What To Watch In October

Spooky season is here! Following on from the release of Saw X at the end of September, the horror releases are not slowing down in the lead up to Halloween. There are some iconic IPs getting movie releases this months, as well as some original horror releases to be excited for. Arguably one of the most famous horror films of all time is William Friedkin’s 1973 film, The Exorcist, which is getting a direct sequel at the start of October. Another famous property getting a film before Halloween is the famous video game franchise Five Nights at Freddy’s. There is also the latest release in the long running Shudder anthology series V/H/S, this time the short stories take place in 1985.

There is not just horror films to get excited about in October, as we will also see one of the years big awards players hit the big screen with Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. There is also the long awaited UK release of comedy biopic, BlackBerry, which is coming to cinemas five months later than in the US.

After a successful National Cinema Day in September, hopefully the wide range of new releases this coming month, as well as re-releases of some iconic horror classics, there are good turnouts at the UK cinemas in October to keep the industry thriving.

The Exorcist: Believer (15)

Dir: David Gordon Green

Cast: Leslie Odom Jr., Ann Dowd, Jennifer Nettles, Norbert Leo Butz, Lidya Jewett, Olivia Marcum, Ellen Burstyn

Spooky season officially kicks off with the release of the latest instalment of The Exorcist franchise. Ellen Burstyn reprises her role as Chris MacNeil from the iconic original, a role she has never previously returned to in the past 60 years.

‘The Exorcist: Believer‘ is a direct sequel to William Friedkin‘s 1973 classic, ignoring the continuity set by the abundance of terrible sequels. After two young girls become possessed after wandering into the woods, their parents seek help from someone who has had similar experiences, Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn).

Totally Killer (15)

Dir: Nahnatchka Kahn

Cast: Kiernan Shipka, Olivia Holt, Julie Bowen, Randall Park

Another horror film to be released alongside The Exorcist: Believer is original horror comedy ‘Totally Killer’. The film is directed by sitcom creator Nahnatchka Kahn, and will be her second feature film after her 2019 romcom Always Be My Maybe. The film is a Blumhouse production and looks to be going for a similar tone to the Blumhouse comedy horror films Happy Death Day and Freaky.

The film follows high schooler, Jamie (Kiernan Shipka) as she travels back in time to 1987, where she pairs up with her mother, Pam (Julie Bowen) to stop a serial killer known as the sweet-sixteen killer from murdering Pam’s childhood friends.

Golda (TBC)

Dir: Guy Nattiv

Cast: Helen Mirren, Camille Cottin, Liev Schreiber, Lior Ashkenazi, Dvir Benedek

‘Golda’ is a biographical drama film that depicts the life of Golda Meir, the fourth Prime Minister of Israel. The film particularly focuses on the events surrounding the Yom Kippur War,

Faced with the potential of Israel’s complete destruction, Prime Minister Golda Meir (Helen Mirren) must navigate overwhelming odds, a sceptical cabinet and a complex relationship with U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (Liev Schreiber), as millions of lives hang in the balance during the tense 19 days of the Yom Kippur War in 1973.

The Great Escaper (12A)

Dir: Oliver Parker

Cast: Michael Caine, Glenda Jackson, John Standing

‘The Great Escaper’ marks the on screen reunion of two icons of the British film industry. The film stars Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson, and is released 47 years after the two previously starred opposite each other, in The Romantic Englishwoman. The film is to be Jackson’s last, as she died in June of this year.

The film tells the true story of Bernard Jordan (Michael Caine), who in 2014 at the tender age of 89, broke out of his nursing home to attend the 70th anniversary of the D-Day commemorations in France.

20 Days in Mariupol (15)

Dir: Mstyslav Chernov

’20 Days in Mariupol’ is a Ukrainian documentary by war journalist Mstyslav Chernov. Chernov documents what times were like in Ukraine in the early days of the still ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia. The film had its premiere at Sundance earlier this year where it was awarded the prize for best Documentary Feature, as well as receiving unanimously strong reviews. It has also been selected as Ukraine’s entry for the upcoming Academy Awards in 2024.

The film documents the twenty days Chernov spent with his colleagues during the battle of Mariupol in 2022. As the Russian invasion begins, the team of Ukrainian journalists become trapped in the besieged city and struggle to continue their work documenting the war.

BlackBerry (12A)

Dir: Matt Johnson

Cast: Glenn Howerton, Jay Baruchel, Matt Johnson, Rich Sommer, Michael Ironside, Martin Donovan, Michelle Giroux, SungWon Cho, Mark Critch, Saul Rubinek, Cary Elwes

Matt Johnsons BlackBerry mobile phone biopic is finally hitting the big screen in the UK, five months later than the US. The film had its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival in February where it received stellar reviews, Glenn Howerton’s performance being labelled a stand out and seeing him a possible Oscar contender. An extended serialised version of the film is scheduled to premiere on Tv in the States in November with extra unused footage that was cut from the theatrical release.

The film is loosely based on the novel Losing the Signal, a fictional account of the creation of the mobile phone company BlackBerry by co-founders Douglas Fregin (Matt Johnson) and Mike Lazaridis (Jay Baruchel), and investor Jim Balsillie (Glenn Howerton).

V/H/S/85 (18)

Dir: David Bruckner, Scott Derrickson, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Natasha Kermani, Mike P. Nelson

‘V/H/S/85’ is the sixth instalment in the Shudder exclusive found footage anthology franchise, V/H/S. The film had its premiere at Fantastic Fest in September and was considered a step up from its predecessor V/H/S/99, praising to more horror-focused short stories.

According to Deadline Hollywood, “V/H/S/85 takes viewers on a journey into the grim underbelly of the forgotten 1980s. Unveiled through a made-for-TV documentary, five chilling tales emerge: scientists observe an unusual boy fixated on his TV, kids embark on a lake skiing adventure, a TV crew fights to survive a natural disaster, the early days of VR awaken something terrifying, and a deadly dream is captured on tape. Sinister secrets of the 1980s come to life in a way you’ve never seen before”

Sumotherhood (15)

Dir: Adam Deacon

Cast: Adam Deacon, Jennifer Saunders, Danny Sapani, Peter Serafinowicz, Ed Sheeran, Richie Campbell, Jaime Winstone

‘Sumotherhood’ is a long talked about sequel to Adam Deacon‘s 2011 parody Anuvahood. If the latest instalment is to be anything like the previous film twelve years ago, it will be a parody of young adult dramas such as Kidulthood and Adulthood, both of which Deacon also appeared in.

The film follows Riko and Kane, who are in desperate need of money. As a result they decide to rob a megastar in a nightclub toilet and hold up the local bank, but things don’t go as planned. A misunderstanding leads them into business with one of East London’s toughest firms

The Burial (15)

Dir: Maggie Betts

Cast: Jamie Foxx, Tommy Lee Jones, Jurnee Smollett, Alan Ruck, Mamoudou Athie, Pamela Reid, Bill Camp

‘The Burial’ is a legal drama that had its premiere at Toronto International Film Festival last month, where it received decent reviews. The film will be released worldwide on Amazone Prime Video on Friday 13th October after a brief stint in limited cinemas.

The film is loosely based on the true story of lawyer Willie E. Gary (Jamie Foxx), who in 1995 helped financially troubled funeral home owner, Jerry O’Keefe (Tommy Lee Jones) sue a much larger funeral company, The Loewen Group, over a contractual dispute.

Killers of the Flower Moon (15)

Dir: Martin Scorsese

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, John Lithgow, Brendan Fraser

Without doubt the biggest release of the month, and the one I am personally most excited for is the latest film from legendary director Martin Scorsese. The film had its world premiere at Cannes Film Festival in May where it received widespread critical acclaim, making it one of the early frontrunners for the upcoming Academy Awards in 2024. The film is to be distributed worldwide by Apple Original Films from the 20th October and will be available to stream on Apple TV+ from a yet specified date.

The film depicts the shocking true events surrounding the murders of several members of the Osage Tribe in north-eastern Oklahoma in the 1920s. The suspicious circumstances surrounding the murders ultimately sparked a major BOI investigation directed by a 29-year-old J. Edgar Hoover and former Texas Ranger, Tom White (Jesse Plemons), which would lead to the creation of the FBI. The film also stars Robert De Niro as political boss, William Hale, and Leonardo DiCaprio as his easily manipulated nephew as they attempt to remove the Osage from the oil laden land in which they inhabit.

Foe (12A)

Dir: Garth Davis

Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Paul Mescal, Aaron Pierre

‘Foe’ is an upcoming science-fiction psychological thriller, by Australian writer-director Garth Davis. Best know for his work on Lion (2016) and TV series Top of the Lake. The film is co-written by Iain Reid, whose novel the film is loosely based on. The film had its world premiere at the New York Film Festival in September and is to be distributed by Amazon Studios.

The lives of a married couple (Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal) are turned upside down when a stranger arrives at their farm and informs the husband he will be sent to a large space station, and his wife will be left in the company of a robot.

Five Nights at Freddy’s (TBC)

Dir: Emma Tammi

Cast: Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, Matthew Lillard

The final horror release of the month is one that has been 8 years in the making. Not long after the release and immediate success of indie horror game Five Nights at Freddy’s, Warner Bros. had snapped up the rights to make a feature length movie based on the video game. After a couple years and the film being placed on turnaround, Blumhouse became the new production company behind the film and finally another six years later film will be finally hitting the big screen.

For those not familiar with the game, the premise is relatively straight forward. It follows a lonely security guard, Mike Schmidt (Josh Hutcherson) as he accepts a night-time job at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria, a once successful now abandoned family restaurant and entertainment centre. Over the course of several nights, Mike discovers that the restaurants four animatronic mascots: Freddy Fazbear, Bonnie, Chica and Foxy, move and kill anyone who is on the premises after midnight.

Pain Hustlers

Dir: David Yates

Cast: Emily Blunt, Chris Evans, Catherine O’Hara, Chloe Coleman, Jay Duplass, Brian d’Arcy James, Amit Shah, Aubrey Dollar, Willie Raysor, Andy Garcia

‘Pain Hustlers’ is the latest film by British Director, David Yates, best know for his work on the final four Harry Potter movies and all three Fantastic Beasts movies. Venturing away from the Wizarding World, Yates and screenwriter, Wells Tower, have decided to adapt a novel by Evan Hughes of the same name that was released in 2022. The film had its world premiere at TIFF in September where it received pretty poor reviews despite the talent involved in front and behind the camera.

The film follows high school dropout Liza Drake (Emily Blunt), as she lands a job with a failing pharmaceutical start-up in a yellowing strip mall in Central Florida. She then soon finds herself at the centre of a criminal conspiracy with deadly consequences.