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Welcome back to another guide to the best new shows and movies streaming this week. On this page, you'll find six recommendations for the hottest films and TV shows that are available to watch over the next seven days.
As we get deeper into October, most of the best streaming services are turning their attention to all things spooksome and scary. Because of that we've got the streaming debut of one of the year's best horror movies, a new thriller series from the mind of Harlan Coben, and a brand new Stephen King show to get excited about.
IT: Welcome to Derry
Available: US/UK
Where to watch: HBO Max (US), NOW TV (UK)
Pennywise the Dancing Clown (Bill Skarsgård) is back in this fearsomely frightening new series. IT: Welcome to Derry takes us back in time in a '60s-set prequel that follows a new group of characters who find themselves haunted by the supernatural terror. This isn't simply retreading the movies, however. Directly inspired by parts of Stephen King's original novel, Welcome to Derry expands the IT mythology in some fascinating – and terrifying – new ways.
With lavish production design and multiple episodes directed by Andy Muschietti, who helmed the films, this is an authentic and exciting eight episode trip back to Derry, a town where everyone knows your name, for better, but usually for worse.
This list of the best HBO Max shows has some of the best TV ever.
A House of Dynamite
Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Netflix
Of all the movies that aim to scare you this October, A House of Dynamite may be the most genuinely terrifying. The Hurt Locker director Kathryn Bigelow's worryingly plausible thriller tracks the same 20 minutes from different points of view as an ICBM is launched from an unknown enemy and heads towards the USA. Captain Olivia Walker (Rebecca Ferguson) and her team have minutes to formulate a plan on how to stop the missile, while the President (Idris Elba) must decide if and how to respond to an unknown aggressor.
Bigelow is the master of translating complex events into gripping and plausible cinema, as anyone who saw her terrific film about the hunt for Osama Bin Laden, Zero Dark Thirty, will know. A House of Dynamite is her most believable – and haunting – film yet.
There's a lot to choose from in our guide to the best Netflix movies.
Harlen Coben's Lazarus
Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Bill Nighy and The Hunger Games star Sam Claflin star in this new, horror-tinged thriller from the brain of mystery novelist Harlan Coben. Joel Lazarus (Claflin) returns to his home town following the death – seemingly by suicide – of his psychiatrist father, Dr. Jonathan Lazarus (Nighy). This is the second tragedy to have beset Joel, and, struggling with the trauma of it all, he starts to see visions of his recently deceased dad. Is he unwell, or is there something truly supernatural at work here? And can these visitations help him crack a series of cold cases?
Coben is a reliable name for this sort of thing and Lazarus has a formidable cast. All six episodes are available to stream on Prime Video from October 22.
Our guide to the best Amazon Prime Video shows is packed with hits.
Weapons
Available: US
Where to watch: HBO Max
Is Weapons the year's best horror movie? Zach Cregger's twisty, unpredictable supernatural thriller opens with a classroom full of school children vanishing overnight, but then goes in several entirely unexpected directions. We follow several different characters – Julia Garner's harassed teacher Justine, Josh Brolin's heartbroken parent Archer, and Alden Ehrenreich's small town cop Paul – as they try to figure out what happened to the kids and who is responsible.
To say much more of the plot would risk taking away from the fun of the movie – and Weapons is indeed very fun, despite its dark premise and some moments of shocking gore. Steeped in atmosphere (fans of Stephen King and Twin Peaks will likely get a kick out of this one) and blessed with a terrific villain, this is ideal October viewing.
This list of the best HBO Max movies is packed with classics.
The Monster of Florence
Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Netflix
Yep, it's another week, which means another Netflix serial killer thriller... This four part drama from Gomorrah director Stefano Sollima is a classier affair than most, however. It digs into the "Monster of Florence" killings – an infamous unsolved case from the '70s and '80s that involved the slayings of at least eight couples in Italy, and perhaps many more. The murders were brutal, with ritualistic overtones. As the investigation progressed, they were linked back to killings in the 1960s. While a suspect had been imprisoned for that crime, the later wave of murders raises the question of accomplices, and perhaps even a vast conspiracy.
Netflix's drama concentrates on the initial wave of killings – perhaps leaving the door open for further seasons – with each episode told from a different point of view. It's a fascinating, if grim, story, and one that still haunts and fascinates to this day.
Keep track of the best shows on Netflix with our regularly-updated guide.
Mr. Scorsese
Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Apple TV
After a week packed full of horror and crime shows, a documentary might be the breath of fresh air that you're looking for! This five-episode series – which is streaming in its entirety now on Apple TV – delves into the life of the great director, Martin Scorsese. As the mastermind behind legendary movies such as Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, The Departed, and the recent Killers of the Flower Moon, Scorsese is one of the true giants of modern cinema, and the series follows his life from his student days right up to the present.
Scorsese is not the only filmmaking hero featured – the series also includes interviews with the likes of Robert De Niro and Steven Spielberg, as well as Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger. Essential viewing for cinephiles as well as casual fans.
Our guide to the best Apple TV movies features some of the best shows on TV right now.
Looking for something else to watch? Check out our list of the best shows on Disney Plus.
