It’s a slow month on the streamers, and that’s reflected in our list of the best movies to stream on Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Max (HBO), and other services.
However, do not think that means there isn’t anything to watch. There are still loads of great originals and releases from other studios to catch up on.
10. Poolman
A movie that seems destined for “so bad it’s good” status, Poolman stars Chris Pine as Darren Barrenman, a hippie native Angeleno who spends his days tending to the pool of the Tahitian Tiki apartment block. An eternal optimist and activist, Darren is always fighting to make Los Angeles a better place to live or at least more in line with his vision of what it should be.
When he’s tasked by Diane Espilnade (Annette Bening) to uncover the truth behind a shady business deal, Darren is eager to enlist the help of his friends to investigate a corrupt politician and a greedy land developer.
9. Mr. Crocket
Hulu became a horror hub this October, and Hulu’s original Mr. Crocket has been added to the bunch. In 1993, a young mother finds a VHS tape that seems to be a lifesaver in terms of calming down her energetic son.
But when the show’s mysterious host, Mr. Crocket (Elvis Nolasco), magically emerges from the TV set to attempt to kill the mother and kidnap her son, she follows the demonic entertainer into the void.
8. Sting
If you’re in the mood for some creature horror this Halloween season, then check out Sting. Twelve-year-old Charlotte (Alyla Browne) is raising an astonishingly talented spider in secret.
But as the charming little creature quickly grows into a horrifying, clever flesh-eating monster, she must finally come clean to her family. Now, it’s time to fight the beast for her family’s survival.
7. Babes
This buddy comedy stars Broad City‘s Ilana Glazer as a young woman who becomes pregnant after a one-night stand. Not remotely ready for this responsibility, Eden (Glazer) leans on her married best friend and mother of two, Dawn (Michelle Buteau).
As the two women navigate this new chapter and become a strange sort of co-parenting duo, their friendship takes on new layers.
6. My Old Ass
Aubrey Plaza and Maddie Ziegler star as the same person at different stages of her life in this heartwarming Amazon Original. On her 18th birthday, free-spirited Elliott (Ziegler) takes mushrooms, only to find the trip brings her face-to-face with her 39-year-old self (Plaza).
Initially, the two women hit it off they’re each other, after all but as Elliott’s “old ass” starts doling out advice, the younger Elliott realizes she still has some hard questions to answer about life.
5. Canary Black
Kate Beckinsale is back in the action movie saddle with the Amazon Prime Original Canary Black. When terrorists kidnap her husband, top CIA operative Avery Graves (Beckinsale) is blackmailed into betraying her country.
Cut off from her elite team, Graves delves into the underworld to search for the intelligence the kidnappers seek. But she’s not the only one looking for it, and she’ll have to lean on every ounce of her training and fighting skills to free her husband and avert a global crisis.
4. Brothers
Josh Brolin and Peter Dinklage star in this oddball comedy that looks almost like a remake of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito’s Twins. Brothers, however, is a bit more of an action comedy. Reformed criminal, Moke (Brolin), finds his attempt to go straight derailed when his twin brother, Jady (Dinklage), ropes him in for the score of a lifetime.
As they embark on a road trip to make it big, they find themselves dodging bullets, the law, and their overbearing mother, all the while healing their brotherly bond.
3. Challengers
Who knew a great movie could be made out of tennis games and complicated love triangles? Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers is not only one of 2024’s best movies, but it’s also one of the most purely enjoyable experiences out there. Zendaya stars as Tashi Duncan, a former tennis wunderkind who coaches her pro husband, Art, whose career has hit a lull.
When an old rival of Art’s and an old flame of Tashi’s sweeps back into their lives, will he change their game both on and off the court? Challengers are sexy without being graphic and sporty without needing to know too much about tennis to follow along. It also gives Zendaya and co-stars Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor a chance to showcase their impressive acting and irresistible charisma.
2. House of Spoils
This new Amazon Original thriller stars Ariana DeBose as an ambitious young chef opening a new restaurant on a remote estate.
The farm-to-table concept feels doomed on arrival, however, as she fights kitchen chaos, her own self-doubt, and a haunting presence that is constantly attempting to sabotage her. Imagine if The Menu were less satire and more straight horror.
1. Black Cab
Nick Frost stars in this Shudder original about a cab ride gone wrong. When Anne (Synnøve Karlsen) and Patrick (Luke Norris) hail a black cab after a night out, they’re in no mood to talk to their chatty driver.
They’re barely talking to each other. But they soon realize they’re locked in a cab with a driver who has no intention of taking them home. As he drives them to a stretch of deserted and haunted road, the couple scrambles to figure out the driver’s motives and make an escape.
