Showmax is bringing the treats, and more treats, this Halloween month, with an especially strong selection of new movies joining the streaming service. Below you’ll find our top picks from the categories of series, film and documentary, but you can also always check out the full October schedule here.
Series
We wanted to like first-of-its-kind African fantasy series Blood Psalms more than we did, but it’s definitely one of the major Showmax drawcards this month, with a new episode every Wednesday. Meanwhile, the multi-award-winning offbeat comedy The White Lotus returns weekly from 31 October, and Season 4 of fan-favourite drama A Million Little Things releases in its entirety on 17 October.
Of the brand new shows we’re most excited for, that’s definitely Minx. In 1970s Los Angeles, an earnest young feminist (Ophelia Lovibond) joins forces with a low-rent publisher (Jake Johnson) to create the first erotic magazine for women. This sharp and bawdy comedy has already been renewed for a second season by HBO Max. Binge the ten-episode first season of Minx from today, 3 October.
Films
You’re really spoiled for choice in terms of movies on Showmax this month, but as it’s Halloween on 31 October, let’s start with some scary stuff.
Releasing on 31 Halloween is home-grown horror film Gaia. An injured forest ranger (Monique Rockman) on a routine mission in the Tsitsikamma National Park is saved by two off-the-grid survivalists (Carel Nel and Alex van Dyk). But what starts out as a welcome rescue grows more suspicious as the son and his renegade father reveal a cultish devotion to the forest. Gaia won Best Cinematography at South By Southwest (SXSW), and has been described as a “psychedelic-mushroom Cronenberg-via-del-Toro eco-body-horror creepy-creature freakout.”
With Saw, The Conjuring and Insidious under his belt, you have to pay attention when filmmaker James Wan makes a new horror film. His most recent effort in the genre is Malignant, where Madison (Annabelle Wallis) is paralysed by shocking visions of grisly murders, which she soon realises are real murders happening as she watches. Malignant has been called Wan’s most outrageous and demented film to date. Also, it’s apparently quite funny. Watch Malignant from 17 October.
If you’re not a horror and thriller fan, there’s still plenty of other movies to watch. Like romantic comedy adventure The Lost City, which feels like it was just in cinemas. Sandra Bullock plays brilliant but reclusive romance author Loretta Sage, who is kidnapped by an eccentric billionaire (Daniel Radcliffe) who believes that she knows the location of a lost treasure. Wanting to prove he’s a real-life hero, cover model Alan (Channing Tatum), who has dedicated his life to embodying Loretta’s hero character, sets out to rescue her. Watch from 24 October.
For one of the best superhero movies made in recent years, there’s James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, the step-up sequel to DC Comics movie Suicide Squad. This time a (mostly) new team of supervillain convicts is sent on a suicide mission to the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese. Cue R-rated fun and a surprising amount of heart. The collection of dangerous cons includes Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Peacemaker (John Cena), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), King Shark (Sylvester Stallone), and Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie). Also in the cast are Viola Davis, Joel Kinnaman, Michael Rooker, Nathan Fillion and Peter Capaldi. Watch The Suicide Squad from 10 October.
P.S. On matters of super-powered antihero movies, Venom: Let There Be Carnage comes to Showmax on 31 October.
Finally, for families and video game fans, there’s Sonic the Hedgehog 2, out 27 October. After settling in Green Hills, Sonic is eager to prove he has what it takes to be a true hero. His test comes when Dr Robotnik (Jim Carrey) returns, this time with a new partner, Knuckles (Idris Elba), in search for an emerald that has the power to destroy civilizations. Sonic teams up with his own sidekick, Tails, and together they embark on a globe-trotting journey to save the world. Read our review.
Documentaries
Feature-length documentary TikTok, Boom. offers a thoughtful look at the power and complexity of modern social media, centring its explorations on the cultural phenomenon that is shortform video platform TikTok. Also tackling the question “What does it mean to be a digital native?” the documentary features Gen Z influencers like Feroza Aziz, Spencer X, Deja Foxx, and Merrick Hanna. TikTok, Boom. was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 2022. Stream Tiktok, Boom. from 26 October.