The Hunt For Great October Highlights

The Apprentice 
In cinemas 18 October

A biopic of the orange faced ex president Donald Trump by feted indie director Ali Abbasi (Border, The Last Of Us) which focuses on him starting out in real estate in 70s New York. With Sebastian Stan as the Weetabix haired TV presenter/politician/businessman and Succession’s Jeremy Strong as his ruthless lawyer Roy Cohn this is a sharp two-hander that should be underlined in your watch list this month.

Joker: Folie A Deux
In cinemas 4 October

Box office predictions don’t exactly have anyone putting on a happy face for Joaquin Phoenix and his clown prince of crime’s return to the big screen, but with Lady Gaga joining the actor (who won the Oscar last time out with this character) and with director Todd Phillips still undecided on whether or not Folie A Deux is a musical a courtroom drama or neither, the chaos has become undeniably fascinating and will need to be seen to be properly judged. 

Heartstopper Season 3
On Netflix from 3 October

Season 3 of Heartstopper is set to venture into all kinds of new territory, as the plucky, wholesome series takes on darker topics such as mental health and sex. After the reveal of Charlie’s declining mental state at the end of the last season, Nick and their friend group are doing their best to support him whilst dealing with their own various personal crises. With guest starring turns from Jonathan Bailey and Hayley Atwell and strong performances from series leads Joe Locke and Kit Connor, it promises to start a new era for the record breaking teen series.

Until Dawn Remaster
Releaesed on 4 October

Continuing Playstation’s trend of remastering games that don’t necessarily need them, the Hayden Panettiere starring 2015 spook-fest is back on a new generation and for the first time on PC. A new engine, a new way of controlling the camera, improved graphics, but with the same characters you know, or hate, it’s time to be welcomed back to Blackwood Mountain.

Salem’s Lot
In cinemas 11 October

Originally scheduled for release over two years ago, this third attempt at adapting Stephen King’s novel is the first time the vampire tale has been made for the big screen (with previous iterations being told on TV) and is now ironically getting dumped on streaming in the US. But, UK audiences can still catch it at the cinema and with King’s resounding backing that it’s “not like […] embarrassing, or anything”, you might as well take the chance and sink your teeth into it. The story is classic King – spooky house, small children, vampires…

Timestalker
In cinemas 11 October

Eight years on from her superb directorial debut Prevenge, British comedy hero Alice Lowe (Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace, Sightseers, Hot Fuzz) returns with an era-hopping sci-fi romance that sounds a bit like Time Bandits smashed up with The Fountain, seeing Lowe’s romantic hero journey from 17th century Scotland to 1980s Manhattan with lots of stops in between – and beyond. As well as writing and directing, Lowe also stars in the film, along with Nick Frost (Shaun Of The Dead), Kate Dickie (Game Of Thrones) and Dunkirk’s Aneurin Barnard. 

Transformers One
In cinemas 11 October

It seems One is the loneliest number when it comes to capturing American audiences, as this animated entry in the Transformers series has failed to pick up much of a crowd across the Atlantic, despite pulling in a Rotten Tomatoes critic’s score of 89%. Like the acclaimed and underseen Transformer origin story Bumblebee in 2018, it seems like critical approval doesn’t equal turnout with this franchise, but with a delayed UK release until the 11 October, there’s still prime time to support this One. 

Smile 2
In cinemas 18 October

The film series with more Gnashers than a copy of The Beano returns to flash its pearly whites at horror fans. After bringing in over $200m in box office from a budget of just $17m the execs behind 2022’s original (adapted from a 2020 short by director Parker Finn) were no doubt beaming at the chance to put a sequel out, and with Finn returning to write and direct, there’s definitely a lot to smile about. What it’s about? We have no idea. 

Before
On Apple+ from 25 October

Billy Crystal goes serious in this 10 part chilling tale. The When Harry Met Sally star plays Eli, a child psychiatrist who, after recently losing his wife, Lynn, encounters a troubled young boy, Noah, who seems to have a haunting connection to Eli’s past. As Eli attempts to help Noah, their mysterious bond deepens. It looks a bit batsh*t crazy if you ask us, but looks like Crystal is on Emmy-winning form here. 

Until Dawn Remaster
Released on 4 October

Continuing PlayStation’s trend of remastering games that don’t necessarily need them, the Hayden Panettiere-starring 2015 spook-fest is back for a new generation and for the first time on PC. A new engine, a new way of controlling the camera, improved graphics, but with the same characters you know, or hate, it’s time to be welcomed back to Blackwood Mountain.

Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6
Released on 25 October

Another autumn, means another Call Of Duty is about to release, this time with a twist! This will be the first Call Of Duty title to have a four-year development cycle, so fans are expecting an entirely new and revamped experience, or do they want more of the same, or do they want microtransactions and lootboxes? We’ll never know. What we do know, is this Black Ops installment returns to the past, with familiar faces from the Cold War, and a new zombies experience. If we are too ill to go to work at the end of the month, you’ll know why.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard
Released on 31 October

The sequel to 2015’s underrated Dragon Age: Inquisition is almost upon us, so get ready to party up. Following on from BioWare’s less-than-stellar run with Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem, this sequel looks to revitalise the public interest in a developer previously known for quality. With different classes, different species, and a customisable world, and with it being almost a decade since the last Dragon Age game was released, and we cannot wait to return to BioWare’s RPG epic world.