The countdown to Halloween is officially underway, which means top streaming services are opening their vaults and unleashing some seriously chilling scares this weekend.
HBO Max takes center stage with the premiere of the long-awaited IT: Welcome to Derry series, along with the streaming debut of one of the best new movies of the year Arms. 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 see, including Kathryn Bigelows A house of dynamitea new season of Mayor of Kingstownand a fresh Ben Stiller docuseries. So what are you waiting for? Press play on one of our picks already! – Amelia Schwanke, Senior Entertainment Editor
IT: Welcome to Derry (HBO Max)
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I close my eyes and still see Pennywise down a drain or doing that ridiculous dance he does at the end of the first THE film. Now he is also haunting my dreams through the small screen.
Ever since the first trailer for the prequel series IT: Welcome to Derry come out, I’ve been sitting. It looks suitably terrifying, has incredible attention to visual detail and brings back Bill Skarsgård as the famous clown for good measure.
It’s already ticking a lot of boxes before we’ve even seen an episode, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Welcome to Derry gets an early Season 2 renewal. There are plenty of easter eggs for fans of the movies, and for everyone else… well… just hope 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 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 the Venice Film Festival, I’ve never been more hyped for a Netflix movie.
But fair warning, this is not going to be an easy watch. The doomsday plot, centered on government and military officials racing to stop a nuclear missile about to attack the United States, is a crazy horror-by-play. Told from multiple perspectives, it’s the kind of movie that keeps you on edge from start to finish.
Of all the new Netflix movies arriving this month, this one is firmly at the top of my watch list, not least because of its stacked cast, which includes Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Jared Harris and Gabriel Basso. It might not be a horror movie, but honestly? It sounds much scarier. – SEAM
Harlan Coben’s Lazarus (Prime Video)
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If you’re a Jasmine Valentine TechRadar content fan, you know I’ve got you covered Harlan Coben’s Lazarus in detail (please read the interviews as a small gift to me). The easiest way to describe it is The silence of the lambs meetings The sixth sensebut neither that hook nor the show’s synopsis does it justice.
Unlike Coben’s other projects, this is an original script and he has really let his imagination run wild. Laz (Sam Claflin) is a psychologist who returns to his hometown after his father, Dr. L (Bill Nighy) dead. Surprise, Dr. L was also a psychologist – one with many secrets that come out through literal ghosts (here’s The sixth sense little).
You’re never too sure where in time you are, but it’s a wild ride nonetheless. I guarantee you won’t see a single twist or turn coming, nor be able to figure out the final reveal until it happens. Episode 6 is one for the books, so keep it up. – JV
Weapons (HBO Max)
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If you missed our horror aficionados five stars Arms review (read it now), let me catch you up: Zach Creggor’s horror hit is a character-driven cocktail of supernatural horror, dark comedy and mystery and is easily one of the best horror films of 2025.
It is undoubtedly better than the director’s last film Barbarian, and this comes from Creggor himself, who said that “this is more and in a good way”, so expect even more suspense and a more intricate plot.
What begins as an investigation into the disappearance of 17 children from the same classroom, who all disappeared at the same time in the dead of night, soon turns into chaos for a small town. To keep the twist, I recommend watching this completely blind on HBO Max. – SEAM
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (Hulu/Disney+)
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I was initially confused with the 1999 political drama Cradle Will Rockbut now that I am properly informed, I am even more excited. Hulu has remade the 1992 horror film 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 when nanny Polly (Maika Monroe) is hired by middle-class mother Caitlyn (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). Only, shock horror, Polly is actually not who she says she is at all.
The line is permanently blurred between villain and victim, and in my opinion, it’s the most horrific story a 2025 movie could choose. There’s also a bit of LGBTQIA+ representation here, and it’s just as important to support fictional gay injustices 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 dramas—and no, I’m not talking about either Yellowstone cowboy series, but the prison show takes place in Kingstown, Michigan.
IN Mayor of Kingstown season 4, the McClusky family stronghold is once again under threat. A new opponent, 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 again written and created all 10 episodes of the season on the side Yellowstone star Hugh Dillon, so expect lots more shootouts, dodgy deals and corruption. The first two episodes premiere this Sunday, October 3, with new episodes released weekly. – SEAM
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. That 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 loving ode to his parents, but highlights the stinging costs of balancing an ongoing commitment to entertainment.
That’s great to say, but we really need to be reminded that the faces we see on screen are actually just like us, with their own families, marriages and problems. Stiller has created just the right sense of intimacy to bring it out without losing sight of the boundaries between viewer and artist. – JV
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