The Best Movies, TV and Music for October

Including the most harrowing war movie of the year. Plus: Amy Schumer, Cormac McCarthy and a spooky new Netflix series by Mike Flanagan.

A scene in a trench from "All Quiet on the Western Front," a new adaptation on Netflix

Netflix's adaptation of "All Quiet on the Western Front" is garnering strong early reviews

By Kirk Miller

Welcome to Culture Hound, InsideHook’s deep dive into the month’s most important cultural happenings, pop and otherwise.

WATCH: All Quiet on the Western Front

Erich Maria Remarque’s iconic novel is reimagined for the screen for a second time, albeit this time on Netflix. Quiet tells the story of a young German soldier on the Western Front of World War I — though the message seems timeless, as it’s already garnering accolades as a “bleak, beautiful, anti-war film.” (10/28, Netflix)

More new films coming to the small screen and big: Hellraiser (10/7, Hulu); Halloween Ends (10/14, Peacock/theaters); Black Adam (10/21, theaters); Raymond & Ray (10/21, Apple TV+); Wendell & Wild (10/21 theaters, 10/28, Netflix)

WELCOME BACK: Inside Amy Schumer

It’s been six years since Schumer’s groundbreaking sketch show left the air, although it never officially ended. The comedy series returns now, but on a streaming site and for just five episodes. (10/20, Paramount+)

More returning TV series: Documentary Now! (10/19, IFC); Big Mouth (Netflix, 10/28)

PLAY: Overwatch 2

Six years after this groundbreaking and colorful multiplayer FPS debuted — where you and your teammates pick characters based on unique skill sets/weapons — we get a sequel that’s (sort of) free, although you’ll inevitably shell out for season passes and character cosmetics upgrades. As well, there are new maps, game modes and heroes, plus new content every nine weeks. (Oct. 4)

More new video games: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Oct. 28)

BINGE: The Midnight Club

While it’s based on a YA horror novel by Christopher Pike, this miniseries — revolving around terminally ill children at a hospital who tell spooky stories, until one of them dies and strange occurrences begin — will probably be more than scary enough for adults, as it’s directed and overseen by Mike Flanagan, whose previous Netflix series (Midnight Mass and The Haunting of Hill House) were outstandingly creepy. 

More new series: A Friend of the Family (Peacock, 10/6); Let the Right One In (Showtime, 10/7); Werewolf by Night (Disney+, 10/7); High School (Freevee, 10/14); The Peripheral (10/21, Prime Video)

“The Passenger” book cover
Amazon

READ: The Passenger

Cormac McCarthy’s latest is actually two books (Stella Maris, the second volume, is out in December). The Passenger centers on a salvage diver haunted by both his sister’s death and his father’s legacy — a man who helped invent the atomic bomb. It also involves a lot of philosophy, string theory and a mysterious plane crash. 

More new books: Illuminations by Alan Moore (10/11); If This Book Exists, You’re In the Wrong Universe by Jason Pargin (10/18); Liberation Day by George Saunders (10/18)

LISTEN: Here It Is: A Tribute to Leonard Cohen

Coinciding with the vinyl release of a career-spanning compilation in the same week, this new genre-hopping tribute to the singer-songwriter’s most beloved songs, with covers by Peter Gabriel, Norah Jones, Iggy Pop, James Taylor, Nathaniel Rateliff and more.

More new music: Broken Bells (10/7); The 1975 (10/14); Red Hot Chili Peppers (10/14); Arctic Monkeys (10/21); Taylor Swift (10/21)

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