Carrie gets a bloody 2026 remake just in time for Halloween

Welcome to what to watch, where we take you through what's on the box in October.

This month brings a heartbreaking story of charity betrayal from the UK and an Australian horror-comedy about killer gnomes. Plus, Mike Flanagan has a go at rebooting Carrie and Catherine Zeta Jones gets to pull out her Welsh accent for Kill Jackie.

Here's what we're watching this month.

Believe In Magic: The Mother of All Cons

What's it about? A mother and daughter in the midst of a nightmare, or a cruel scam? Believe in Magic tells the story of Megan Bhari and her mother Jean O'Brien, founders of a UK charity supporting seriously ill children and their families.

The organisation, built in 2012 around the story of Megan's own battle with a brain tumour, raised hundreds of thousands of pounds and was praised for its work. Megan was dogged in her efforts to promote the organisation.There were tea parties at Buckingham Palace and a princess ball hosted by One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson and his mother.

In 2015, Jean reported that Megan’s condition had worsened. Pleading for funds as part of a Save Meg appeal, she gave little detail on Megan’s care and treating doctors. It prompted suspicion from members of the charity’s community who said they “smelled a rat”.

One mother’s doubts led her to dig deeper into the charity, as well as Megan and Jean’s claims. What she and other parents found was explosive. The charity was investigated and ultimately shut down.

But there’s a bigger twist in this new three-part investigative series by the BBC. No spoilers here, other than to say, at times it's hard to keep your jaw off the floor at what is an unbelievable and ultimately tragic story.

Perfect for: Lovers of true-crime stories like Inventing Anna, Catfish or Apple Cider Vinegar.

Where to watch: The first episode premieres on ABC TV and iview on Tuesday, October 13.

Carrie

What's it about? There are few stories in the modern horror canon that are more revered than Carrie. First as Stephen King's groundbreaking debut 1974 novel and then Brian De Palma's landmark 1976 film adaptation.

Modern adaptations of the girl with telekinesis haven't fared ,as well, with the 1999 sequel, The Rage, the 2002 TV movie and 2013's modern reboot all being resoundingly poo-pooed, but if there is one thing Hollywood will do it's capitalise on established IP. Which is how we arrive at Carrie (2026) an extended miniseries helmed by Mike Flanagan, who has proved himself very handy at adaptations with The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor.

All the familiar beats are here, just transported to high school in 2026. Carrie (Summer H Howell) is now not just an outcast, but a complete recluse kept prisoner in her home with her overly religious mother (Samantha Sloyan, a Flanagan fave who is born for this role). They're both exposed to the world after the untimely death of Carrie's construction worker father, who is a new addition to the story. So the timid teen is even more raw when she's pushed into the cruel world of bullies with smartphones.

King's original story is pretty tight, so Flanagan pads the eight-episode run time by expanding on some overlooked details about a coven of similarly gifted girls, which gives off the hint that the director is sniffing out a season two. Carrie purists might revolt, but Mike Flanagan fans remain fed.

Perfect for: those who like a very expanded horror universe.

Where to watch: Carrie is streaming on Prime Video now.

Dustfall

What's it about? This gritty mystery drama follows detective Antigone "Tig" Pollard (Anna Torv, The Newsreader) as she tries to solve a brutal sexual assault on a schoolgirl, revealing small-town secrets and dredging up her own past in her pursuit of the truth.

Given the subject matter, Dustfall makes for uncomfortable viewing at times, but it dares you to not look away. It's also punctuated by charming lighter moments which will likely feel distinctly familiar for anyone who grew up in regional Australia.

Dustfall spotlights layered female characters through Tig's often-complicated relationships, with her lifelong friend Shayna (Alice Ansara), her force of nature mother Olivia (Juliet Stevenson); and victim-survivors Edie (Zoe Phillips) and Maya (Gemma Chua-Tran).

Tig's also navigating a blossoming romance with local Mitch (Ben Knight), learning the ways of her detective partner Remi (Bert La Bonte), and can't escape Andy (Peter Fenton), the much older local rock star who has held an unsettling power over her since her teenage years.

Each episode leaves you wanting more, with a genuinely gripping storyline that builds in intensity until the very end, delivering a shocking but satisfying twist.

Based on Vikki Petraitis's novel The Unbelieved, Dustfall features stellar performances from a cast of established and up-and-coming actors and is bound to open doors.

Perfect for: Those who want their next bingeworthy series with a side of sharp social commentary that will stay with you long after the credits roll. 

Where to watch: All episodes of Dustfall are streaming now on ABC iview.

Gnomes

What's it about? If you like your Australian comedy zany and silly, then you might have just been handed your favourite show of the year in Gnomes.

Senior Sergeant Arnold Kipps (Asa Butterfield) is perfectly happy acting as the big dog top cop in the tiny regional town of Nompton. His peaceful, if not a bit under-respected, life is interrupted when his ex-partner and old flame Ellie McKay (Megan Smart) comes down from the city to announce that Arnold's station is to be shut down due to lack of activity and they're only keeping one local police officer on.

And this is before an evil gnome queen is unleashed during prep for the annual gnome festival and animates all the garden gnomes in town into vicious killers.

Written by wife and husband duo Tegan Higginbotham and Paul F Verhoeven, the laughs are so smooth and fast it's easy to forget that Gnomes is a horror — that is until one of the titular terrors slices a man's face off with DVDs.

While UK import Butterfield is very much at home with the frustrated nerd slapstick he perfected on Sex Education, ditzy police duo consisting of Higginbotham and Matt O'Kine nearly steal the show (do we see a spin off on the horizon?).

Perfect for: Some smooth brain, halloweeny laughs.

Where to watch: Gnomes is streaming on Stan now.

Kill Jackie

What's it about? For the first time in her 40-year career, Welsh actor Catherine Zeta-Jones is using her real accent on screen. It's to play the titular Jackie in revenge thriller Kill Jackie, about a one-time "rich, sexy dealer of cocaine" turned art dealer who is trying to evade the seven assassins on her tail.

Except she's not really that interested in evading them, even though the so-called Seven Demons are psychopaths, hell-bent on killing not only her but the people she loves and even those with whom she has only a mildly inappropriate professional relationship, like her tax accountant (Daniel Ings; Lovesick).

Instead, Jackie is going to destroy them herself. And considering the assassins have torched her apartment and art collection, and stolen a lot of her money, she doesn't have much to lose.

It's fun to watch Zeta-Jones return to a Chicago-style role as a woman scorned, although Jackie is much happier to fly under the radar than the fame-hungry Velma Kelly, who she played when she was just 32.

Described by one assassin as "more resourceful than expected", Jackie has more friends and well-wishers than you would expect from someone who boasts "the most important thing about me [is] I don't give a f***".

Now 56, Zeta-Jones seemingly doesn't give a f*** either.

Perfect for: Fans of the spate of recent woman-assassin-slash-badass TV, from Furious to The Assassin and Killing Eve.

Where to watch: Kill Jackie is streaming on Stan now.