Welcome to Streaming Rewind, a weekly roundup of what’s modern and noteworthy as we work to aid readers cut through the absolute deluge of TV series and movies in the streaming space.
Is Halloween this weekend? Is it already the pre-Christmas period? The Christmas wars have begun… but both sides can agree that they’re better than Thanksgiving, so at least we know there are still things that can unite us in these tough times.
Unfortunately, the holiday limbo also comes with some streaming and digital release confusion. It’s a pretty snail-paced week for modern releases. For example, Joker: Folie a Deux will be available digitally this week, but we all know to wait until this bad boy is free.
Agatha All Along takes its final bow
Disney+’s Agatha All Along premiered its two-part finale this week, taking us into Halloween knowing there won’t be an MCU-style witch waiting for us on the other side. While the finale had some pacing issues in its second episode, showrunner Jac Schaeffer and his team still created an amazing series that left us wanting more. I’ll catch up with Billy and Tommy soon.
A cliffhanger in a cup of tea
And speaking of two-part finales – the first season of producer James Wan’s Teacup had one too! It turned out to be incomparably less successful than Agatha All Along, and ended with a hellish (ultimately undeserved) cliffhanger. This probably I didn’t get enough views to come back for season 2 and satisfy this cliffhanger, but I’m rooting for it nonetheless. Despite the frustrations of the finale, the first season – as the logline says – about “a disparate group of people in rural Georgia who must band together in the face of a mysterious threat to survive” – is tiny and engaging enough to be worth watching. time. If the series doesn’t continue on Peacock, you’ll at least have the original Stinger novel to turn to for answers.
Horror movies and movies worth watching this weekend
Look, I warned you this week was terrible. Whether you’re keeping in the Halloween spirit for one more weekend or you’ve already moved on to your holiday list, there’s never a bad time for a horror movie.
It’s a year without a Mike Flanagan series, which is never a bummer. Luckily, we have plenty of absolute hits to turn to while we wait to see what he’ll ruin our lives next. Last year’s offering The Fall of the House of Usher is practically perfect in every way. If you haven’t seen this movie too recently, The Haunting of Hill House rivals House of Usher in impeccable quality. (And yes, Midnight Mass and The Haunting of Bly Manor rock too!) They’re all available on Netflix. If you’re looking for a movie instead, pick up Hush, his home invasion movie starring Kate Siegel At last available on Shudder (and digitally and on-demand) after a few years in purgatory.
“The Substance” – widely considered the best horror film of the year – is also available digitally from today. And the first two seasons of “Interview with the Vampire” won’t watch themselves! (It’s on Netflix.)
If you have Subscribe to Shudder, we’ve got the whole list selected recommendations that will keep you busy throughout the weekend. (My favorites are Monstrum, House on Haunted Hill (1959), Relic, Deadstream and One Cut of the Dead)
What’s modern and noteworthy this week on digital and streaming
- The Diplomat Season 2: October 31 (Netflix)
- Gist: November 1 (digital)
- The Apprentice: November 1 (digital)
- The Music of John Williams – Documentary: November 1 (Disney+)
