Similar to individuals who start decorating around Labor Day, horror-themed TV shows and films don’t necessarily wait until October to start airing in order to profit on Halloween. However, with Friday the 13th falling this month and the modern addition of Hallo-streams to help elicit Hallo-screams, the annual rush of such fare has an auspicious beginning date.
Three new horror films were released in the past week: the low-budget “When Evil Lurks,” “The Exorcist: Believer,” and “Pet Sematary: Bloodlines.” However, those films are merely a taster of what’s to come. Beyond theme months on various networks and dedicated channels like Shudder, Halloween has already begun on movie stations like TCM and AMC.
There are plenty of older options that complement the recently deceased ones, so.
In terms of new releases, here is a by no means exhaustive list of choices that are slated to begin haunting screens between now and the first knock from trick-or-treaters, in order of availability:
“The Fall of the House of Usher” (Netflix, October 12): Writer-producer-director Mike Flanagan, known for his work on “The Haunting of Hill House” and “Midnight Mass,” is back with a new Netflix limited series. This one is a horrific modern narrative that draws inspiration from Edgar Allan Poe.
“Goosebumps” (Disney+ and Hulu, October 13): A gang of teens investigate a past death that might have included their parents in this new spin on R.L. Stine’s popular book series of scary tales for kids.
“John Carpenter’s Suburban Screams” (Peacock, October 13): An anthology docuseries with a blend of documentary and extended reenactments that spotlights unsettling genuine stories bears the name of the horror director.
“You will never look at your neighbors the same way again,” Carpenter says in a voiceover introduction. Promise?
“The Bell Keeper” (Theaters and on demand, October 13): If you’ve heard this before, pause: In order to disprove an urban legend, a group of friends drive to a distant location to film a documentary. The gang rings a bell that, according to the tale, summons a crazy killer (Randy Couture from “The Expendables”).
“The Devil on Trial” (Netflix, October 17): The “The Devil Made Me Do It” Case, a 1981 murder where the defendant claimed he was under the influence of the Devil at the time, is the subject of a Netflix documentary. As an added bonus, Ed and Lorraine Warren, the demon-hunting couple linked to the Amityville Horror and more recently “The Conjuring” series, are mentioned in the novel.
“Living for the Dead” (Hulu, October 18):This “Queer Eye”-produced series, which follows a group of five queer ghost hunters as they tour the US and begin with a “investiGAYtion” (honestly, it says so in the press release) of a haunted clown motel, adds a new twist to the ghost-hunter reality-show formula.
“Fear the Walking Dead” (AMC, October 22): Nothing is more difficult to put an end to than a television show with “The Walking Dead” in the title, but after eight seasons, the first spinoff of the series begins its last six-episode season a week after “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon” wraps up.
“American Horror Stories” (Hulu, October 26): While the flagship 12th season of “American Horror Story,” “Delicate,” continues on FX, producer Ryan Murphy is back with the most recent “Huluween” installment of his horror anthology series.
“Five Nights at Freddy’s” (theaters and Peacock, October 27): In this videogame-to-movie translation, Josh Hutcherson plays a security guard working the late shift at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria. It is the newest horror movie to be released in theaters and on streaming services at the same time.
“The Enfield Poltergeist” (Apple TV+, October 27): This hybrid Apple docuseries, like “The Devil on Trial,” tells the tale of a well-known poltergeist case that occurred in England in the late 1970s utilizing real audiotapes and interviews that actors lip-synch.
