With major film festivals and the 2024 Emmy Awards now behind us, it’s high time we gear up for a new roster of on-screen entertainment. Considering we’ve arrived in October, there’s really only one genre on everyone’s minds: horror. Indeed, a good slice of this month’s line-up serves to appease the horror enthusiasts, but there’s plenty more alternatives for what you can stream on television too.
For starters, seasonal returns in the form of The Platform 2 and Hellbound 2 will make for gripping television. Whilst the Spanish sequel looks to be a visceral reflection of social inequality and the abject horrors of gluttony, the South Korean thriller is a heart thumping trip back into the wayward world, where individuals are decreed prophecies and sent to hell, with seemingly no way out of it. A bone-chilling mystery also awaits in the form of Thailand’s Don’t Come Home, that follows Fah, a pregnant police officer who is investigating a bewildering disappearance at Jarukanant house. For more Gone Girl-esque entertainment, then perhaps consider Apple TV+’s Disclaimer where Cate Blanchett plays a famous journalist whose mystifying past threatens to break through the surface.
But horror is not all there is. The third season of Heartstopper promises plenty of lighthearted romance to swoon and gush over, as Joe Locke and Kit Connor return to the screen as Charlie and Nick, their relationship stronger than ever. Meanwhile, Studio Ghibli’s Academy award-winning The Boy and the Heron finally makes its way to Netflix. And for those still reeling from post-concert depression after Olivia Rodrigo’s turn in Singapore? Look to the month-end release of her concert film, and relive all her best hits from the comfort of your bedroom.
Below, peruse our full curation of what to watch this October—all available on popular streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney+ and Apple TV+.
1 / 9
Disclaimer
After the resounding response it gained at its Venice Film Festival premiere, Disclaimer has been hotly-anticipated, if only for its star-studded cast alone. Directed by Alfonso Cuarón, Cate Blanchett is Catherine Ravenscroft, a successful journalist who receives a mysterious book that seems to hold all the secrets to a past she wants to keep hidden. Blanchett is joined by Louis Partridge, Leila George, Kevin Kline and Jung Ho-yeon.
Watch Disclaimer on Apple TV+ from 11 October 2024.
2 / 9
Heartstopper Season 3
The leaves fall, and the Heartstopper cast is back with us this fall. Season 3 is finally on its way to us, and Nick (Kit Connor) and Charlie (Joe Locke) are taking their romance to the next level. On the cusp of adulthood, the couple will face challenges bigger than themselves, and Nick gradually learns how to understand and navigate Charlie’s mental health issues. This season will also welcome fresh faces, like Hayley Atwell as Nick’s aunt, Diane, and Jonathan Bailey will also be making a cameo as Jack Maddox, an Instagram-famous classicist.
Watch Heartstopper Season 3 on Netflix from 3 October.
3 / 9
Don’t Come Home
Nothing like a horror house to give you chills to the bone. A suspense-filled Thai thriller finds itself in Don’t Come Home. We follow Fah, a pregnant police officer (Pitchapa Phanthumchinda), who is investigating the inexplicable disappearance of Min (Ploypaphas Fonkaewsiwaporn) at Jarukanant house, after she was brought to the mansion by her own mother, Varee (Woranuch Bhirombhakdi).
Watch Don’t Come Home on Netflix from 31 October.
4 / 9
The Boy and the Heron
There’s no doubt about it. One of the most highly-anticipated additions to October’s lineup is The Boy and The Heron, Studio Ghibli’s latest film, which also won Best Animated Feature at this year’s Oscars. The film follows a boy named Mahito Maki, who moves to the countryside after his mother’s death. There, he follows a grey heron into an abandoned tower, where he chances upon a fantastical world that toes the line between the living and the dead.
Watch The Boy and The Heron on Netflix from 7 October.
5 / 9
Hellbound Season 2
It’s the resurrection of one of South Korea’s biggest horror-thrillers. Hellbound Season 2 picks up where we left off in the first season: after Chairman Jung Jinsu disappeared and Park Jungja being brought back to life. After being condemned to hell for many years, Chairman Jung, the founder of the New Truth cult, realises that his original dicta, alongside that of the extremists—the Arrowhead cult—have arrived in new foreign territory and now rule the world. As the secrets of the supernatural beings continue to unfurl, what is the truth behind it all?
Watch Hellbound Season 2 on Netflix from 25 October.
6 / 9
Shrinking Season 2
They might be therapists, but that doesn’t mean they’ve got their own lives in order. Apple TV+’s hit dram-com Shrinking continues its second season—and its starry cast returns with it. From its satirical tone and brilliant script to the sheer genius of Jason Segel and Harrison Ford as Jimmy and Dr. Paul, Season 2 will see Jimmy continue to straddle his personal life issues and patient’s cases at the same time.
Watch Shrinking Season 2 on Apple TV+ from 16 October 2024.
7 / 9
The Platform 2
Sticking to your meal is the ultimate Law. Should the Law not be upheld, your head rolls. A visceral dystopian thriller returns to the screens, after the release of The Platform in 2019. A critique on social inequity and gluttony all at once, The Platform 2 continues to be centred around a dubious food distribution system in a vertical platform; as a ravishing platter of food descends, each person must only eat their chosen dish. But does the rule benefit some more than others?
Watch The Platform 2 on Netflix from 4 October.
8 / 9
Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born
Based on the eponymous South Korean webtoon, Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born, follows its titular character, a young countryside girl with big dreams of becoming a musical theatre actress and joining a women’s traditional theatre’s company. Kim Tae-ri stars as Jeongnyeon, and Shin Ye-eun of The Glory fame, plays her main rival, Youngseo.
Watch Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born on Disney+ from 12 October.
9 / 9
Olivia Rodrigo: Guts World Tour
Post-concert, and we’re all ready to relive the experience of Olivia Rodrigo’s whirlwind world tour. Now you can, with Olivia Rodrigo: Guts World Tour coming to Netflix. Experience the immersive magic of the pop starlet’s addictive tunes—just like you were back in the stadium with her—and belt out your angst if need be. Surely, it’s a good idea, right?
Watch Olivia Rodrigo: Guts World Tour on Netflix from 29 October.
