Stream and scream

Stream and scream What to watch in Spooktober

Boys and girls of every age, wouldn’t you like to see something strange? It is the spookiest time of the year once more, and we couldn’t be more excited! As Halloween is just around the corner, get your pumpkin spice latte ready, sharpen those carving knives, and get cosy on your couch for this year’s streaming scary lineup.

Monster: Ed Gein (Netflix)

Monster, the biographical anthology series, returns for a third season, and this time it packs a real punch. This year we take a ride into the life and mind of one of the most notorious serial killers, the ghoul of Plainfield, Ed Gein. While certainly not the one with the highest body count, Gein was one of the most gruesome killers, and his story is widely considered the birth of our fascination with true crime. This real-life ghoul inspired everything from Psycho to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The talented Charlie Hunnam brings Gein to life, and Monster digs into how one highly disturbed man from a rural town became the blueprint for half a century of cinematic nightmares.

Monster drops on October 3.

IT: Welcome to Derry (HBO Max)

After the 2017 film adaptation of Stephen King’s masterpiece It, the writers and producers pitched a television series that would delve into events prior. Set in the 1960s, Welcome to Derry explores how the evil that haunts the sewers first took root.

All the original creators from the films are coming back, with Bill Skarsgård reprising his role as the terrifying Pennywise the Clown, while also serving as an executive producer. Skarsgård, not Pennywise. That would be weird.

IT: Welcome to Derry drops on October 26.

Murdaugh: Death in the Family (Hulu)

The dramatised story of the powerful Southern family that found itself at the centre of a massive scandal rife with greed, corruption, betrayal and bloody, bloody murder. This is the saga of the Murdaugh dynasty, a family that ruled its corner of South Carolina like feudal lords, getting away with all sorts of crimes. Based on the now-famous Murdaugh Murders Podcast, Death in the Family promises to scratch that true crime itch and satisfy our need to watch an arrogant, seemingly impervious family brought down from within.

Death in the Family drops on October 3.

My Father the BTK Killer (Hulu)

How do you reconcile the dad who tucked you into bed at night with the man who murdered strangers by day? This documentary follows the daughter of Dennis Rader, aka BTK (Bind, Torture, Kill) as she comes to terms with the chilling truth about her father.

It’s part true crime, part psychological study, and all nightmare fuel. Unlike most serial killer documentaries that focus on the crimes, this one zeroes in on the family left to live with the fallout.

My Father the BTK Killer drops on October 8.

The Monster of Florence (Netflix)

It’s a true crime extravaganza! This series explores one of Italy’s most infamous unsolved cases, where a killer stalked lovers in the countryside for nearly two decades. Equal parts investigative thriller and cultural deep dive, this four-part miniseries mixes beauty with brutality.

Monster of Florence drops on October 22.

Frankenstein (Netflix)

Ok, I’ll admit, we are cheating a bit here as this film drops after Halloween in November, but come on! How can you have spooky season without the goth queen Mary Shelley and her masterpiece Frankenstein? Created by another horror master, Guillermo del Toro, this is the newest take on the classic story, with Oscar Isaac playing Viktor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi the Monster. Classic goth vibes and atmospheric horror from a master of the craft; the story of a man who tried to play God and how his hubris came back – literally- to haunt him.

Frankenstein drops on November 7.

The Elixir (Netflix)

Do you know what needs no translation in all languages? Zombie! The Elixir is a new zombie horror series from Indonesia. It tells the story of a man who concocts a herbal medicine that should have changed the world for the better but, as in most cases, creates zombies. For those who like their horror a little trippy, The Elixir offers a cocktail of science fiction, body horror and existential dread.

The Elixir drops on October 23.

The Substance (Apple TV)

The Substance is a grotesque meditation on beauty, obsession and the price we pay to reinvent ourselves. Without spoiling too much, let’s just say it involves a serum that makes you younger — but with consequences that make a “side effects may include” warning a bit of a joke. Also working as social commentary on Hollywood’s ageism, The Substance is a marvellous return to form for veteran actress Demi Moore.

The Substance will be available for rental in October.