I’ll be real: I didn’t realize that everyone would be celebrating Halloween last weekend, but hey, I’m sure there’ll be Halloweekend Part II happening out there. There’s still plenty of horror and spooky movies and TV shows to catch up on, including the buzzy body-horror film The Substance as it hits streaming and, per tradition, a new “Treehouse of Horror” episode of The Simpsons. But if spooky isn’t your vibe, there’s a crime melodrama that’s also somehow a musical, a political thriller, several TV finales, and more. Here’s everything.
Featured Presentations
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Emilia Pérez
This gritty musical (not to be confused with Joker: Folie á Deux) made a lot of noise at Cannes 2024, and now it’s in theaters ahead of its Netflix premiere. Karla Sofia Gascón stars as Emilia Pérez, a cartel boss turned loving trans matriarch, who seeks the help of her attorney (Zoe Saldaña) to reunite with her former wife (Selena Gomez) and kids after transitioning.
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The Diplomat season 2
Season one of Netflix’s light political drama ended with a serious explosion in which someone probably died — but who?! Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell both return as the show’s political power couple, but the real draw is Allison Janney, who shows up as the ice-queen vice-president and throws everything into even more high-stakes disarray. —Kathryn VanArendonk
👍 The Two-Sentence Review 👎
Here
“The movie brings [Tom Hanks and Robin Wright] together onscreen for the first time since Forrest Gump, and there’s something very funny about this reunion playing second fiddle to a Naugahyde sectional.”
➼ In theaters now; read the rest of Willmore’s review here.
Like Water for Chocolate
Laura Esquivel’s novel about a Mexican woman who literally pours her passions into her cooking gets the series treatment, complete with close-ups of absolutely sumptuous-looking dishes. —Jen Chaney
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Wizards Beyond Waverly Place
Fire up the nostalgia engines, because the much-loved kids’ show is back, including at least one appearance by Selena Gomez. Every generation of kids deserves a live-action series in which awkward magical powers become the obvious metaphor for puberty, and, thankfully, Waverly Place is once again stepping in to fill that void. —K.V.A.
Halloweekend II: The Return of Halloween
“Treehouse of Horror XXXV,” The Simpsons
Sure, it’s November, but no spooky season is complete without a trip to Springfield for The Simpsons annual Halloween episode. This Sunday’s “Treehouse of Horror” includes ghosts, zombies, and a pair of alien symbiote jeans that are all Venom — er, denim. (Airs Sunday at 8 p.m. on Fox and streams next day on Hulu.) —Tolly Wright
➼ The best horror across all your streaming platforms.
➼ Looking for some new horror to check out? Enter if you dare.
Concert(s) From Your Couch
Olivia Rodrigo and Megan Thee Stallion are spilling their guts this week. After taking her show on the road for the past eight months, Rodrigo’s Guts World Tour is hitting Netflix as its last stop, documenting the pop star’s entire show from Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Megan’s Prime Video documentary, In Her Words, features footage from her life and shows and even has some anime-style retellings. It’s very Megan.
Finally Streaming
I’m not confident Joker: Folie á Deux will find a second life on digital platforms, but it’s my duty to let you know it’s available to rent, so if you’re morbidly curious about the critically panned not-a-musical-musical, enjoy. Then there’s Coralie Fargeat’s body-horror fable, The Substance, starring Demi Moore as a fading actress who takes a substance that promises to produce a younger, better her (Margaret Qualley). It’s now available to stream on Mubi. Lastly, a treat for your kids: Despicable Me 4 has hit Peacock.
➼ Watch playwright Annie Baker’s directorial debut, Janet Planet, on Max.
Grand Finales
The hottest finales of the week go to Only Murders in the Building and Agatha All Along. Weddings, witches, murder, oh my! It’s time to binge.
➼ A lot of fall shows are wrapping up now. You can also check out Alfonso Cuarón’s limited series, Disclaimer, starring Cate Blanchett, and Ryan Murphy’s Grotesquerie.
Want more? Read our recommendations from the weekend of October 25.