The return of Loki leads this week’s streaming releases, but spooky Halloween month also kicks off properly with The Fall of the House of Usher, Totally Killer, and The Boogeyman. Plus, Blue Beetle on VOD!
SERIES
Loki S2
Disney+ – 6 October 2023
The God of Mischief is back! While things are still in limbo in regards to Kang actor Jonathan Majors’ legal troubles, Marvel Studios is pushing ahead with its multiverse saga with the second season of Loki being the next major step. Last we saw Tom Hiddlestone’s Loki, he and his doppelganger had stopped Majors’ He Who Remains, which had the unfortunate side effect of exploding out infinite universes and essentially unleashing Kang. When Loki returned to what should have been his timeline, he found it massively changed with everybody else – including Owen Wilson’s TVA Agent Mobius – not remembering any of the most recent events. What happened? Well, we’re about to find out. And this time with the help of franchise newcomer Ky Huy Quan!
The Fall of the House of Usher
Netflix – 12 October 2023
In my opinion, writer/director Mike Flanagan is the name in horror at the moment, so I will watch anything he does. Having said that, I do still have Midnight Club on my backlog, but it will have to wait a little bit longer as The Fall of the House of Usher looks absolutely magnificent. Early reviews suggest this sorta-kinda adaptation of the works of Edgar Allen Poe is possibly Flanagan’s best work – yes, maybe even better than The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass – as it excels at Flanagan’s now signature combination of creepy chills, addictive mystery, and hard-hitting emotional drama.
MOVIES
Totally Killer
Prime Video – 6 October 2023
Sabrina’s Kiernan Shipka stars in this new slasher thriller with a time travel twist! 35 years ago, three high school girls were murdered with their killer never found. Now, decades later, the killer has returned and set his bloody sights on high schooler Jamie (Shipka), the daughter of one of the previously murdered girls’ classmates. When Jamie accidentally time travels back to 1987 though, she finds herself teaming up with her then-teenage mother to stop a triple murder before its even committed.
Ballerina
Netflix – 6 October 2023
Not to be confused with the John Wick spinoff movie of the same name currently in development with Ana de Armas, Ballerina is some good old revenge thriller action that seems to be a specialty of South Korean cinema. This one follows an ex-bodyguard, grieving the loss of the best friend she failed to protect, who sets out to fulfill her friend’s dying wish: Vengeance on those who wronged her!
Fair Play
Netflix – 6 October 2023
Disparate professional success in a relationship can lead to real problems, especially if both parties happen to work together at a cutthroat hedge firm where they’ve kept their relationship a secret until now. Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich star in Fair Play as the embattled couple whose lives take a very dark twist when professional ambition comes into conflict with fiery passion. The erotic thriller made its debut on the film festival scene back in January already, and drew a whole lot of positive praise for writer/director Chloe Domont and its cast, and the razor-wire tension they bring to the whole affair.
The Boogeyman
Disney+ – 11 October 2023
When it comes to writers being adapted to screen, only one name is king: King! More than 75 of Stephen King’s works have inspired cinematic versions and the latest is The Boogeyman, a supernatural horror thriller adapted from the short story of the same name. This one follows a pair of sisters, still grieving the recent death of their mother, while getting no support from their therapist father who is dealing with his own loss. But when a mysterious stranger shows up, desperate for the professional help of their father, it sets into motion a series of dark events as the monster from childhood nightmares suddenly becomes very real.
VOD RENTALS/PURCHASES
The following movies have recently become available for digital purchase/rental:
Blue Beetle
Rental: Google Play Movies – R35 / Apple TV – R45
Purchase: Google Play Movies – R170/ Apple TV – R150
Based on its dismal box office numbers, I’m going assume that most of you didn’t watch Blue Beetle when it dropped in cinema recently. Well, that was a big mistake. A mistake you can luckily now fix as the latest DC Comics movie is available for digital rental and purchase at home. Ironically, this was actually the way Blue Beetle was originally meant to be experienced as it was developed as an exclusive for HBO Max before Warner Bros. pivoted from that approach and gave it a theatrical release. Because of that small-screen origin, Blue Beetle is not as expensive and blockbuster-y as some of its peers, but to me that’s actually a plus. It’s relatively small-scale superheroics that is charming as hell, embraces the cultural aspects of its character, feature surprisingly great action choreography, tosses in several neat nods to its comic book legacy, boasts an immensely likeable lead with Cobra Kai’s Xolo Mariduena, and is just plain fun to watch! I highly recommend it!