, or 80s, may be the last. But they are not going down without a fight. The Last of the Sea Women chronicles this crew of feisty, funny real-life mermaids, and their unlikely champions on social media, as they fight to maintain a strange and beautiful way of life.
Where to stream: Apple TV+
Witches movie collection
Smaller streamer The Criterion Channel consistently creates interesting movie collections, but they’ve outdone themselves with October’s witch-themed program. It contains every kind of witchy delight, from indisputable classics like Rosemary’s Baby and Suspiria, to “reconsider this” choices like 1996’s Sabrina the Teenage Witch, to fascinating obscurities like the excellent The Love Witch and The Girl on the Broomstick, a 1972 Czechoslovak fantasy-comedy that I watched last night with my jaw on the floor. Please watch all these movies:
The Witches (1990)
Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996)
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
The Crucible (1996)
The Love Witch (2016)
The Witches (1967)
Suspiria (1972)
Black Sunday (1960)
El Demonio (1963)
Viy (1967)
Alison’s Birthday (1981)
The Girl on the Broomstick (1972)
Haxan (1922)
Witch Madness (1999)
Where to stream: The Criterion Channel