Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Everett Collection (Hopper Stone/Sony Pictures, Buena Vista Pictures), Apple TV+, Gilles Mingasson/Disney
Terrifier 3, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Apprentice, and a movie about a bunch of people scrambling 90 minutes before showtime: There’s a lot of scary movies out there, all right. But there’s more than just horror, like the sweet return of Abbott Elementary and a LEGO movie about Pharrell. Here’s all the best new movies and TV shows to watch and stream during the long holiday weekend.
Featured Presentations
Saturday Night
How perfectly planned that Saturday Night would be going wide in theaters the same weekend it premiered on NBC 50 years ago. Directed by Jason Reitman, Saturday Night tackles the 90 minutes before showtime on SNL’s first-ever episode. It’s as frenetic as the premise suggests as producer Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) bounces around Studio 8H in this zippy comedy.
In theaters now
Abbott Elementary season 4
In a world where streaming shows are trying to make two to four years between seasons normal, it’s so refreshing to have Abbott Elementary put out some great TV within months. So check out the season-premiere episode (or go back and catch up with season three), because you’ll want to be ready when Abbott crosses over with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia later this season.
Streaming on Hulu
Disclaimer
Filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón wrote and directed this absorbing adaptation of the book by Renée Knight about a respected journalist (Cate Blanchett) who receives a novel that features her deepest secrets. Kevin Kline, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Kodi Smit-McPhee join the prestige thriller’s cast. — Jen Chaney
Streaming on Apple TV+
La Máquina
Rejoice: Best friends and producing partners Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna are at it again. The show follows aging boxer Esteban “La Máquina” Osuna (Bernal), who after a major loss considers whether he’s done in the ring. But his flashy manager (Luna in some unsettling prosthetics) encourages Osuna to come back. — Roxana Hadadi
Streaming on Hulu
The Apprentice
“And at some point, we might wonder why we’re spending two hours watching a movie that, as it goes on, starts to feel more and more like a fancy, vaguely arty Saturday Night Live sketch that refuses to end.” (Read more here.)
Terrifier 3
You sickos wanted more of this?
In theaters now
Sweetpea
Ella Purnell continues her reign as the latest go-to coming-of-age actress with this thriller about an overlooked young woman with a list of grievances against the world at large. In a twist out of Dexter and countless other serial-killer stories, Rhiannon (Purnell) flourishes once she starts killing those who have wronged her. But how long can that high last? Six episodes feels right. — R. H.
Streaming on Starz
Lonely Planet
Age-gap relationships are so hot right now. The latest comes in the form of a Netflix film from filmmaker Susannah Grant. Laura Dern stars as a novelist who has an affair with a young man (Liam Hemsworth) while on a trip in Morocco.
Streaming on Netflix
Animation Station
Piece by Piece
This movie is probably solely for Pharrell, but, hey, maybe a Pharrell biopic told through LEGO bricks is your thing.
In theaters now
➼ Hayley Atwell is jumping from Netflix’s Heartstopper to Netflix’s Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft this week.
Back in Theaters
The Nightmare Before Christmas
What’s this? Looks like Disney is infusing movie theaters with some nostalgic Halloween and Christmas spirit. It’s for us scaredy-cats who can’t stomach Terrifier 3. There’s no chainsaw-cutting here!
In theaters now
Finally Streaming
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Here’s another Tim Burton project to kick off your Halloween watching.
Want more? Read our recommendations from the weekend of October 4.
Related
The 20 Best Horror Movies on Netflix Right NowThe 20 Best TV Shows on Apple TV+ Right NowThe 25 Best Movies on Hulu Right Now There’s the new Terrifier movie, and then there’s a bunch of things that are not the new Terrifier movie.
