The spooky season is in the air and, if you’re anything like me, you might enjoy the scarier side of life and films. If so, Showmax has got you covered as they’ve got a collection of all things spooky, scary and absolutely spine-tingling. It really is the most bone-chilling time of the year!
Scream-Worthy Movies to Stream on Showmax
GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE | Stream from Monday, 28 October
While Ghostbusters may not be considered horror, there’s no better time to ask Who You Gonna Call than in the month of October. With that, the #15 biggest blockbuster movie of the year (so far), Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is set to be available from the 28th of October.
The film brings the Spengler family back to where it all started – the iconic New York City firehouse – to team up with the original Ghostbusters, who’ve developed a top-secret research lab to take busting ghosts to the next level.
Once the discovery of an ancient artefact unleashes an army of ghosts that casts a death chill upon the city, Ghostbusters new and old must join forces to save the world from a second Ice Age.
The latest film picks up three years after 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Returning Afterlife cast include Marvel star Paul Rudd; Stranger Things’ Finn Wolfhard; Emmy nominees Carrie Coon and Mckenna Grace; and Kenya-born Celeste O’Connor. As mentioned, original Ghostbusters Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, as well as Annie Potts, are set to return in their original roles. Oscar nominee Kumail Nanjiani and Emmy winner Patton Oswalt also join the cast this go round.
FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S | Stream from Monday, 14 October
I enjoy a good game, especially the scary kind, so imagine my excitement when I learnt that the horror game phenomenon Five Nights at Freddy’s came to life.
Becoming last year’s highest-grossing horror movie of the year globally, the film is produced by Blumhouse (M3GAN, Get Out), and follows Mike, a troubled young man caring for his 10-year-old sister, Abby.
Recently fired and desperate for work so that he can keep custody of Abby, Mike agrees to take a position as a night security guard at an abandoned theme restaurant: Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria. But Mike soon discovers that nothing at Freddy’s is what it seems, as he is dragged into the black heart of an unspeakable nightmare.
The film stars The Hunger Games’ Josh Hutcherson, and it was nominated for Drama Movie of the Year at the 2024 People’s Choice Awards and for Best Creature FX for Jim Henson’s Creature Shop at the Fangoria Chainsaw Awards. If that’s not enough, the reception for the film was so great that there’s already a sequel in production.
THE NUN II | Stream from Thursday, 31 October
If you’re not the religious type, you might be after watching this sequel to the worldwide smash hit. THE NUN II follows Sister Irene as she once again comes face-to-face with Valak, the demon nun – the greatest evil in The Conjuring multiverse.
The box office hit stars American Horror Story’s (and sister of The Conjuring actress Vera Farmiga) as Sister Irene and Emmy winner and Zendaya’s Euphoria co-star Storm Reid as Sister Debra, with Bonnie Aarons reprising her role as the iconic demon nun.
Michael Chaves (The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It) directs, from a screenplay co-written by Akela Cooper (M3GAN). James Wan, the original director of The Conjuring, is one of the producers.
The Nun II was nominated for 10 Golden Scythe Horror Awards this year, including Best Director, Adapted Screenplay, Actress (Farmiga) and Supporting Actress (Reid), as well as a Visual Effects Society Award.
THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER | Stream from Thursday, 17 October
In 1973, arguably the most terrifying horror film in history landed on screens, shocking audiences around the world and becoming the first horror nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture.
Now, horror production house Blumhouse and director David Gordon Green (Halloween (2018)) deliver The Exorcist: Believer.
Since the death of his pregnant wife in a Haitian earthquake 12 years ago, Victor Fielding has raised their daughter, Angela, on his own. Angela and her friend Katherine disappear in the woods, only to return three days later with no memory of what happened to them. This event unleashes a chain of events that will force Victor to confront evil and, in his terror and desperation, seek out the only person alive who has witnessed anything like it before: Chris MacNeil.
Oscar nominee Leslie Odom Jr (Hamilton) stars as Victor, with Oscar winner Ellen Burstyn returning to her iconic role as Chris MacNeil for the first time. Also look out for Lidya Jewett (Good Girls, Hidden Figures) as Angela and the likes of Emmy winner Ann Dowd (The Handmaid’s Tale, Hereditary) among the supporting cast.
SAW X | Stream from Thursday, 31 October
“I want to play a game.”
Between the events of SAW I and II, a sick and desperate John travels to Mexico for a risky experimental medical procedure in hopes of a miracle cure for his cancer. Unfortunately, he soon discovers the entire operation is a scam to defraud the most vulnerable.
Armed with a newfound purpose, the infamous serial killer returns to his work, turning the tables on the con artists in his signature way.
As John, Tobin Bell was nominated for a Critics Choice Super Award this year for Best Actor in a Horror Movie.
While we may all have our opinions about the numerous SAW films, this particular one seems to be a favourite, having an 80% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the highest yet for the franchise.
THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER | Stream from Thursday, 3 October
There are few things creepier than an old ship sailing off in the middle of nowhere.
The Last Voyage of the Demeter chronicles the doomed journey of a merchant ship ferrying 50 mysterious wooden crates from Carpathia to London. The crew soon discover they are not alone: at night they are stalked by a hidden passenger whose monstrous thirst for blood turns the trip into a harrowing nightmare.
Based on a single chilling chapter from Bram Stoker’s classic novel, Dracula, the film has been praised by horror icons like Guillermo del Toro, who called it “gorgeous, lavish and savage,” and Stephen King, who called it “a throat-ripping good time.”
The Last Voyage of the Demeter was up for Best Creature FX at this year’s Fangoria Chainsaw Awards, as well as nine Golden Scythe Horror Awards, including Best Actor (Corey Hawkins) and Best Supporting Actor (Liam Cunningham).
MONKEY MAN | Stream from Monday, 28 October
It may not be a typical horror movie, but what’s scarier than taking down the evil of man and greed?
Winner of the Audience Award at SXSW 2024, Monkey Man stars Oscar nominee Dev Patel as Kid, a man seeking vengeance against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother and continue to systematically victimise the poor and powerless.
Patel makes his feature film directorial debut with the epic action movie, which is produced by the likes of Oscar winner and horror nerd Jordan Peele and Basil Iwanyk (John Wick).
Look out for South African star Sharlto Copley (District 9) in all the Mumbai mayhem.
Too Spooky For You?
If you’ve decided that you’re not a fan of horror movies during October, or throughout the year, then fret not, as Showmax has plenty of other options for you.
ARTHUR THE KING | Stream from Monday, 14 October
Arthur the King tells the inspiring true story of the unbreakable bond forged between pro adventure racer Michael Light (Oscar nominee Mark Wahlberg) and a scrappy street dog named Arthur, who follows the team over 700 km in a grueling 10-day endurance race.
Based on the book Arthur – The Dog Who Crossed the Jungle to Find a Home by real-life adventure racer Mikael Lindnord, the film is directed by BAFTA winner Simon Cellan Jones (Years and Years, Our Friends in the North).
Look out for Bear Grylls, People’s Choice winner Simu Liu (Barbie, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), Emmy nominee Nathalie Emmanuel (Fast X, Missandei in Game of Thrones), and Juliet Rylance (Della Street in Perry Mason).
CLASSICS ON THE COUCH
Showmax is also bringing back a host of classics this October, including:
- No Country For Old Men (from 3 October): Set in the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong, No Country For Old Men won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Directing and Writing for the Coen brothers, and Best Actor for Javier Bardem.
- The Crow (from 17 October): 30 years before the Bill Skarsgård version, Brandon Lee starred as The Crow, tragically dying on the set of what became a cult classic.
- Ip Man (from 28 October) Set during the Japanese invasion of China, Ip Man is inspired by the story of Bruce Lee’s real-life teacher. The multi-award-winning martial arts classic has an 84% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics’ consensus says, “At once beholden to the established conventions of the genre and delightfully subversive of them, Ip Man is one of the most exciting – and refreshingly character-driven – martial arts films in years.”
MORE OCTOBER TREATS
Showmax has another bumper lineup this October, including:
- The Big Brother Naija S9 finale
- The Mommy Club: Sugar and Spice Reunion
- 2024 Emmy Best Comedy winner Hacks
- The Penguin, currently at #2 on IMDb’s Most Popular TV list, with an 8.8/10 rating
- Showmax Original Brasse Vannie Kaap, fresh from the hip-hop documentary’s standing ovation at Silwerskerm
- Award-winning Showmax Original sci-fi The Fix, fresh from opening MIPAfrica and selling to the US
- Seven more 2024 SAFTA nominees, including Lioness S2
- The BAFTA-nominated The Hitman: Ricky Hatton, named Sports Documentary of the Year at the Broadcast Sport Awards
See everything on Showmax in October here.
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