Did you see You Can See Everything yet? Either you have, or you finally found an available screening this weekend. I hope you dig it, because I really did. But if you’ve already seen Nathan Fielder’s latest masterwork, you’ll be glad to know that this very crowded October isn’t over. One week before Halloween, there are still new movies and season premieres to check out.
For example: Wildwood. Weeks after the press screening, I can’t stop thinking about it. As we’re forced to put up with yucky AI slop on our feeds, the stop-motion animated Wildwood shines that much brighter as a testament to human creativity. Don’t let its “family film” looks fool you, either. Adapted from Colin Meloy’s 2011 novel, Wildwood is a dark and deep modern fantasy about a young girl trying to rescue her baby brother from a secret world of talking animals and warring tribes. Created by the same studio that brought to life Coraline, ParaNorman, and Kubo and the Two Strings, Wildwood is a new classic in the making.
But that’s not all that’s playing in theaters. The DC Studios horror movie Clayface is competing with the romantasy drama Wicker. On streaming, Halloween is setting the mood with The Cycle, a buzzy new horror film on Shudder, and Swipe Right on the Devil, a true crime documentary series on Hulu. Below, check out how Esquire editors are spending the weekend while we put together our last-minute Halloween costumes.
In Theaters
Wildwood
I cannot endorse Wildwood enough. It’s one of the most breathtaking movies I’ve seen all year, a storybook-esque fantasy come to resplendent life through studio LAIKA’s signature stop-motion style. Adapted from the 2011 novel by The Decemberists frontman Colin Meloy, Wildwood follows a Portland preteen girl named Prue (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) who rescues her baby brother after he’s kidnapped by crows and taken into the forbidden Impassable Wilderness. Brimming with imagination, heart, and humor, Wildwood is an awe-inspiring wonder and an ode to bravery, family, and a rebuke to the dehumanizing violence of war.
Clayface
The DC Universe turns to the dark side with the franchise’s first-ever psychological horror movie Clayface. Set in Gotham City, the origins of Batman villain Clayface are traced in its tale of Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries), an actor whose attempts to repair his disfigured face turn his body into moldable clay. A body horror nightmare set in a superhero universe, Clayface could be the facelift superhero franchises have desperately needed in a long time.
Wicker
So, here’s the gist: Olivia Colman plays a cantankerous spinster in a ye olde fishing village who commissions a local basketmaker (Peter Dinklage) to make her a husband. Out of basket weave. He does a bang-up job, because his creation is a living stud (Alexander Skarsgård). Essentially a romantasy movie that feels like it’s based on a book that doesn’t exist, Wicker is the unexpected viral sensation that’s drawn many a yearner to the theaters.
On Streaming and TV
The Cycle (Shudder)
October 2026 has been surprisingly light on horror movies, which is why it’s so great that Shudder is capitalizing on the missed opportunity with the excellent creature feature The Cycle. A terrific Deborah Ann Woll plays a forensic anthropologist whose deceased father—long since missing—winds up at a crime scene. If you’ve fallen behind on binge-watching horror this month, The Cycle can make up for lost time.
Adam Conover: Big Divorce Energy (YouTube)
Adam has ruined everything, including maybe his marriage. On October 23, at 5:00 p.m. ET, comedian and YouTuber Adam Conover releases his new stand-up special, Adam Conover: Big Divorce Energy, on his channel. In this deeply vulnerable set, the comedian mines his recent divorce from illustrator Lisa Hanawalt (who has given her ex her blessing to do so) to talk about sex, self-discovery, and why straight guys—um, actually—have it hard these days. As a companion watch, check out Conover’s candid interview with Hanawalt about their divorce on Conover’s Factually.
Nobody Wants This, season 3 (Netflix)
The Emmy-nominated romantic comedy series is back on Netflix, with Noah (Adam Brody) and Joanne (Kristen Bell) taking a huge step in their relationship: moving in together. But just because they’ve gotten through the hurdles of getting together doesn’t mean the challenges stop there. As these two unlikely lovebirds learn to inhabit the same space, they find new obstacles as Joanne begins her conversion to Judaism.
Swipe Right on the Devil (Hulu)
The age of smartphone dating undoubtedly has its pitfalls. But could the dangers include witchcraft? The new three-part Hulu docuseries Swipe Right on the Devil covers the 2017 missing-persons case of Sydney Loofe, a 24-year-old woman who went missing after a Tinder date with an older man connected to black magic practices. This true crime series teeters on the line between grisly and gauche, but late October is a good time to sink into the horrors of man.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 (Netflix)
In 2022, a few years after the open-world video game Cyberpunk 2077 had a mixed launch on consoles and PC, the standalone Netflix series Cyberpunk: Edgerunners won critical and audience acclaim. After four long years, the universe is back in Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2, a disconnected sequel that follows a whole new crew who crawl the underbelly of Night City. Even if you don’t care about the video game, plug into Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. You won’t regret it.
True Romance (Netflix)
One of the more overlooked movies from Quentin Tarantino, True Romance is finally back on Netflix beginning this week. Directed by Top Gun’s Tony Scott and written by Tarantino, Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette play newlyweds who hit the road to California with a stolen case of drugs. Universally regarded as one of the best movies of the 1990s, its presence on Netflix is just too good to pass up.
The Invite (HBO Max)
“Can I interest you in a little jamón?” Olivia Wilde’s acclaimed comedy-drama The Invite is now on HBO Max. If you missed this buzzy hit earlier this summer, now’s your chance to catch it at home. Olivia Wilde and Seth Rogen play a married couple on the fritz who invite their sexy neighbors (Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton) for an evening dinner, only to get more than they bargained for. While the movie is a remake of the 2020 Spanish movie The People Upstairs—and has already seen remakes in France, Italy, Switzerland, and South Korea—this star-studded Hollywood version got audiences riled up with A-plus performances and a surprisingly personal POV by Wilde.