October is three weeks in and the good stuff is already out: Nathan Fielder's Elizabeth Holmes doc, Whalefall, a new Sense and Sensibility, The Diplomat. Here's what to catch up on, what lands before Halloween, and what's worth the wait in November. And if you're in LA, AFI Fest is on right now with Tarantino in the room Friday.
Late to the month? Good. The first three weeks did the sorting for you. Below: what's out and worth your time, what's still coming through November 15, and a new section on vertical dramas, because the phone-first soap operas shot all over this city are now a real industry. Every date is checked. Where we couldn't confirm one, we left it out.
The second half of the page is for Los Angeles only. Watching It in LA has the AFI Fest lineup, the Egyptian's return, Halloween week on 35mm, and where the small releases actually play.
What We're Hyped For
Three picks. Two are out now, one lands next week. Trailers first, so you can decide for yourself.
Movies
You Can See Everything · Out now, Theaters (A24)
Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim made a documentary about Elizabeth Holmes, and it is sitting at 98 percent. That sentence should be enough. If it isn't: this is the Rehearsal guy pointing his camera at the most performed person in American business history, and the word of mouth is the strongest of any film this month. Opened October 16.
Sense and Sensibility · Out now, Theaters (Focus)
Georgia Oakley directs Daisy Edgar-Jones, Caitríona Balfe and George MacKay in the first serious big-screen Austen since the Emma Thompson version thirty years ago. Reviews are warm, the cast is the draw, and it's the right film for the first cold weekend of the year, which in LA means 68 degrees. Opened October 16.
TV and Streaming
The One About Matthew Perry · October 27, Netflix
Three parts, directed by Mary Robertson, made with his family and built on footage nobody has seen. It is the first full account of the Friends star's life told by the people who were in it, three years after his death, and the trailer already walks the line between the laugh and the ache. The one documentary this fall that everyone will have an opinion about by Wednesday morning.
Everything above is a judgment call. Everything below is a calendar.
Movies: Out Now
The first three weeks in one paragraph. Digger (Iñárritu directing Tom Cruise) and Verity (the Colleen Hoover thriller) opened the month wide and split critics. The Social Reckoning, Aaron Sorkin's Facebook follow-up with Mikey Madison and Jeremy Strong, is the prestige swing. Street Fighter and Whalefall took October 16, and Whalefall (Austin Abrams swallowed by a whale, Josh Brolin on the surface) is the better film. The arthouse winners are Fjord (Cristian Mungiu, Sebastian Stan, 90 percent), Misty Green (Chris Rock directing himself, Adam Driver and Daniel Kaluuya) and Musk, Alex Gibney's Elon Musk documentary, which went wide October 16. On streaming, Spielberg's Disclosure Day landed on Peacock, Ben Affleck's Animals on Netflix, and Romain Gavras's Sacrifice with Chris Evans and Charli XCX is the Netflix one people are arguing about.
Out Now: Full Calendar (October 1 to 21)72 titles
| Date | Title | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 1 | The Trial of Alec Baldwin | Theaters (limited, wider from Oct 16) |
| Oct 2 | Digger | Theaters |
| Oct 2 | Verity | Theaters |
| Oct 2 | Rolling Loud: The Movie | Theaters |
| Oct 2 | Beware Boiúna | Theaters |
| Oct 2 | Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother | Theaters (expanding) |
| Oct 2 | Atonement (2026) | Theaters (NY and LA) |
| Oct 2 | The Last First: Winter K2 | Select theaters and Apple TV |
| Oct 2 | Lady | Theaters (limited) |
| Oct 2 | April X | Theaters (limited) |
| Oct 2 | Ghost in the Cell | Theaters (limited) |
| Oct 2 | Appofeniacs | Theaters (limited) |
| Oct 2 | The Cuckoo Clock | Theaters (rolling city dates) |
| Oct 2 | Tyler Perry's Doing Life | Netflix |
| Oct 2 | Infirmary | Shudder |
| Oct 4 to 8 | Adore Him: He Is Here | Theaters (Fathom event) |
| Oct 6 | Onslaught | VOD |
| Oct 6 | Fall 2: Deadpoint | VOD |
| Oct 6 | Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: Organic Intelligence | VOD |
| Oct 6 | Your Attention Please | Apple TV |
| Oct 7 | Love of Your Life | Theaters (limited); Prime Video Oct 14 |
| Oct 7 | Queen Budapest | Theaters and IMAX (special engagement) |
| Oct 9 | Other Mommy | Theaters |
| Oct 9 | The Social Reckoning | Theaters |
| Oct 9 | Angel and the Badman | Theaters |
| Oct 9 | The Beast | Theaters |
| Oct 9 | Fjord | Theaters |
| Oct 9 | Misty Green | Theaters (limited) |
| Oct 9 | Musk | Theaters (limited, wide Oct 16) |
| Oct 9 | California Schemin' | Theaters (limited) |
| Oct 9 | Tenzing | Select theaters; Apple TV Oct 16 |
| Oct 9 | André Leon Talley: Style Is Forever | Theaters (limited) |
| Oct 9 | The Sixty-Year Mission | Theaters (limited) |
| Oct 9 | Double Trouble | Theaters (limited) |
| Oct 9 | Big Girls Don't Cry | Theaters (limited) |
| Oct 9 | A Prayer for the Dying | Theaters (limited) |
| Oct 9 | Animals | Netflix and limited theaters |
| Oct 9 | Disclosure Day | Peacock |
| Oct 9 | Matchbox: The Movie | Apple TV |
| Oct 9 | The Housemaid | HBO Max |
| Oct 9 | The Florist | VOD |
| Oct 9 | R.L. Stine's Pumpkinhead 2 | Tubi |
| Oct 9 | V/H/S/Mixtape | Shudder |
| Oct 10 | Hokum | Hulu |
| Oct 11 and 14 | Grandmasters | Theaters (AMC event screenings) |
| Oct 12 | Always Lalisa | Theaters and IMAX (limited engagement) |
| Oct 12 | Free Leonard Peltier | Netflix |
| Oct 13 | Hope | VOD |
| Oct 13 | Runner | VOD |
| Oct 13 | Practical Magic 2 | VOD |
| Oct 16 | Whalefall | Theaters |
| Oct 16 | Street Fighter | Theaters |
| Oct 16 | Sense and Sensibility | Theaters |
| Oct 16 | You Can See Everything | Theaters |
| Oct 16 | Crawlers | Theaters |
| Oct 16 | Ranabaali | Theaters |
| Oct 16 | The Only Living Pickpocket in New York | Theaters (LA and NY, wider Oct 23) |
| Oct 16 | Once Upon a Time in Harlem | Theaters (limited) |
| Oct 16 | The Devils, 4K director's cut | Theaters (one week only) |
| Oct 16 | One Eye Open | Theaters (limited) |
| Oct 16 | Trust Me, I'm a Doctor | Theaters (limited) |
| Oct 16 | Conceivable | Theaters (limited) |
| Oct 16 | Flywheel: Ignition of the Soul | Theaters (limited) |
| Oct 16 | Sacrifice | Netflix |
| Oct 16 | The Disciple | Netflix |
| Oct 16 | Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald | Netflix |
| Oct 16 | Masterplan | Prime Video |
| Oct 16 | The Death of Robin Hood | HBO Max |
| Oct 16 | Hallowarrior | Shudder |
| Oct 17 to 21 | Spirited Away, 25th anniversary | Theaters (Fathom) |
| Oct 20 | By Any Means | VOD |
| Oct 20 | Capturing Bigfoot | NY and LA theaters and Prime Video |
Movies: Still Coming
Halloween weekend (October 23) is the real opening weekend of the month. Clayface, the first DC Studios horror movie (James Watkins, Tom Rhys Harries, Naomi Ackie), and Klara and the Sun (Taika Waititi adapting Ishiguro, Jenna Ortega, Amy Adams) go wide, Laika's stop-motion epic Wildwood opens through Fathom, and Sacha Baron Cohen's Ali G: Who Iz I? is his directing debut. The limited lane is stacked: Wicker (Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgård, the Sundance breakout, going nationwide October 30), A Talent for Murder (Helen Mirren as Patricia Highsmith), Fatherland (Paweł Pawlikowski's Cannes winner) and Possible Love (Lee Chang-dong's Venice winner, on Netflix November 6). On streaming, Olivia Wilde's A24 ensemble comedy The Invite hits HBO Max the same day.
October 28 is the Ozzy & Black Sabbath: Back to the Beginning concert film, one night worldwide. October 30 is Peter Berg's WWII football drama The Mosquito Bowl in select theaters ahead of Netflix on November 25, Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi's Everest: The Other Side in IMAX, and Liam Neeson in The Mongoose.
November opens big. The Cat in the Hat and Godzilla Minus Zero share November 6 with Martin McDonagh's Wild Horse Nine, A24's Club Kid and I Play Rocky. November 13 brings Ti West directing Johnny Depp in Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol, David Leitch's How to Rob a Bank, and James Gray's Paper Tiger with Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson.
Still Coming: Full Calendar (October 22 to November 15)42 titles
| Date | Title | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 23 | Clayface | Theaters |
| Oct 23 | Klara and the Sun | Theaters |
| Oct 23 | Wildwood | Theaters |
| Oct 23 | Ali G: Who Iz I? | Theaters |
| Oct 23 | Wicker | Theaters (limited, nationwide Oct 30) |
| Oct 23 | A Talent for Murder | Theaters |
| Oct 23 | Fatherland | Theaters (limited) |
| Oct 23 | Possible Love | Theaters (limited); Netflix Nov 6 |
| Oct 23 | Terrestrial | Theaters |
| Oct 23 | The Invite | HBO Max |
| Oct 23 | Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story | Netflix |
| Oct 23 | Surviving Hurricane Otis | Netflix |
| Oct 23 | The Cycle | Shudder |
| Oct 27 | The Lost Ones | VOD |
| Oct 28 | Ozzy & Black Sabbath: Back to the Beginning | Theaters (one night) |
| Oct 28 | On the Road (En el camino) | Theaters (limited) |
| Oct 28 | Breeder | Shudder |
| Oct 28 | Minions & Monsters | Peacock |
| Oct 30 | The Mongoose | Theaters |
| Oct 30 | The Mosquito Bowl | Theaters (limited); Netflix Nov 25 |
| Oct 30 | Everest: The Other Side | Theaters and IMAX |
| Oct 30 | Christmas at the Kringles | Theaters |
| Oct 30 | Queen at Sea | Theaters |
| Oct 30 | Gentle Monster | Theaters (limited); Netflix Nov 18 |
| Oct 30 | Scream, 30th anniversary | Theaters (event) |
| Oct 30 | SCTV: The Greatest Show You've Never Heard Of | Netflix |
| Nov 4 | A Dog's Perfect Christmas | Netflix |
| Nov 6 | Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat | Theaters |
| Nov 6 | Godzilla Minus Zero | Theaters and IMAX |
| Nov 6 | Wild Horse Nine | Theaters |
| Nov 6 | Club Kid | Theaters (limited) |
| Nov 6 | I Play Rocky | Theaters (limited, wide Nov 20) |
| Nov 6 | Drummer Boy | Theaters |
| Nov 6 | Possible Love | Netflix |
| Nov 11 | Avedon | Netflix |
| Nov 11 | Tyler Perry's The Gospel of Christmas | Netflix |
| Nov 13 | Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol | Theaters |
| Nov 13 | How to Rob a Bank | Theaters |
| Nov 13 | Paper Tiger | Theaters (limited, wide Nov 20) |
| Nov 13 | Victorian Psycho | Theaters |
| Nov 13 | Heartland | Netflix |
| Nov 13 | Being Heumann | Apple TV (select Regal screenings Nov 9 to 11) |
TV: Out Now
Network television came back in one wave the first two weeks, so if your DVR looks full, that's why. The new shows worth a look: NCIS: New York (LL Cool J's Sam Hanna gets his own city), Cupertino (Mike Colter suing Big Tech, CBS), Eternally Yours (a vampire couple 500 years into marriage, the sitcom pitch of the fall), and Private Eyes West Coast on The CW.
On streaming, the month belongs to limited series. East of Eden (Florence Pugh, Netflix) and Carrie (Mike Flanagan's eight-episode Stephen King, Prime Video) are the two to binge. Below is Josh Hartnett and Mackenzie Davis versus something in the Newfoundland sea, six episodes on Netflix. VisionQuest closes Marvel's WandaVision trilogy on Disney+ with James Spader back as Ultron. Crystal Lake, A24's Friday the 13th prequel with Linda Cardellini as Pamela Voorhees, is the Halloween binge on Peacock. The Diplomat Season 4 dropped all eight on October 15, and Tulsa King Season 4 started October 16 on Paramount+. Hollywood Arts, the Victorious sequel, is the LA-set one.
Out Now: Full Calendar (October 1 to 21)57 titles
| Date | Title | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 1 | East of Eden (limited series) | Netflix |
| Oct 1 | War | HBO and HBO Max |
| Oct 1 | Big Brother Season 28 finale | CBS |
| Oct 1 | Coven Academy | Freeform (Disney+ and Hulu Oct 2) |
| Oct 2 | Kill Jackie | AMC+ |
| Oct 2 | Tip Toe | Starz |
| Oct 2 | The Sisters Grimm Season 2 | Apple TV |
| Oct 4 | Tracker Season 4 | CBS |
| Oct 4 | Marshals Season 2 | CBS |
| Oct 5 | FBI Season 9 | CBS |
| Oct 5 | CIA Season 2 | CBS |
| Oct 5 | Harlan Coben's Final Twist Season 2 | CBS |
| Oct 5 | Private Eyes West Coast | The CW |
| Oct 5 | Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent Season 2 | The CW |
| Oct 6 | NCIS Season 24 | CBS |
| Oct 6 | NCIS: New York | CBS |
| Oct 6 | NCIS: Origins Season 3 | CBS |
| Oct 6 | Reasonable Doubt Season 4 | Hulu |
| Oct 7 | Carrie (limited series) | Prime Video |
| Oct 7 | Abbott Elementary Season 6 | ABC |
| Oct 7 | Chicago Med Season 12 | NBC |
| Oct 7 | Chicago Fire Season 15 | NBC |
| Oct 7 | Chicago P.D. Season 14 | NBC |
| Oct 7 | Jamie Foxx: Take Care of Yourself (stand-up special) | Hulu |
| Oct 8 | Below (limited series) | Netflix |
| Oct 8 | Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage Season 3 | CBS |
| Oct 8 | Eternally Yours | CBS |
| Oct 8 | Elsbeth Season 4 | CBS |
| Oct 8 | Cupertino | CBS |
| Oct 8 | Law & Order: SVU Season 28 | NBC |
| Oct 8 | Law & Order Season 26 | NBC |
| Oct 9 | Avatar: Seven Havens | Paramount+ |
| Oct 9 | Sheriff Country Season 2 | CBS |
| Oct 9 | Fire Country Season 5 | CBS |
| Oct 9 | Boston Blue Season 2 | CBS |
| Oct 10 | 48 Hours Season 39 | CBS |
| Oct 13 | Ludwig Season 2 | BritBox |
| Oct 13 | Tyson (docuseries) | Netflix |
| Oct 14 | VisionQuest | Disney+ |
| Oct 14 | The Lowdown Season 2 | FX (Hulu next day) |
| Oct 14 | Helluva Boss Season 3, Part 1 | Prime Video |
| Oct 14 | Love Is Blind Season 11: Boston | Netflix |
| Oct 15 | The Diplomat Season 4 | Netflix |
| Oct 15 | Crystal Lake | Peacock |
| Oct 15 | Hollywood Arts | Netflix |
| Oct 15 | 9-1-1 Season 10 | ABC |
| Oct 15 | 9-1-1: Nashville Season 2 | ABC |
| Oct 15 | Grey's Anatomy Season 23 | ABC |
| Oct 16 | Tulsa King Season 4 | Paramount+ |
| Oct 16 | The Rainmaker Season 2 | USA Network |
| Oct 18 | The Gold Season 2 (final season) | PBS Masterpiece |
| Oct 19 | Love in Disguise | Prime Video |
| Oct 20 | Phony | Hulu |
| Oct 20 | Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 | Netflix |
| Oct 21 | The Terminal List Season 2 | Prime Video |
| Oct 21 | Where's Wanda? Season 2 | Apple TV |
| Oct 21 | All the Queen's Men (final season) | Paramount+ |
TV: Still Coming
Four returns and one launch carry the next three weeks. Nobody Wants This Season 3 (October 22, Kristen Bell and Adam Brody) and Lupin Part 4 (October 23) give Netflix the biggest back-to-back weekend it's had since summer. Dexter: Resurrection Season 2 (October 30, Paramount+) puts Michael C. Hall up against Dan Stevens and Gabriel Luna. The Gilded Age Season 4 opens November 1 on HBO. The Rings of Power Season 3 lands November 11 on Prime Video. The launch is Nocturne (October 30, Apple TV): Liev Schreiber, Zazie Beetz and Stephen Graham in a Lars Kepler adaptation, two episodes Friday and then weekly through Christmas. Watch the first two in one sitting.
Two smaller ones worth your Friday: Newlyweds (October 23, NBC) pairs Téa Leoni and Tim Daly, married in real life, as a couple who get married later in life, with Jamie Lee Curtis recurring. And The One About Matthew Perry (October 27, Netflix) is a three-part documentary made with his family.
Still Coming: Full Calendar (October 22 to November 15)27 titles
| Date | Title | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 22 | Nobody Wants This Season 3 | Netflix |
| Oct 22 | Swipe Right on the Devil (limited series) | Hulu |
| Oct 23 | Lupin Part 4 | Netflix |
| Oct 23 | Newlyweds | NBC |
| Oct 23 | Happy's Place Season 3 | NBC |
| Oct 23 | Last One Laughing UK: Halloween (special) | Prime Video |
| Oct 23 | Yaga | AMC+ |
| Oct 24 | Final Table | Prime Video |
| Oct 26 | The Mob | Hulu |
| Oct 26 | Minimum Wage | Netflix |
| Oct 27 | The One About Matthew Perry (docuseries) | Netflix |
| Oct 29 | Ghosts Halloween special (two episodes) | CBS |
| Oct 30 | Dexter: Resurrection Season 2 | Paramount+ |
| Oct 30 | Nocturne | Apple TV |
| Nov 1 | The Gilded Age Season 4 | HBO and HBO Max |
| Nov 2 | St. Denis Medical Season 3 | NBC |
| Nov 4 | Stick Season 2 | Apple TV |
| Nov 4 | The Greatest (limited series) | Prime Video |
| Nov 4 | All's Fair Season 2 | Hulu |
| Nov 5 | Black Doves Season 2 | Netflix |
| Nov 5 | North of North Season 2 | Netflix |
| Nov 11 | The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3 | Prime Video |
| Nov 11 | Rivals Season 2 | Hulu |
| Nov 12 | The Good Daughter (limited series) | Peacock |
| Nov 12 | The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: Orange County | Hulu |
| Nov 13 | 12 12 12 | Apple TV |
| Nov 15 | The Chosen Season 6 | Prime Video |
Verticals: The Phone-First Dramas
New to this section? Vertical dramas, or microdramas, are scripted soaps shot in portrait for your phone: one to three minute episodes, 50 to 100 of them a series, built around billionaires, mafia bosses, werewolves and revenge. The first handful of episodes are free, then you buy coins to unlock the rest. The US is now the biggest market outside China, the apps to know are ReelShort, DramaBox, My Drama and GoodShort, and a huge share of them are shot in Los Angeles in about a week with lean crews. SAG-AFTRA's verticals contract turned one this week with dozens of union shows approved.
New this month
- The Compatibility Experiment (TikTok and PineDrama). Issa Rae's HOORAE put a broke couple on a Temptation Island-style reality show, 68 episodes, about an hour total, all available now. It follows Screen Time, which has passed 580 million views and is the most-watched show on both platforms.
- TikTok's next slate, announced at MIPCOM last week: Player, a romantic revenge thriller starring Hannah Stocking, and an untitled genre series with Adam Rose and Zaria Simone from Spooky Pictures. Dates to come.
- The union wave: Theater Kids vs. Zombies (aTwist, with Jesse Tyler Ferguson), Love Lies and Frank (Shortical, James Franco), Tides of Temptation (Lifetime, Taye Diggs producing) and Swolemates (Webtoon) are among the SAG-AFTRA verticals now rolling out. LA-based Knockout Shorts has five union shows alone.
Catalog, not new: where to start
These aren't October releases, they're the format's greatest hits, and they're the right first watch if you've never opened one of these apps. Fated to My Forbidden Alpha and The Double Life of My Billionaire Husband (ReelShort) are the two that built the US market. Breaking the Ice (ReelShort) is the hockey one everyone recommends. Game of Choice (Tallflix) is Squid Game in two-minute bites. In Other Words, I Love You (DramaBox) is the rare one with wit. On My Drama, Mr. Denver and Married Against the Will are the January hits still topping the charts.
Watching It in LA
Everything above works anywhere. This part only works here.
Premieres, with the filmmakers in the room
AFI Fest is on right now, October 21 to 25 at the TCL Chinese Theatres, and the back half of it is the best four days of the LA movie year. Thursday night is the Red Carpet Premiere of The Mosquito Bowl (7:30 pm) and a special screening of Elsinore with Andrew Scott and Olivia Colman (6:15 pm). Friday, October 23, is the night: Tony Gilroy's Behemoth! at 6:25 pm followed by a conversation with Gilroy and Pedro Pascal, and then Once Upon a Time in Hollywood at 7:30 pm with Quentin Tarantino in conversation afterward. Saturday is the I Play Rocky premiere at 2 pm, 2001: A Space Odyssey at 7:30 pm with guest artistic directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, and Martin McDonagh's Wild Horse Nine at 8:45 pm. Sunday closes with Brad Bird's Ray Gunn at 1 pm and Sian Heder's Being Heumann at 7:30 pm. Features are $19, premieres $25 to $30, four tickets per person per screening, at fest.afi.com. It's Oscar-qualifying for all three short categories.
The Egyptian is back. After closing in June for technical upgrades, the Cinematheque's Hollywood flagship is programming again, and the first weekend back is strong: The Shining on 35mm Saturday October 24 at 2 pm with a panel on horror screenwriting, Werewolf by Night that night at 7 pm, free, with composer Michael Giacchino interviewed by Richard Kind, and Last Night in Soho Sunday October 25 at 7 pm with Edgar Wright and Thomasin McKenzie for the fifth anniversary. Friday October 23 is the New Black Hollywood panel and showcase at 7 pm. americancinematheque.com
More rooms with the filmmaker in them: Paweł Pawlikowski does a Q&A after the 5 pm Fatherland at the Laemmle Royal on Sunday October 25. Stephen Maing and Eric Daniel Metzgar take questions after The Great Experiment at Laemmle Glendale on October 23 and 24, and at the Royal October 25. Chris Carter is at the Royal Thursday October 22 for Queens for a Day. Sam Green talks The Oldest Person in the World at Vidiots October 22. The Aero screens Being Heumann free on Monday October 26 with its editor, composer and designers. And on November 4 the Los Feliz 3 has Our Hero, Balthazar with Asa Butterfield and Jaeden Martell in person.
Festivals
AFI Fest, above, through Sunday. Then PROOF Film Festival, the Cinematheque's showcase for new voices, runs November 5 to 8 across the Los Feliz 3, the Culver Theater and the Egyptian, with shorts blocks, financing panels and the awards show Sunday November 8. Beyond Fest, Screamfest, German Currents and Animation Is Film all wrapped before this edition; if you missed them, that's the calendar's fault, not yours.
Where the small releases play
October 23 is a big Laemmle weekend. Wicker opens at NoHo 7, the Monica Film Center, Newhall and Town Center 5 in Encino. Fjord opens at NoHo 7 and adds Glendale and Santa Monica October 30. A Talent for Murder plays Newhall, Encino and NoHo. Fatherland is at the Royal. Clayface is at Newhall and NoHo 7 if you'd rather see it in a smaller room. Nuns vs. the Vatican is at the Monica Film Center, Making Marie Antoinette at NoHo 7. laemmle.com
The Only Living Pickpocket in New York moves to the Art Theatre in Long Beach October 30. Ken Russell's The Devils, the NC-17 director's cut, is also playing the Art Theatre this week, three shows a day. Vidiots' Microcinema takes Colony October 23 to 26 and Resident Evil (2026) October 30 to November 1.
Free, and in a museum
The UCLA Film and Television Archive is back from its summer break at the Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer, and it's free, first come first served: The Battle of Algiers for its 60th on Saturday October 24, a Halloween double of La Llorona and Pulse October 31, A Ghost Story November 1, Babette's Feast November 7, and a Ryusuke Hamaguchi early-works series running through November 22. cinema.ucla.edu
The Autry in Griffith Park does Vampire in Brooklyn for its Black Classic Movie Night on Halloween, and on November 6 hosts an Institute of American Indian Arts shorts program and panel with AMC+'s Dark Winds. theautry.org
Halloween week on film
This is the week the repertory houses live for. The New Beverly runs everything on 35mm: Aliens Friday matinee October 23, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari with live accompaniment Sunday October 25 at 2 pm, The Others and The Orphanage October 27 and 28, The Beyond and Pieces October 29 and 30, and on Halloween night a Homicidal and Mr. Sardonicus William Castle double with Halloween H20 at midnight. Weeklong through October 25: Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma in its LA 35mm debut. thenewbev.com
The Cinematheque's Halloween Saturday, October 31: The Haunting (35mm, 1 pm) and Poltergeist (4 pm) at the Aero, The Birds on 35mm at the Egyptian (3 pm), Death Becomes Her (35mm, 4 pm) and Queen of the Damned (35mm, 7 pm) at the Los Feliz 3, Night of the Living Dead on 35mm at the Aero (7:30 pm), and Raw at 10 pm. Before that: The Exorcist on 35mm at the Aero Friday October 23, Creature from the Black Lagoon in 3D on 35mm October 28 for Julie Adams' centennial, Scream for its 30th at the Aero October 30, and Rocky Horror at the Egyptian October 30. The Los Feliz 3's 10 pm "faintly frightening" run is the family option: Arachnophobia on 35mm October 25, Killer Klowns October 26, Hocus Pocus October 28.
Vidiots in Eagle Rock has a Halloween party with Death Becomes Her Thursday October 22, The Shining on 35mm October 24, a free Día de los Muertos celebration Sunday October 25 with Coco in Spanish, E.T. and The Exorcist both on 35mm that day, two nights of 16mm Halloween Haunts October 28 and 29, and the closer on October 31: Bride of Frankenstein, Halloween and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre back to back. vidiotsfoundation.org
New restorations worth the trip: Nobuo Nakagawa's Jigoku in 4K at the Los Feliz 3 (October 27 and 30), The Wild Party (1929) in 4K November 1, and the world premiere of Her Wedding Night (1930) restored, November 8, part of a Clara Bow series.
Outdoors, last call
Cinespia closes the Hollywood Forever season with Jennifer's Body October 30 (sold out) and The Thing on Halloween night, gates at 5:30. cinespia.org Street Food Cinema moves to Heritage Square Museum for Sinners and Blade October 23 and Jennifer's Body with Bodies Bodies Bodies October 24, and does a free fan premiere of Christmas at the Kringles there Tuesday October 27. It also lists From Dusk Till Dawn at The Ford October 30 and Rocky Horror there October 31. streetfoodcinema.com Rooftop Cinema Club DTLA runs horror nightly through October 28: Psycho and Nightmare on Elm Street October 22, Halloween and Friday the 13th October 23, Practical Magic and Rocky Horror October 25, Scream October 27. From $21.75. rooftopcinemaclub.com
LA County at large
Long Beach has the single best Halloween ticket in the county: Nosferatu (1922) with a live score by the Jack Curtis Dubowsky Ensemble at the Art Theatre on October 31, with a shadow-cast Rocky Horror the same night. The Art also has The 'Burbs on 16mm October 30 and the Ozzy & Black Sabbath concert film October 28. arttheatrelongbeach.org Santa Clarita and Encino both get Wicker and A Talent for Murder opening day, which is not something either city gets often. Glendale gets The Great Experiment with its directors. Culver City hosts PROOF at the Culver Theater November 6 and 7. Historic Filipinotown: Los Angeles Filmforum's Festival of (In)appropriation at 2220 Arts, October 24.
The LA-set watchlist
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood at AFI Fest with its director (October 23) is the obvious one. On streaming, Hollywood Arts (Netflix) is set at the fictional performing-arts high school from Victorious, and Musk spends a lot of time in Hawthorne.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the biggest movies coming out for Halloween 2026?
Clayface, DC's first horror film, and Klara and the Sun both open October 23, with Laika's Wildwood and Sacha Baron Cohen's Ali G: Who Iz I? the same day. Wicker goes nationwide October 30.
What's the best movie out right now in October 2026?
By reviews, You Can See Everything, Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim's Elizabeth Holmes documentary, at 98 percent. Fjord and Musk are close behind. For a crowd, Whalefall.
When does Nobody Wants This Season 3 come out?
October 22, 2026, on Netflix.
When does Dexter: Resurrection Season 2 start?
October 30, 2026, on Paramount+, with new episodes weekly through December.
What's coming to Netflix in late October and November 2026?
Nobody Wants This Season 3 (Oct 22), Lupin Part 4 (Oct 23), The One About Matthew Perry (Oct 27), Black Doves Season 2 (Nov 5), Possible Love (Nov 6), Heartland (Nov 13), Gentle Monster (Nov 18) and The Mosquito Bowl (Nov 25).
What is a vertical drama?
A scripted series shot in portrait for phones, in one to three minute episodes, usually 50 to 100 per show. The first episodes are free and you pay per episode after that. ReelShort and DramaBox are the biggest US apps.
When is AFI Fest 2026 and how do I get tickets?
October 21 to 25 at the TCL Chinese Theatres in Hollywood. Individual tickets are $19 for features and $25 to $30 for red carpet premieres at fest.afi.com, four per person per screening.
Is the Egyptian Theatre open again?
Yes. It closed June 8 for technical upgrades and is programming again, with The Shining on 35mm October 24 and Last Night in Soho with Edgar Wright October 25.
Where can I watch horror movies on 35mm in LA this Halloween?
The New Beverly runs 35mm all week. American Cinematheque's Aero, Los Feliz 3 and Egyptian have The Exorcist, The Haunting, The Birds, Night of the Living Dead and Death Becomes Her on 35mm, and Vidiots has The Shining and The Exorcist on 35mm October 24 and 25.
Where can I see movies outdoors in LA in late October 2026?
Cinespia's last two nights at Hollywood Forever are October 30 and 31. Street Food Cinema is at Heritage Square Museum October 23, 24 and 27. Rooftop Cinema Club DTLA runs through October 28.
The Verdict
If you do one thing this week, be at the Chinese Theatre Friday night when Tarantino walks out after Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. If you do one thing Halloween night, it's Nosferatu with a live band in Long Beach, or The Thing under the stars at Hollywood Forever. In between, see You Can See Everything before someone spoils it, and clear Thursday for Nobody Wants This.
November's wait is short: Nocturne on the 30th, The Gilded Age on the 1st, Godzilla Minus Zero on the 6th.
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