October is an odd month for the movie industry. There are typically two types of movies: Oscar bait films and scary flicks. Terrifier 3 and Smile 2 fill the horror quota while dramas like Nickel Boys and The Outrun will vie for awards later in the year.
Yet there are more movies in the mix than just those, and this list will hopefully shed a spotlight on the movies that may slip through the cracks. From a long-delayed adaptation of a classic novel to a comedy about the beginnings of a television institution, October promises to be a fun month for movie lovers everywhere.
Salem’s Lot (October 3)
Finally! Two years after the movie was completed, Salem’s Lot will finally see the light of day, albeit on small screens due to Warner Bros. insistence on releasing it exclusively through its streaming service, Max. Stephen King’s beloved 1975 novel has been filmed twice, the first time as a well-liked 1978 CBS miniseries starring David Soul and the second as an OK 2004 cable miniseries starring Rob Lowe.
This time around, Salem’s Lot gets the feature-length treatment, complete with a fairly big budget and some nifty CGI effects. The plot remains the same: author Ben Mears returns to his hometown of Salem’s Lot, Maine, to write about the Marsten House, a creepy old mansion with a shady past. Soon, Mears discovers the secrets that the house holds include the existence of vampires. Soon, Mears and a small group of townspeople must fight for their lives in a battle between the forces of good and evil.
Saturday Night (October 11)
It’s hard to believe that Saturday Night Live, that venerable, often irreverent, frequently topical comedy sketch show on NBC, has been around for almost 50 years. Yet, when it first premiered on October 11, 1975, it seemed like it wouldn’t last 50 minutes, let alone a half century. The debut episode, and the circumstances leading up to it, were so chaotic, and populated with now-famous actors like Chevy Chase, Dan Ackroyd, and John Belushi, that someone was bound to make a movie about it.
That someone is Jason Reitman, the director who gave the world Thank You for Smoking and Young Adult, but also Labor Day. Thankfully, this seems to be one of his better efforts, as he assembled a team of talented newcomers like Gabriel Labelle, Rachel Sennott, and Cooper Hoffman, as well as veteran actors like Willem Dafoe and J.K. Simmons, to tell the tale of how Saturday Night Live came to be. Sadly, this movie will not offer any explanation as to why that disastrous Ashlee Simpson musical performance occurred, though it still haunts America to this day.
Woman of the Hour (October 18)
It’s hard to believe that a compelling movie can be made about The Dating Game, that cheesy show from the 1970s. And it’s even harder to believe that it’s based on a true story that involves a famous serial killer. But that’s what director and star Anna Kendrick has done with the real-life story of how Cheryl Bradshaw appeared on the television show and won a date with a man who was in the middle of a killing spree that left at least five women dead.
That man was Rodney James Alcala, and yes, he actually did appear on The Dating Game in 1978. Woman of the Hour depicts the events surrounding the bizarre appearance, and how it demonstrates that any man, no matter how outwardly charming he may appear to be, can be dangerous. Kendrick’s film debuted last year at the Toronto International Film Festival to rave reviews, and Netflix is just now releasing it for awards consideration this year. It’s guaranteed to be one of the streamer’s most popular titles, and it might just pick up an award or two along the way.
Need more recommendations? We also have guides to the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.
