Pumpkin spice is suddenly in everything, sweater weather is here, and horror movies are all over your local multiplex—welcome to October. But while the start of fall certainly boasts its share of films that go bump in the night, an intriguing mix of prestige titles is also on deck as we creep closer to awards season. Some of them (Whalefall, The Social Reckoning) certainly still feel like horror movies, even if they don’t necessarily show literal monsters onscreen. But for those who want to avoid scares of all types, there’s a lush new take on Jane Austen and a new Laika offering that seems destined to become an animated classic.
The Social Reckoning (October 9)
Aaron Sorkin wrote and directed this long-awaited follow-up to 2010’s The Social Network, though its title promises a “reckoning” that anyone who’s been online in the 16 years since the original’s release already knows has not (and probably won’t) come to pass. The film dramatizes the story of whistleblower Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison), who leaked a bunch of Facebook documents in 2021 that identified some of the platform’s more controversial business practices. Succession’s Jeremy Strong stars as Mark Zuckerberg, alongside a cast that includes Jeremy Allen White, Bill Burr, and Betty Gilpin.
Other Mommy (October 9)
Jessica Chastain pulls double duty in this Blumhouse flick whose trailer freaked everyone out ahead of Spider-Man: Brand New Day over the summer. The story is basically what it says on the tin: A young girl bonds with a sinister, shape-shifting entity that looks just like her real mother but definitely is not). Chastain plays both the caring parent desperate to save her kid and the freaky doppelganger threatening her family. Disturbing with a capital D.
Sense And Sensibility (October 16)
This new take on Jane Austen’s classic Regency-era tale of sisterly affection, desperate yearning, and sharp social satire doesn’t appear to be reinventing the wheel in the costume drama space. But, gosh, does it look as though it ticks all the boxes any fan could want. Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esmé Creed-Miles star as Elinor and Marianne Dashwood alongside a supporting cast that includes Caitríona Balfe, Frank Dillane, Herbert Nordrum, George MacKay, and Fiona Shaw.
Street Fighter (October 16)
This new adaptation of the popular video game hails from director Kitao Sakurai, who has decided to keep the plot pretty simple and get right down to what the people want to see: A bunch of weird guys (and girls) punching each other, bolstered by some cool effects. There’s a barebones story—Ryu and Ken are two former students from the same martial arts school who’ve gone their separate ways, only to be drawn back together by way of a tournament held by the villainous M. Bison—colorful characters, who look remarkably like their in-game counterparts; outlandish visuals; and a lot of street fighting.
Whalefall (October 16)
In a month with multiple hardcore horror flicks hitting theaters, it’s remarkable that October’s scariest movie might be Whalefall. Based on the excellent book by Daniel Kraus, the film follows a young scuba diver who is swallowed whole by an 80-foot sperm whale. With just an hour of air remaining, he’ll have to find a way to both survive and escape his disgusting prison. And if the trailer is anything to go by, this movie is not going to skimp on the inherent grossness of this concept. Austin Abrams and Josh Brolin star.
Late filmmaker William Greaves’ unfinished footage of a 1972 gathering of the remaining living artists of the Harlem Renaissance finally sees the light of day thanks to the efforts of his son, David, who served as a cameraman that day. Filmed in Duke Ellington’s home, Once Upon A Time In Harlem is not just a fascinating series of conversations and anecdotes among a murderers’ row of songwriters, authors, poets, journalists, and theater types but an impressive, vital record of a movement.
The Only Living Pickpocket In New York (October 16)
John Turturro stars as an old-school New York City pickpocket who’s finding it more and more difficult to make a living in our increasingly cashless society. But when he steals something from someone he shouldn’t have and runs afoul of the mob, he’ll have to work overtime to get back the already-fenced item. It all adds up to a straightforward, character-driven throwback with a cast that includes Steve Buscemi, Giancarlo Esposito, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Tatiana Maslany.
Clayface (October 23)
The latest entry in James Gunn’s DC universe is its first true horror story, spotlighting a mid-level member of Batman’s rogues’ gallery who has a particularly disturbing special ability. Tom Rhys Harries stars as Matt Hagen, an up-and-coming Hollywood actor whose career is cut short when an accident leaves him horribly disfigured. (It’s weird how often this seems to happen in DC stories.) Desperate to salvage his career, he turns to an experimental treatment that ends up having a few gross side effects. James Watkins directs from a script by Mike Flanagan, and the trailer certainly leans into the “psychological thriller meets extreme body horror” vibe.
Wildwood (October 23)
The long-awaited new film from the studio that brought us Coraline and Kubo And The Two Strings, every frame of Wildwood’s painstakingly crafted stop-motion animation feels like the best possible rebuke to the AI slop that’s slowly taking over the world. A modern-day fairy tale based on a children’s book written by The Decemberists’ Colin Meloy and illustrated by his wife, Carson Ellis, the story follows a headstrong teen who must rescue her baby brother after he is abducted by a murder of crows and taken into the Impossible Wilderness. Its impressive voice cast includes Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Carey Mulligan, Angela Bassett, Mahershala Ali, Richard E. Grant, Awkwafina, Amandla Stenberg, Tom Waits, Charlie Day, Blythe Danner, and many more.
Possible Love (October 23)
The first feature film from Korean director Lee Chang-dong in nearly a decade, Possible Love follows the story of a financially struggling couple whose lives become entangled with a wealthy documentarian and her husband who want to make them the subject of her new film about laid-off workers. A story about hidden tensions and the unspoken rules about who gets to tell others’ stories, the film stars Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Cho Yeo-jeong, and Zo In-sung.
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