It’s always easy to just run with horror-themed shows for the month of October but not everyone loves to scare themselves silly. Fortunately, there’s no shortage of new releases in most if not all genres. Here’s our pick of shows that might be worth a watch.
Interview with the Vampire
A re-contextualised Interview might make sense. | Image: AMC
Release date: October 2
Network: AMC
Remakes always strike fear in the hearts of older fans because they tend to be too liberal with changes. But the Interview novel was published in 1976, while the movie was released in 1994; a reimagining of Anne Rice’s most iconic work seems almost mandatory. It updates the backdrop and subtext for a modern audience while devoting more time to exploring Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson) and Lestat de Lioncourt’s (Sam Reid) sexually charged relationship. However, it’s on AMC so you gotta find… ways.
Hello Jack! The Kindness Show Season 2
Release date: October 7
Network: Apple TV+
This one’s for the kids; and for fans who can’t get enough of the lovable Jack McBrayer. Everyone’s favourite page from 30 Rock is back to showcase his irrepressible enthusiasm and feel-good smile. In Clover Grove, Jack inspires the town with his signature on-screen persona, spreading positivity to those around him. Who better to convince kids that a small act of kindness can be so powerful in changing lives for the better?
Werewolf by Night
Release date: October 7
Network: Disney+
The first Marvel Studios Special Presentation series explores peripheral characters that share the same universe and continuity with the rest of Marvel’s heroes. Jack Russell (Gael García Bernal) is a monster hunter who is afflicted by a curse that predictably turns him into the titular Werewolf by Night. The show will also feature cameos by members of the Time Variance Authority, which immediately raises plenty of questions about what all these will mean for the universe at large.
The School for Good and Evil
The School for Good and Evil has a low-key star-studded cast. | Image: Netflix
Release date: October 19
Network: Netflix
Based on Soman Chainani’s book of the same name, the plot revolves around best friends Sophie (Sophia Anne Caruso) and Agatha (Sofia Wylie), who are kidnapped and taken to the School for Good and Evil, where they are trained to be classic fairy tale heroes or villains. Things come to a head when Sophie and Agatha are separated and each sent to the camp that doesn’t conform to the stereotype of their physical appearance. Their friendship is tested as a result and they seek to find a way home. The star-studded cast includes Laurence Fishburne, Michelle Yeoh, Charlize Theron, and Ben Kingsley, among others.
Raymond and Ray
Release date: October 21
Network: Apple TV+
Estranged half-brothers Raymond (Ewan McGregor) and Ray (Ethan Hawke) reunite at their also-estranged father’s funeral and inadvertently start to pick up the pieces of their lives. Forced to make sense of their dysfunctional relationship, the brothers learn more about their father–and their own past–and reinvent themselves in the process. A family drama that’s laced with dark humour and introspection, which makes a nice palate cleanser for your horror + gore flicks laced with… dark humour and introspection.
Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities
Release date: October 25
Network: Netflix
Guillermo del Toro’s penchant for stunningly beautiful gothic visuals alone is enough to warrant a watch, even if the auteur only directs one episode of eight in this anthology (he did write two of the stories). The series, based on his short story of the same name, is the filmmaker’s personal curation of sophisticated horror tales. Sick and tired of the same old jump scares year in, year out? Well, here you go.
Tales of the Jedi
Learn more about young Count Dooku and how he started on the road to the Dark Side. | Image: Disney+
Release date: October 26
Network: Disney+
Perhaps Star Wars tales are best told as an animated series or feature. The six-episode Tales of the Jedi draws our attention to two fan favourites: Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein) and Count Dooku (Corey Burton). We’ll witness key moments in Ahsoka’s life as well as the fall of a young Count Dooku to the dark side while training Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson). Neeson’s son Micheál Richardson will also appear as a young Qui-Gon.
All Quiet on the Western Front
Release date: October 28
Network: Netflix
No one knew how technology would shape modern warfare and World War 1 ushered in a modern era with shocking brutality. The current Russian ‘meatgrinder’ has nothing on the battle of Verdun, which saw close to 750,000 lives lost over 303 days. The Academy Award-winning feature film of 1930 was based on the novel of the same name; a depiction of the bloody war and its traumatic effects on soldiers at the front, written from the Germans’ perspective. The movie follows the life of Paul Bäumer (Felix Kammerer), who along with his friends, have their ideals shattered and learn about the harsh tragedy that awaits them.
The Devil’s Hour
Release date: October 28
Network: Amazon Prime
A nod to that hour between 3 am and 4 am where odd things supposedly occur. The Devil’s Hour revolves around Lucy (Jessica Raine) who wakes up every night at 3:33 after seeing horrible visions. Her house is seemingly haunted, her family seems afflicted by something inexplicable, and she starts to be linked to a string of brutal murders in her area. The upside? The answers are starting to reveal themselves. The Devil’s Hour also stars Dr Who alumnus Peter Capaldi and is executively produced by Steven Moffat (Sherlock).
The White Lotus Season 2
The White Lotus is a fresh take on age-old class satire. | Image: HBO
Release date: October 30
Network: HBO Max
A satire centred around the eponymous luxury resort set this season in Sicily, Season 2 picks up where Season 1 left off–showing off a picture-perfect getaway with wealthy guests with seemingly perfect lives, only for things to get darker and darker–in a good way (for the audience) of course. Jennifer Coolidge reprises her role as Tanya McQuoid-Hunt, for which she won an Emmy for Best Supporting Actress, but much of the main cast this season are fresh faces. And anything with Aubrey Plaza is always good in my book.
