Creepy New Releases Coming To Netflix In October 2022
Spooky season is about to pop off on Netflix! Throughout October, the streaming giant boasts a festive and haunted lineup, spanning original television series, films, and true-crime productions. Acclaimed animation filmmaker Henry Selick makes his impressive comeback with a new animated feature, "Wendell & Wild," alongside "Guillermo Del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities" — a chilling new anthology show. And, of course, the latest series from horror mastermind Mike Flanagan, "The Midnight Club."
But that's not all, folks. There will be plenty to satiate any nightmare-inducing stories you desire. Contributions from Jeff Wadlow ("The Curse of Bridge Hollow"), Roh Deok ("Glitch"), and John Lee Hancock ("Mr. Harrigan's Phone") make for one helluva Halloween lineup. You surely will not be disappointed. Halloween decorations come to life! Aliens make contact with humans! A young boy talks with the dead, oh my! Dive into our rundown below on the creepiest content coming your way. But don't fret if you have little gremlins at home! I promise that some family-friendly frightening scares are coming too.
The Midnight Club
The pressure is on for Flanagan's upcoming Netflix series. Following the critical success of "The Haunting of Hill House," "The Haunting of Bly Manor," and last year's "Midnight Mass," he has his work cut out for him. Unlike his previous entries, "The Midnight Club" aims for a younger, Gen Z audience. It's showing real gateway-horror energy with plenty of chills and thrills 一 and some grisly murders.
Based on Christopher Pike's 1994 novel of the same name, the series follows eight hospice teens who "meet each night at midnight to tell sinister stories, and to look for signs of the supernatural" reads the official synopsis. Creepily, the mansion where the kids reside harbors a host of dark entities and a tragic, long-forgotten past. The dead never really stay dead. By all accounts, the series promises to be as gritty and disturbing as the source material. In a previous interview, Flanagan discussed how "it was not at all uncommon for [Christopher's] teenage characters to die, pretty shockingly."
"The Midnight Club" debuts on October 7 and stars horror icon Heather Langenkamp, Samantha Sloyan, Zach Gilford, Annarah Cymone, and Igby Rigney.
The Curse of Bridge Hollow
Producer Marlon Wayans, Kelly Rowland, and Priah Ferguson lead the cast of Jeff Wadlow's "The Curse of Bridge Hollow." Made with a visual style and story that seemingly melds "Hocus Pocus" with "Halloweentown," the film is not without its genuinely creepy imagery 一 especially when you consider the premise: an ancient spirit possesses Halloween decorations.
Ferguson plays Sydney, and her family has just moved from Brooklyn to Bridge Hollow. Her mother promises that "small towns are full of surprises." (Boy, she's certainly not wrong!) Sydney unintentionally sets a mischievous spirit free, and it ravages her secluded town. She must then team up with her father (Wayans) if they have any hopes of defeating the frightful entity known as Stingy Jack.
Director Wadlow names Steven Spielberg and Chris Columbus among his influences and promises to bring "that '80s Amblin [Entertainment] tone" with "a modern sensibility." "The Curse of Bridge Hollow" arrives on October 14.
Guillermo Del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities
In "Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities," a collection of top-notch horror directors come together to tell a twisty anthology of macabre tales. Filmmakers Jennifer Kent ("The Babadook"), Vincenzo Natali ("Splice"), and Panos Cosmatos ("Mandy") are among those involved in contributing to the horror master's latest work. The stories draw from vastly different arenas, including "outer space, supernatural lore, or simply within our minds," del Toro teased.
The five other directors are David Pryor ("The Empty Man"), Keith Thomas ("The Vigil" and "Firestarter"), Catherine Hardwicke ("Twilight"), and Ana Lily Amirpour ("A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night"). In the first look teaser for "Cabinet of Curiosities," del Toro gives audiences a peek at the "beautiful and practical creatures" he sought to create. The anthology series will contain eight episodes that drop daily beginning October 25 and leading up to Halloween. In their essence, they are "a fantastical peek inside the cabinet of delights existing underneath the reality we live in," adds the famed director.
Wendell & Wild
Stop-motion animator Henry Selick has not produced, written, and directed a feature film since 2009's "Coraline." Fortunately, he finally makes his grand return with Netflix's "Wendell & Wild." According to the movie's official synopsis, "Wendell & Wild" is a story about "two devious demon brothers" who "have to face their arch-enemy with the help of the nun Sister Helly." The voice cast boasts huge names, including Angela Bassett, James Hong, Lyric Ross, Jordan Peele, Tamara Smart, and Keegan-Michael Key.
To design the film's weird world and craft a unique story, Selick told /Film he tried "think of where we are now in history and what the audience has already seen." There was also a balancing act that occurred, teetering between "more sadness" and "the humor from Key and Peele." As seen in the "Wendell & Wild" trailer, Selick and his team seem to have captured the magic of both. "Wendell & Wild" hits Netflix on October 28.
Conversations with a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes
Ryan Murphy's dramatic retelling of events, "Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story," will barely have collected dust when Netflix releases a separate Dahmer-centric docu-series. Titled "Conversations with a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes," it's the latest installment in the ongoing "Conversations" series, which follows storylines on America's serial killers like Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy.
Similar to previous entries, this one will document Dahmer confessing to his grisly crimes with possible clues into how he sustained his reign of terror. In the trailer, attorney Wendy Patrickus invites the viewer into her perspective. As it was her first-ever case, the pressure couldn't have been greater for her. "There were horrific things that he did, but Jeffrey was a very complex person," says Patrickus. Later, she added, "There were times I felt like a mother to him, and I felt like I was his therapist." Netflix's "Conversations with a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes" releases on October 7.
The Good Nurse
Jessica Chastain stars as Nurse Amy Loughren in the upcoming crime-drama "The Good Nurse," based on the real-life serial killer Charlie Cullen. Amy is good at her job, but she risks everything when it's revealed that her colleague, Charlie Cullen (Eddie Redmayne), has killed dozens of patients. Amy must then expose her medical superior and potentially jeopardize her own career and her children.
The true story is as haunting and dark as the film's trailer. In real life, Charlie Cullen confessed to killing 40 patients — although there's an indication that he may have murdered several hundred patients. Only 29 victims have ever been confirmed. After years of delaying his sentence, Cullen is now serving 11 life sentences. The film aims to bring this shocking reality to the small screen and will also see a limited theatrical run. "The Good Nurse" makes its streaming debut on October 26.
Mr. Harrigan's Phone
Directed by John Lee Hancock, grief lies at the heart of "Mr. Harrigan's Phone." The psychological thriller tells the story of a young boy named Craig (Jaeden Martell) who befriends an elderly gentleman, Mr. Harrigan (Donald Sutherland). This unlikely friendship abruptly ends when Harrigan dies suddenly. In mourning, Craig dials up Harrigan's number and leaves sorrowful voicemails about being bullied and asking for advice. He soon begins receiving strange phone calls in return from the late Mr. Harrigan.
But this wild turn of events is just the tip of the iceberg! Death and destruction further haunt Craig. With a script penned by Hancock and based on a Stephen King short story, "Mr. Harrigan's Phone" probes deep within Craig's mind — exploring the extent grief has infiltrated and disrupted his life. That's terrifying enough — never mind the haunted house thrills depicted in the trailer! Alongside Sutherland and Martell, the cast also includes Thomas Francis Murphy, Peggy J. Scott, Joe Tippett, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, and Cyrus Arnold. "Mr. Harrigan's Phone" hits Netflix on October 5.
Glitch
In the K-drama "Glitch," Hong Ji-Hyo's (Jeon Yeo-Been) boyfriend vanishes. But she doesn't initially turn to the cops. Instead, she takes matters into her hands and mounts an investigation. Ji-Hyo stumbles across a secret UFO club that could be the key to unlocking her boyfriend's whereabouts. She befriends a member of the club, Heo Bo-Ra (Nana). Together, they fall into a mysterious web that suggests a secret much larger than they could have expected.
The trailer bends comedy and social anxieties with the extraterrestrial. But don't be fooled by the campy tone permeating each frame. The series blends sci-fi and thriller elements into its storyline. During their investigation, Bo-Ra and Ji-Hyo attempt to confirm aliens exist and have made contact with planet Earth, causing technological devices to malfunction and transport its user to another location altogether. The series is directed by Roh Deok and also stars Lee Dong-hwi and Ryu Kyung-soo. "Glitch" shatters screens on October 7.