Crossing the Streams is a series of columns spotlighting all the offerings hitting the big streaming services each month. This time we’re checking out the new Netflix arrivals for October 2022. They include a new horror anthology from Guillermo del Toro, a new limited series from Mike Flanagan and Christopher Pike, and more!
Netflix Pick of the Month for October 2022
In this house, we love horror anthologies and anthology shows — despite knowing that they’re almost always a game of odds. Some segments/episodes will rock, others will stink, and the remaining ones will be merely okay. The odds increase in our favor, of course, when there are talented filmmakers involved, and that’s why we’re so damn excited for Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities (premieres October 25th). Del Toro, sadly, doesn’t direct any of the eight episodes here, but we do get talents like David Prior, Jennifer Kent, Panos Cosmatos, Ana Lily Amirpour, Vincenzo Natali, and more. The episodes are a mix of original tales and adaptations, all at home in the horror genre, and our bodies are ready for some hellish delights.
New Horrors!
Preteens big into horror fiction these days have access to everything, but back in the 80s and 90s the options — depending on your parents — were often limited to young adult fare as the shelves were filled with terror tomes for the “kids.” Christopher Pike was one of the big names at the time, and as with the work of R.L. Stine (Fear Street), the folks at Netflix are keen on bringing Pike’s The Midnight Club (premieres October 7th) to the screen. The great Mike Flanagan — seriously, one of the genre’s best working right now — brings the YA novel home in a limited series format, and while I’m only a few episodes in so far, I’m already confident in saying it’s another gem from the filmmaker. It follows a group of teens riding out their last days at a hospice group home, but while they know death is heading their way, they’re also exploring their own tales of horror and something dark in the hospice’s history.
Horror antagonists come in numerous forms, but there are two fighting an uphill battle with me — killer dolls/kids and murderous old folks. Both fall into the category of threats that just don’t work once you know they’re a threat. Because at that point, you would simply dropkick their weak ass across the room. The new German film Old People (premieres October 7th) looks to challenge that concern with its story about a woman and her kids who find themselves under attack by some bloodthirsty elderly people. Can it manage scares and/or thrills with wrinkly-skinned monsters shambling after the protagonists? We’ll see.
While the running time is maybe off-putting, and YA adaptations are hit and miss, there’s quite a bit going for The School for Good and Evil (premieres October 19th). It’s directed by Paul Feig (Spy, Bridesmaids) and stars Rachel Bloom, Charlize Theron, Cate Blanchett, Michelle Yeoh, Ben Kingsley, Laurence Fishburne, Kerry Washington, and more. The story focuses on a magical school designed to train both heroes and villains, and of course, various characters, both students and teachers, ultimately take sides. It looks to be meant for younger viewers, but the talent assembled means there’s a good chance the rest of us will be entertained too.
New Action!
Your tastes may vary, but Gerard Butler is a pretty reliable lead in action cinema. Think Den of Thieves, Geostorm, the Olympus Has Fallen franchise — the films may sometimes stumble, but Butler is an entertaining bull in a china shop. His latest may not have gotten a wide theatrical release, but that’s no reason to count him out just yet. Last Seen Alive (2022) kicks off like The Vanishing as Butler’s character loses his wife at a gas station, but rather than having a creepy serial killer behind the abduction, Butler finds himself digging into a small town’s criminal element. The filmmakers have only directed/written one other film, another limited release that no one’s seen, but here’s hoping their latest collaboration brings the goods.
They don’t get the attention of their bigger sibling, but Universal 1440 Entertainment is home to some entertaining movie fare inspired but Universal Pictures’ theatrical releases. Did you know they’ve made sequels to R.I.P.D., Sudden Death, Tremors, Backdraft, The Car, and more? They’re rarely all that good, but sometimes the right combination of talents ends up delivering a good time. We’re hoping Blade of the 47 Ronin (2022, premieres October 25th) is one of those exceptions despite the lack of Keanu Reeves. We do get Anna Akana, Dustin Nguyen, Mark Dacascos, and Mike Moh, though, so if nothing else, there’s a good chance the action will delight.
The Oldest New Arrival on Netflix for October 2022
Of the many criticisms lobbed Netflix’s way, the one about their clear and present lack of older films is the most accurate. To document that, we take a beat each month to highlight the oldest new arrivals hitting the streamer. This month sees a tie, and both films are well worth a revisit. First up, National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983) remains a silly time delivering big laughs, fun characters, and the sophomore directorial effort from the late Harold Ramis. It’s funny! If the mood strikes you, you can make it a marathon as two of the sequels also drop this month with European Vacation (1985) and Vegas Vacation (1997).
The second film to earn the oldest title moniker is the still stellar Risky Business (1983). Tom Cruise stars as a young man whose prim and proper plans for life after high school take a turn for the illegal, preposterous, and somewhat sexy as he essentially begins running sex workers out of his house in his parents’ absence. Writer/director Paul Brickman — this is his debut, he followed it seven years later with a forgettable drama, and he never directed a movie again — crafts a fun 80s romp that ticks the T&A boxes while also delivering some big laughs and outrageous beats. Rebecca De Mornay, Joe Pantoliano, Richard Masur, Bronson Pinchot, Curtis Armstrong, and more co-star, and it remains a good time even beyond that subway scene.
The Complete Netflix List for October 2022
Release Date | Title | Note |
---|---|---|
10/1 | 17 Again (2009) | |
30 Minutes or Less (2011) | ||
60 Days In: Season 3 | ||
Any Given Sunday (1999) | ||
Barbie: It Takes Two: Season 2 | ||
Call Me by Your Name (2017) | ||
Charlotte's Web (2006) | ||
Chocolat (2000) | ||
City Slickers (1991) | ||
The Color Purple (1985) | ||
Gladiator (2000) | ||
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003) | ||
I Love You, Man (2009) | ||
Labyrinth (1986) | ||
Land of the Lost (2009) | ||
Last Seen Alive (2022) | ||
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) | ||
National Lampoon's Vacation (1983) | ||
National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985) | ||
Ocean's Eleven (2001) | ||
Ocean's Twelve (2004) | ||
Ocean's Thirteen (2007) | ||
Point Break (1991) | ||
Risky Business (1983) | ||
Robin Hood (2018) | ||
Runaway Bride (1999) | ||
Rush Hour (1998) | ||
Rush Hour 2 (2001) | ||
Rush Hour 3 (2007) | ||
Scooby-Doo (2002) | ||
Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004) | ||
Sex and the City: The Movie (2008) | ||
Sex and the City 2 (2010) | ||
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) | ||
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991) | ||
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (2005) | ||
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie (1990) | ||
Vegas Vacation (1997) | ||
Walking Tall (2004) | ||
Wedding Crashers (2005) | ||
Yes Man (2008) | ||
10/2 | Forever Queens | Netflix Series |
10/3 | Chip and Potato: Season 4 | Netflix Family |
10/4 | Hasan Minhaj: The King's Jester | Netflix Comedy |
10/5 | Bling Empire: Season 3 | Netflix Series |
The Fight for Justice: Paolo Guerrero | Netflix Series | |
High Water | Netflix Series | |
Jumping from High Places | Netflix Film | |
Mr. Harrigan's Phone | Netflix Film | |
Nailed It!: Season 7 | Netflix Series | |
Togo | Netflix Film | |
The Trapped 13: How We Survived The Thai Cave | Netflix Documentary | |
10/6 | Aftershock: Everest and the Nepal Earthquake | Netflix Documentary |
The Joys and Sorrows of Young Yuguo | Netflix Documentary | |
10/7 | Conversations with a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes | Netflix Documentary |
Derry Girls: Season 3 | Netflix Series | |
Doll House | Netflix Film | |
Glitch | Netflix Series | |
Kev Adams: The Real Me | Netflix Comedy | |
Luckiest Girl Alive | Netflix Film | |
Man on Pause | Netflix Series | |
The Midnight Club | Netflix Series | |
The Mole | Netflix Series | |
Oddballs | Netflix Family | |
Old People | Netflix Film | |
The Redeem Team | Netflix Documentary | |
Tiger & Bunny 2: Part 2 | Netflix Anime | |
10/9 | Missing Link (2019) | |
10/10 | LEGO Ninjago: Season 4 Crystallized- Part 2 | |
Spirit Rangers | Netflix Family | |
10/11 | The Cage | Netflix Series |
DEAW#13 Udom Taephanich Stand Up Comedy Show | Netflix Comedy | |
Iliza Shlesinger: Hot Forever | Netflix Comedy | |
Island of the Sea Wolves | Netflix Documentary | |
10/12 | Belascoarán, PI | Netflix Series |
Blackout | ||
Easy-Bake Battle | Netflix Series | |
The Nutty Boy | Netflix Family | |
Wild Croc Territory | Netflix Series | |
10/13 | Dead End: Paranormal Park: Season 2 | Netflix Family |
Exception | Netflix Anime | |
The Playlist | Netflix Series | |
The Sinner: Season 4: Percy | ||
Someone Borrowed | Netflix Film | |
Sue Perkins: Perfectly Legal | Netflix Series | |
10/14 | Black Butterflies | Netflix Series |
The Curse of Bridge Hollow | Netflix Film | |
Everything Calls for Salvation | Netflix Series | |
Holy Family | Netflix Series | |
Mismatched: Season 2 | Netflix Series | |
Take 1 | Netflix Series | |
10/15 | Blippi's Spooky Spell Halloween | |
Under the Queen’s Umbrella | Netflix Series | |
10/16 | Dracula Untold (2014) | |
Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am (2019) | ||
10/17 | Waffles + Mochi's Restaurant | Netflix Family |
10/18 | Gabriel Iglesias: Stadium Fluffy Live From Los Angeles | Netflix Comedy |
LiSA Another Great Day | Netflix Documentary | |
Somebody Feed Phil: Season 6 | Netflix Series | |
Unsolved Mysteries: Volume 3 | Netflix Series | |
10/19 | The Green Glove Gang | Netflix Series |
Love Is Blind: Season 3 | Netflix Series | |
Notre-Dame | Netflix Series | |
The School for Good and Evil | Netflix Film | |
The Stranger | Netflix Film | |
10/21 | 28 Days Haunted | Netflix Series |
Barbarians II | Netflix Series | |
Descendant | Netflix Documentary | |
From Scratch | Netflix Series | |
High: Confessions of an Ibiza Drug Mule | Netflix Series | |
ONI: Thunder God's Tale | Netflix Family | |
Pokémon Ultimate Journeys | Netflix Family | |
10/22 | LOL Surprise! Winter Fashion Show | |
10/23 | Franco Escamilla: Eavesdropping | Netflix Comedy |
10/24 | The Chalk Line | Netflix Film |
10/25 | Barbie Epic Road Trip | Netflix Family |
Blade of the 47 Ronin (2022) | ||
Fortune Feimster: Good Fortune | Netflix Comedy | |
Guillermo Del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities | Netflix Series | |
Unsolved Mysteries: Volume 3 | Netflix Series | |
10/26 | Fugitive: The Curious Case of Carlos Ghosn | Netflix Documentary |
The Good Nurse | Netflix Film | |
Hellhole | Netflix Film | |
Love Is Blind: Season 3 | Netflix Series | |
Robbing Mussolini | Netflix Film | |
10/27 | Cici | Netflix Film |
Daniel Spellbound | Netflix Family | |
Dubai Bling | Netflix Series | |
Earthstorm | Netflix Documentary | |
Family Reunion: Part 5 | Netflix Family | |
Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015) | ||
Romantic Killer | Netflix Anime | |
10/28 | All Quiet on the Western Front | Netflix Film |
The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself | Netflix Series | |
Big Mouth: Season 6 | Netflix Series | |
Drink Masters | Netflix Series | |
I am a Stalker | Netflix Series | |
If Only | Netflix Series | |
My Encounter with Evil | Netflix Documentary | |
Wendell & Wild | Netflix Film | |
Wild is the Wind | Netflix Film | |
10/29 | Deadwind: Season 3 | Netflix Series |