Russel Crowe in Unhinged – Picture: Solstice Studios
October means that the nights are drawing in, and thankfully, if you’re a heavy movie watcher like me, Netflix has a fantastic array of movies coming up, and we’re here to help you wade through everything and curate a watch list for the next month.
You may notice we take a non-horror approach to this list (with an exception or two), given that we covered some of our Halloween movie picks separately last weekend. In addition, we’ve also listed all of Netflix’s Halloween-flavored offerings separately.
As always, we’ll split our list into two halves below. We’ll first cover our most anticipated upcoming Netflix Original titles. These will be released globally, meaning that no matter where you live, you can watch them come the release date outlined. We’ll then focus on some licensed titles specifically heading to Netflix in the United States, although they may or may not be available in other territories.
Best Netflix Original Movies Coming in September 2024
Woman of the Hour (2024)
Coming to Netflix: October 18th
We got a bit of slack for not including this in our Halloween list a few days back, and while it does fit the requirements, I wanted to save it for here as it looks like it can be a big hit, given that we know Netflix users love their true crime. Serving as Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut, the movie seeks to retell the story of Cheryl Bradshaw, a woman looking for a suitor on a dating show during the 1970s, who chooses charming bachelor Rodney Alcala. The problem? He’s a serial killer. Kendrick stars alongside Daniel Zovatto, Tony Hale, and Nicolette Robinson.
We’ve got much more on Woman of the Hour in our full preview for the movie where we look back at how it was a Netflix project to begin with before going independent and then getting picked up by the streamer again.
Lonely Planet (2024)
Coming to Netflix: October 11th
While Netflix’s movie output throughout October is primarily focused on horror and thrillers, they are slipping in a romance headlined by Laura Dern (an Oscar winner for Netflix for her supporting role in Marriage Story) and Liam Hemsworth (the new Geralt for Netflix The Witcher from season 4 onwards). Directed and written by Susannah Grant, the film depicts a writer taking some time from her busy life to travel to Morroco, where she begins a steamy love affair. Naturally, we haven’t seen too much of this movie just yet, and we’re also sensing it’s flying under the radar, but a film like this comes 100% down to chemistry on screen, and if the duo pulls off, this could be ranked among Netflix’s best in the genre.
Martha (2024)
Coming to Netflix: October 30th
Martha. Martha Stewart in Martha. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2024
On the documentary side, this month, Netflix has R.J. Cutler’s documentary on a figure who’s larger than life. We’re referring to Martha Stewart, who has worn many hats over her lifetime, which will all be laid out to bear in this exclusive new doc. Evidently, Netflix is throwing a lot of weight behind this doc already, given that it’s listed on their FYC site, suggesting that they think that it could be eligible for some awards come the Oscars early next year.
Uprising (2024)
Coming to Netflix: October 11th
Picture: Netflix
Netflix has several big swings from across the world coming up in the Fall of 2024, and one of our most anticipated is Uprising, a brand-new historical war film that employs some top talent from across South Korea. We know South Korea can produce top-quality period titles, as evidenced by Kingdom, one of the best shows on Netflix. “In the Joseon Dynasty, two friends who grew up together — one the master and one the servant — reunite post-war as enemies on opposing sides,” reads the synopsis of the film and from the trailer and everything else we know about the movie, it sounds like it has all the components to be an epic watch.
Best Licensed Movies Coming in September 2024
Scarface (1983)
Coming to Netflix: October 1st
Picture: Universal Pictures
Some true classics often rotate on and off of Netflix, and one of Al Pacino’s defining roles in Scarface fits firmly in that category. The film will now rotate back onto Netflix on the first of the month for a fixed period of time. Often cited in people’s all-time greatest movie lists, the movie is only really topped in most people’s minds by The Godfather, and if that’s what you’re being compared to, you’re in good company. Set in Miami, Scarface offers you a look into the mind of the anti-hero before we had Walter White and Tony Soprano, giving us an insight into how a Cuban immigrant became one of the biggest drug dealers operating today. It still looks like a billion dollars, and Pacino, alongside Michelle Pfeiffer, put in career-defining performances.
Unhinged (2020)
Coming to Netflix: October 14th
When predicting what will be in the top 10, we can always safely assume that an action movie featuring a big movie star like Russell Crowe is always a surefire bet in having a chance to rank well. That should be the case with Unhinged, which looks to be more action-thriller-oriented than Netflix’s BEEF, whereby it’s about an unstable man becoming increasingly enraged at a woman after a relatively innate confrontation at a busy intersection. Caren Pistorius and Gabriel Bateman are the other two big hitters in the film, released in 2020 by director Derrick Borte. Most reviews praise Russel’s performance, albeit he plays the role of an unhinged man a little too well. This movie will have you stressed from start to finish.
Girl Haunts Boy (2024)
Coming to Netflix: October 10th
Picture: Warner Bros. Pictures
Some really great movies are coming on the first of the month, but we wanted to highlight Girl Haunts Boy because we’re fascinated to see how it turns out on our screen. We don’t have the highest expectations regarding quality. Still, we do expect it to be interesting, given that it was initially conceived, developed, and filmed as a two-part special initially bound for HBO Max but is now hitting Netflix! Peyton ListBea and Michael Cimino headline the project, which tells the story of a boy who befriends the spirit of a 1920s girl lingering in his new home, forming an unlikely yet profound bond across decades.
Kung Fu Panda 4
Coming to Netflix: October 21st
Picture: DreamWorks Pictures
If it can quite believe it, it’s been fifteen years since the first Jack Black-led Kung Fu Panda movie hit our screens, and now, all these years later, a fourth installment somehow manages to come around and keep the characters fresh. Coming to Netflix after its brief stint on Peacock, the new entry follows Po as he looks to find himself a replacement to become a dragon warrior after he’s tapped for an even bigger position.
The new fourth movie won’t be the only Kung Fu Panda movie coming to Netflix. Strangely, Netflix has acquired the temporary license to the first and the third movies, which will sit alongside the TV series that resides exclusively on Netflix. Netflix will be the perfect place if you want to go on a Kung Fu Panda binge by the end of October.
We’ll be back on our What to Watch section in the next few days with more picks on what’s coming up on Netflix throughout October, along with our top 8 series picks. What new movies are you looking forward to checking out? Let us know in the comments.
