If you celebrate Halloween, you'll no doubt be on the lookout for some things to entertain you this weekend. With this in mind, I checked out three of the biggest new horror releases in October to see if they're any good.
Scream or Skip, that is the question. With so much horror out there to watch and play, our senior entertainment writer, Lucy Buglass, is here to help you decide what's worth your time (or worthy of a Scream) and what's not (so you might want to Skip). Her goal is to help you spend less time scrolling and more time enjoying some great TV shows, movies, and games. Read the full series here.
There have been some real highs and lows this month, and I found myself especially disappointed by one movie in particular. Thankfully, there's a great TV show and game to keep you occupied, so it's not all bad.
So, what do I recommend checking out this spooky weekend? Scroll down to find out.
TV — Crystal Lake
Where to watch: Peacock (US); Sky (UK); Stan (AU)
Lucy's verdict: Scream
Crystal Lake is the anticipated Friday the 13th prequel, and it's a great choice if you want a binge-worthy series to watch over the Halloween weekend. With all eight episodes streaming at once, how could you resist?
I did have my reservations about this series, but it is an excellent entry into the horror franchise. In my full Crystal Lake review, I noted there's a clear love for the original movies here, and that it expands upon the lore by focusing on Pamela Voorhees, an under-explored character in the Friday the 13th universe. Played excellently by Linda Cardellini, it's very worth your time.
Movie — Other Mommy
Where to watch: Theaters worldwide
Lucy's verdict: Skip
As someone who loved the book Incidents Around the House and was genuinely freaked out by it, I was excited to hear it was getting a movie adaptation. I was even more excited to hear that Jessica Chastain would star in a dual role as a woman and an entity that emulates her, known as "Other Mommy".
Unfortunately, the movie ended up being a massive letdown. Not only does it suffer from the cliché of tired and overused jump scares, but it also deviates from the book to the point that it loses the psychological dread and tension that had me looking over my shoulder. Other Mommy does very little to stand out from similar supernatural movies like it
Game — Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival
Where to play: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC
Lucy's verdict: Scream
Hellraiser has been everywhere recently, from its haunted house at Universal's Halloween Horror Nights to a new video game. I was very impressed with Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival and would highly recommend it this Halloween weekend.
It's clear it's been made by people who have a genuine appreciation for Hellraiser, as the atmosphere and the willingness to stick to canon are excellent. Iconic character Pinhead returns too, and the result is a gripping game with puzzles and heart-pounding moments.
