October brings many delights: Halloween candy, cooler nights, and new movies all month long. There’s no shortage of spooky thrills betweenThe Exorcist: Believer,Pet Sematary: Bloodlines, andJosh Hutchersontrying to surviveFive Nights at Freddy’s. Crime dramas, psychological thrillers, and mind-bending sci-fi are all the rage, too — but it’sMartin Scorsesewho’s the talk of Hollywood with hisLeonardo DiCaprio-led epicKillers of the Flower Moon. Meanwhile, love is in the autumn air asPeter Dinklagestumbles into a rom-com and directorPedro Almodóvarpairs upEthan HawkeandPedro Pascalin a queer Western.Sofia Coppolatackles another biopic,William Friedkin’s final filmadapts a Pulitzer Prize-winner, A24 Films debuts its first musical, andTaylor Swift? She’s in a league of her own withTaylor Swift: The Eras Tour. Grab your popcorn and get cozy! Let’s take a closer look at what movies are hitting the big and small screens this October.
The Burial
Release Date: October 6 in Theaters
More uplifting than it sounds at first glance,The Burialboasts the dynamic team-up ofJamie FoxxandTommy Lee Jonesas real-life figuresWillie E. GaryandJeremiah O’Keefe. The former? A hotshot lawyer. The latter? A down-to-earth funeral homeowner. Faced with losing his family’s livelihood, Jeremiah hires Willie to represent him in a long-shot lawsuit.Maggie Bettsdirects this odd couple true story that also starsJurnee SmollettandAlan Ruck.
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
Release Date: October 6 on Showtime
Renowned director William Friedkin’slast film before his death,The Caine Mutiny Court-Martialadapts authorHerman Wouk’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. A navy lieutenant (Jake Lacy) faces court-martial for committing mutiny during a dangerous storm, but things get complicated when the spotless record of his ship’s captain (Kiefer Sutherland) comes into question. The impressive cast also featuresJason Clarke,Monica Raymund,Jay Duplass, and the lateLance Reddick.
Cat Person
Based on the viralThe New Yorkershort story byKristen Roupenian,Cat Personfollows college student Margot (Emilia Jones) as she embarks on a romance with Robert (Nicholas Braun). After discovering signs Robert isn’t who he claims to be, Margot avoids him — and Robert responds in chilling ways all too familiar to every femme individual. DirectorSusanna Fogelguides viewers through misogyny’s terrifying realities.
Dicks: The Musical
Anything billed as “A24’s first movie musical” deserves attention. HavingMegan Thee Stallioninvolved means I’m there on opening day.Dicks: The Musical,an adaptation of the off-Broadway musicalF***ing Identical Twins, follows Craig (Josh Sharp) and Trevor (Aaron Jackson), two insufferable men who discover they’re twins. Then, their shared bad idea is trying to reunite their parents (Nathan LaneandMegan Mullally). Overseen byBoratdirectorLarry Charles,Dicks: The MusicalincludesBowen Yangas God, Megan Thee Stallion as Gloria, and the voice talents ofSpongeBob SquarePantshimself,Tom Kenny.
The Exorcist: Believer
It’s time to return to the granddaddy of classic scares.David Gordon Green, director of the 2018Halloweenreboot trilogy, revivesThe Exorcist, a very different horror classic, withThe Exorcist: Believer. When two young girls arepossessed by the demon Pazazu, their families ask for help beyond the usual priest: Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn), who happens to have some experience with evil entities.Leslie Odom Jr.,Ann Dowd,Jennifer Nettles,Norbert Leo Butz,Okqul Okpokwasili, andRaphael Sbargeround out the cast, as well asLidya JewettandOlivia Marcum.
RELATED:What’s New on Netflix in October 2023
StarringSaoirse RonanandPaul MescalwithLiondirectorGarth Davisat the helm, this adaptation of horror authorIain Reid’s novel of the same name will be a spectacular nightmare.Foe, set in the year 2065, sees happy couple Henrietta (Ronan) and Junior (Mescal)’s lives thrown into turmoil when Terrance (Aaron Pierre) offers Junior a place on an exclusive space station. Henrietta won’t be left alone, however; Terrance can create a robot replica of Junior to keep her company.
Last Stop Larrimah: Murder Down Under
Release Date: October 6 on HBO
Only eleven people reside inLarrimah, an Australian town small enough to lack cell phone service. So when one of their residents went missing without a trace, the mystery took off — as did the rumors. Was he put in pies alaSweeney Todd? Was he fed to the local crocodiles? No one knows, but in this true-crime documentaryLast Stop Larrimah, each of Larrimah’s ten residents is a suspect.
Pet Sematary: Bloodlines
Release Date: October 6 on Paramount+
It’s time to go back to Ludlow. Set in 1969,Pet Sematary: Bloodlines, the prequel to the 2019Pet Semataryfilm, reveals Jud Crandall’s (Jackson White) origins and explores the mythology of the Wendigo haunting the cemetery.Lindsey Anderson Beermakes her directing debut with actorsHenry Thomas,Samantha Mathis,Pam Grier, andDavid Duchovnyjoining the gruesome fun.
She Came to Me
Writer-directorRebecca Millerpromises a mature, whimsical rom-com withShe Came to Me. Opera composer Steven Lauddem (Peter Dinklage) isn’t having the best time. His last opera was an acclaimed masterpiece, and now he’s stuck with composer’s block. While searching for inspiration, he falls into an unconventional love triangle between Katrina (Marisa Tomei), a quirky tugboat operator, and his wife Patricia (Anne Hathaway), a therapist who’s tired of everyone’s crap.
Strange Way of Life
How about a good old-fashioned Western viaPedro Almodóvar?Strange Way of Lifehas earned a feature film’s anticipation thanks toits debut at the Cannes Film Festivaland the romance between Ethan Hawke’s Sheriff Jake and Pedro Pascal’s Silva. The two gunslingers reunite after twenty-five years apart and are joyously, unambiguously queer, but there’s a secret reason Silva has returned to Jake’s doorstep.
