Spooky season is in full swing, and you can find several horror titles and thrillers among the new shows and movies to watch this weekend on Netflix, Max and other top streaming services.
The weekend watchlist is dominated by movies, including the latest Marvel blockbuster "Deadpool & Wolverine." It's now streaming via premium video on demand, so you can see Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman banter and engage in bloody action from the comfort of your cozy couch. Plus, the Netflix sequel "The Platform 2" is here to make you glad you don't have to fight for your food every day.
On the TV side, the LGBTQ teen rom-com "Heartstopper" returns, while HBO unveils its latest show, the Hollywood satire "The Franchise." Here's our guide on what to watch this weekend. And be sure to check out Netflix’s new mind-bending thriller movie that just dropped.
New TV
‘Heartstopper’ season 3 (Netflix)
Let's get it on ... maybe? So far, the gay teen romance between Charlie (Joe Locke) and Nick (Kit Connor) has been limited to hot-and-heavy makeout sessions. But they’re growing up and their relationship is deepening, so they might be ready to discuss S-E-X. Charlie wants to tell Nick he loves him, while Nick also has something important to confess in return. Meanwhile, Elle (Yasmin Finney) and boyfriend Tao (William Gao) navigate trans intimacy. And for all of them, the start of the school year means thinking about university plans.
Streaming now on Netflix
‘The Legend of Vox Machina’ season 3 (Prime Video)
The third season of the adult animated fantasy series based on a live-streamed Dungeons & Dragons campaign returns with more dragons, fantastical battles and raunchy quips. The story picks up from the massive cliffhanger at the end of season 2, which saw the lovable band of misfits making a surprising alliance and the ominous bombshell of soon-to-hatch dragon eggs. The Chroma Conclave’s campaign of destruction continues, while the Cinder King hunts down Vox Machina. The misfits must battle inner and outer demons to save their loved ones, the Tal’Dorei republic and all of Exandria.
Streaming now on Prime Video
‘Love Is Blind’ season 7 (Netflix)
The fantastic first season of “Love Is Blind UK” just ended, and (ho-hum) the dating reality show returns stateside to continue the “experiment,” with Washington, D.C. singles mingling in the audio-connected pods, getting engaged sight unseen and testing whether love is truly blind. Despite drawing the cast from the capitol area, there are no politicos in the mix, though there is a first: two sisters participating at the same time.
Streaming now on Netflix
‘Velma: This Halloween Needs to Be More Special!’ (Max)
This “Velma” Halloween special continues the storyline from the season 2 finale, which saw Velma (voiced by Mindy Kaling) die and her ghost inhabit Scrappy’s body. With only 24 hours to bring Velma back, the gang must find a dark spellbook — all while avoiding the wrath of a vengeful spirit. As the annual Sexy Halloween party nears, Velma and friends must face their biggest fears if they all want to make it out alive.
Streaming now on Max
New movies
‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ (PVOD)
The Merc with a Mouth is back, this time with a sharp-clawed frenemy in tow. Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman have made a lot of hay out of their banter-filled real-life friendship/rivalry, which now is presented on screen. If you thought Jackman’s Wolverine died in 2017’s Logan,” well … he did. The one seen here is a variant, a term you’ll know if you’ve seen “Loki.” Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool, has been lying low after he was rejected by the Avengers. The Time Variance Authority (TVA) approaches him to carry out a mission. But when Wade realizes his own timeline is disintegrating, he rebels and travels the multiverse looking for a version of Logan aka Wolverine who can save everyone Wade loves.
Streaming now with purchase on Amazon or Apple
‘The Platform 2’ (Netflix)
Nobody really asked for a sequel to Netflix’s 2019 dystopian thriller, but the first movie’s success naturally led to one. Here’s a refresher: In a tower-style prison, inmates are shuffled between floors every month. Food is lowered floor by floor starting from the top. Conflicts arise as inmates at the top can eat as much as they want, while lower-level residents get scraps. In the sequel, as a mysterious leader imposes their rule in the tower, a new resident is drawn into the fray as the inmates attempt to fight the brutal feeding system.
Streaming now on Netflix
‘Didi’ (Peacock)
This charming, bittersweet coming-of-age dramedy will give millennials all the feels. The Sundance darling comes from writer/director/producer Sean Wang in his directorial debut, inspired by his own experiences growing up as a kid in the Bay Area. In the summer of 2008, 13-year-old Chris is navigating the usual trials and tribulations of adolescence — a first crush, changing friendships, new interests. He pushes back against his doting mother (Joan Chen) and fights with older sister Vivian (Shirley Chen). With high school looming, Chris is still figuring out who he is and who he wants to be.
Streaming now on Peacock
‘We Grown Now’ (Netflix)
Another period coming-of-age film, “We Grown Now” is set in 1992 Chicago and follows two Black boys growing up in the Cabrini-Green housing projects. Malik (Blake Cameron James) and Eric (Gian Knight Ramirez) are inseparable, but when another boy in their neighborhood is shot and killed, the tragedy has a big impact on their lives. Malik’s mother, Dolores (Jurnee Smollett), is terrified and ponders taking a job promotion that will move the family out of Chicago — and divide the friends.
Streaming now on Netflix
‘It’s What’s Inside’ (Netflix)
This horror-tinged comedy tries to mash up the body-swapping weirdness of a “Freaky Friday” with the party-game-gone-awry mania of a “Bodies Bodies Bodies.” Seven friends from college gather for a wedding and decide to have one last night of partying the night before. An eighth, estranged friend unexpectedly shows up with a box containing a mysterious device that can make them trade bodies. Hilarity, hijinks and hysteria ensue, and the night soon turns into a nightmare.
Streaming now on Netflix
