Stream on Demand: Haunts, histories and honorees hit home screens
What’s new for home viewing on Video on Demand and Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, HBO and other streaming services.
Top streams for the week
“The Haunting of Bly Manor” (TV-MA), from “The Haunting of Hill House” creator Mike Flanagan adapts the Henry James classic “The Turn of the Screw,” updating it to 1980s England. “Hill House” actor Henry Thomas stars as a man who hires an American nanny (Victoria Pedretti) for his orphaned niece and nephew in his remote mansion. (Netflix)
“The Right Stuff: Season 1” (TV-14) retells the story of the American space program and the pilots who became America’s pioneering astronauts. Based on the book by Tom Wolfe (which was previously made into the 1983 movie), it stars Patrick J. Adams, James Lafferty, Jake McDorman and Colin O’Donoghue. Two episodes available, new episodes each Friday. (Disney+)
Ethan Hawke is John Brown in “The Good Lord Bird” (TV-MA), a limited series that weaves history and fiction to tell the story of a young boy (Joshua Caleb Johnson) who escapes enslavement and joins the abolitionist’s crusade. New episodes each Sunday. (All Showtime platforms)
American indie drama “Charm City Kings” (2020, R), about a 14-year-old boy (Jahi Di’Allo) drawn into a notorious group of Baltimore dirt bike riders, won a Special Jury Prize at Sundance. (HBO Max)
The sixth and final season of the Canadian comedy “Schitt’s Creek” (TV-MA) swept the Emmy Awards this year, with wins for outstanding comedy series, writing, directing and all four leading actors. It’s now streaming on Netflix.
Peacock TV adds the complete run of the sitcom “Parks and Recreation” (TV-PG) with Amy Poehler and all 46 seasons of “Saturday Night Live” (TV-14), with episodes of the new season streaming a day after their respective network debuts.
Pay-Per-View / Video on Demand
Colin Firth and Julie Walters star in “The Secret Garden” (2020, PG), adapted from the beloved novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett about an orphaned girl (Dixie Egerickx) who finds a magical garden hidden in her uncle’s estate.
Louis Gossett Jr. is “The Cuban” (2020, not rated), an elderly musician with Alzheimer’s who befriends a young pre-med student (Ana Golja) at his nursing home.
Also new: Romantic comedy “Spontaneous” (2020, R) starring Katherine Langford and Charlie Plummer as teenagers in love in a high school where students are inexplicably exploding;
• Action thriller “The Doorman” (2020, R) with Ruby Rose as a former Marine battling art thieves with a ruthless leader (Jean Reno);
• Documentary “Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President” (2020, not rating), which explores the leader’s relationship with music.
Netflix
Adam Sandler stars with Kevin James and Kenan Thompson in the comedy “Hubie Halloween” (2020, not rated).
A struggling playwright (Radha Blank) reinvents herself as a rapper in the hip-hop comedy “The Forty-Year-Old Version” (2020, not rated).
The action thriller “Colombiana” (2011, PG-13) stars Zoe Saldana as an assassin looking for revenge.
A 14 year-old-boy struggles with gender identity and religion in “Saturday Church” (2017, not rated), an award winning LGBTQ drama.
True stories: The documentary feature “Dolly Parton: Here I Am” (2020, not rated) profiles the American music legend, and the reality series “Deaf U: Season 1” (not rated) follows a group of deaf students at Gallaudet University.
International passport: The sci-fi thriller “To the Lake: Season 1” (Russia, not rated, with subtitles) is the latest dystopian series about a deadly plague. Also new:
• Romantic drama “Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol: Season 1” (South Korea, not rated, with subtitles);
• Crime thriller “Palermo Hollywood” (Argentina, 2004, not rated, with subtitles).
Kid stuff: The animated shows “StarBeam: Halloween Hero” (TV-G) and “Super Monsters: Dia de los Monsters” (TV-Y) get into the seasonal spirit.
Amazon Prime Video
The first pair of original horror features in the “Welcome to the Blumhouse” anthology series are now available: “The Lie” (2018, R) with Mireille Enos, Peter Sarsgaard and Joey King and sci-fi thriller “Black Box” (2020, not rated) with Mamoudou Athie and Phylicia Rashad.
A scientist (Theo James) working on artificial intelligence uploads his dead wife’s memories into his prototype in the science fiction drama “Archive” (2020, not rated).
The competition series “Chasing the Crown: Dreamers to Streamers: Season 1” (not rated) follows three aspiring Twitch gaming streamers competing to qualify for the Crown Cup Tournament.
Tom Hardy made his first international splash in “Bronson” (2009, R) playing the most notorious prisoner in England.
Streaming TV: The fourth and final season of the “Mr. Robot” (2019, TV-MA), starring Rami Malek as a hacker with deep psychological scars, brings the strangest conspiracy thriller on television to a satisfying close.
International Passport: The satirical “Force Majeure” (Sweden, 2014, R, with subtitles) uses dark comedy to explore questions of expectations and obligations. It won an award at Cannes.
Classics: Burt Lancaster won the Academy Award playing “Elmer Gantry” (1960) and Laurence Olivier won Oscars for acting and directing his version of “Hamlet” (1948).
Hulu
Three Clive Barker short stories make up the horror anthology feature “Books of Blood” (2020, TV-MA) starring Britt Robertson, Rafi Gavron and Anna Friel. (Hulu)
“Terminator: Dark Fate” (2019, R) is the first sequel since 1991 to star Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
International Passport: Julio Medem directs Penelope Cruz in the drama “Ma Ma” (Spain, 2015, R, with subtitles).
HBO Max / HBO Now
Two documentaries debut: “Wild Card: The Downfall of a Radio Loudmouth” (2020, TV-MA) tells the story of talk radio host Craig Carton, whose gambling addiction landed him jail, and “Siempre, Luis” (2020, TV-MA) profiles Luis A. Miranda Jr., a Puerto Rican immigrant who helped shape New York politics. (All HBO platforms)
Peacock TV
The British crime comedy “Code 404” (2020, not rated) stars Daniel Mays as an elite detective brought back from the dead with glitch A.I. technology and Stephen Graham as his partner.
All eight “Harry Potter” (PG/PG-13) movies are available to stream for the month of October only.
Other streams
The documentary series “The Comedy Store” (TV-MA) surveys the legacy of the club that helped launch the careers of some the greatest comedians of all time. New episodes Sundays. (All Showtime platforms)
Kate Elliot stars in the psychological mystery “The Gulf” (2019, not rated), a limited series from New Zealand. All six episodes on Acorn TV.
Over two dozen movies are featured in the “’70s Horror” collection, which surveys the transformation of horror cinema in the U.S. and abroad, from the grace of “Daughters of Darkness” (Belgium, 1971, R) and Robert Altman’s “Images” (1972, R) to the transgressive assaults of Tobe Hooper’s “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” (1974, R) and Wes Craven’s “The Hills Have Eyes” (1977, R) to the intelligence of “The Wicker Man” (1973, R) and Philip Kaufman’s “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1978, R) remake. It’s on the Criterion Channel along with other new horror arrivals:
• The nightmarish parental horror of “We Need to Talk About Kevin” (2011, R) with Tilda Swinton;
• David Cronenberg’s mind-bending “Videodrome” (1983, R) with James Woods and Debbie Harry;
• The original “Cat People” (1942), a classic of mood, shadow, and suggestion (these last two also feature supplements from the special edition disc).
Sean Axmaker is a Seattle film critic and writer. His reviews of streaming movies and television can be found at streamondemandathome.com