The 7 Best New Movies on Max in October

If you’re searching for new movies to watch on Max in October, you’ve come to the right place. This month on the streaming platform, a host of wonderful horror and Halloween-themed movies have become available to stream just in time for the holiday. We’ve curated a selection of the best of the best, including a couple of high-profile horror movie remakes that are better than you might expect. If you’re a fraidy cat, don’t worry – we’ve got some non-spooky picks too.

Check out our list of the best new movies to stream on Max in October below.

Beetlejuice

Tim Burton’s comedy classic is a great watch pretty much anytime, but even moreso in October. “Beetlejuice” revolves around a couple who die in a car accident (played by Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis) and become ghosts trapped inside their home where they’re forced to witness its sale and renovation by a gauche family from the city. They enlist the help of a “bio-exorcist” named Beetlejuice (played by Michael Keaton), and all hell breaks loose. The film is a colorful and inventive twist on the afterlife, offering up a darkly comic spin on the living dead. And there’s a sequel on the way!

Blade Runner 2049

Speaking of sequels, “Dune” and “Arrival” filmmaker Denis Villeneuve’s 2017 film “Blade Runner 2049” is arguably even better than Ridley Scott’s sci-fi classic. The epic picks up 30 years after the events of the original movie and follows K (Ryan Gosling), a replicant who works as a blade runner to hunt down and “retire” other replicants who ends up crossing paths with former blade runner Rick Deckard (played by Harrison Ford) as he investigates a possible impossibility – a child born of a replicant. With stunning (and Oscar-winning) cinematography from Roger Deakins and a haunting score from Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch, this is the kind of epic, thoughtful sci-fi they don’t make much of anymore.

Friday the 13th (2009)

If you’re in the mood for a horror movie, the 2009 reboot/remake of “Friday the 13th” is Good, Actually. The film boasts an absolutely stellar and chilling cold open before moving into the main story, which follows a group of friends who set up shop at a summer cabin near Crystal Lake. Jason Voorhees is hulking and quick, and the kills are appropriately inventive. The cast includes Jared Padalecki, Danielle Panabaker, Travis Van Winkle, Ben Feldman, Ryan Hansen, Willa Ford and Derek Mears.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

If you want to keep the horror train running, the 2003 remake of “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” is also better than you might expect (and hails from the same director as the “Friday the 13th” redo, Marcus Nispel). Produced by Michael Bay, the film takes place in 1973 and uses vintage police footage to set up the story of five young adults who run afoul of Leatherface and his murderous family. The vibe is sweaty and unnerving, and the violence is shocking as the film plays more like a true crime story gone wrong than a slasher. This one’s genuinely scary.

Scream Trilogy

We’re keeping the horror train running with one of the best horror franchises around, “Scream.” The first three “Scream” films are now streaming on Max, which is a great opportunity for a movie marathon. Wes Craven’s 1996 original brilliantly integrated an understanding of the horror genre into its story of a masked killer obsessed with horror movies, while his 1997 sequel is similarly clever as it moves the action to a college campus. Your mileage may vary with “Scream 3,” which traces the origins of Sidney’s (Neve Campbell) mother to add more to the “Scream” mythology, but it does feature a tremendous Parker Posey performance.

Trick ‘r Treat

“Trick ‘r Treat” has become, for many, a Halloween tradition. This anthology horror film from writer/director Michael Dougherty tells five disparate stories all revolving around Halloween. Each one has terrifically spooky vibes, some intense R-rated gore and a twist ending that’ll have you reaching for the lights. Watch it now or save it for Halloween weekend.

Kate & Leopold

If frights aren’t your thing, there’s always “Kate & Leopold.” This historical rom-com with a time travel twist stars Hugh Jackman as a Duke from 1876 who accidentally time-travels to 2001 New York City, where he encounters (and falls in love with) a woman named Kate (Meg Ryan). As he works to find his way back to his time and integrate into a modern city, Leopold strikes up an unlikely romance with Kate and an existential dilemma presents itself. Fun fact, this movie hails from director James Mangold, who also directed “Logan,” “Ford v. Ferrari” and “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.”