It's time to grab some popcorn, kick your feet up, and relax with a great movie. There are plenty of great options on Netflix, Disney Plus and other streaming services, but if you're one of the many viewers who struggle with choice paralysis in the VOD era, it can be hard to narrow down what to watch.
With that in mind, we've curated a list of the five best movies to get you started this weekend. It's a mixture of old a new, with both classics like Spielberg's magnum opus Saving Private Ryan and 2023 blockbusters like Disney's latest remake Haunted Mansion and the Sundance darling Fair Play all recently landing on streaming.
And of course, it wouldn't be October without a few scary movies. Prime Video's latest horror comedy is Totally Killer, a time-traveling spin on teen slasher movies, while Freddy vs. Jason is a classic cheesy crossover worth revisiting.
So without further ado, here are our top picks on what to watch on streaming.
Haunted Mansion (Disney Plus)
After hitting theaters this past summer, Disney's Haunted Mansion remake lands on its streaming service just in time for the Halloween season. Haunted Mansion follows a widow named Gabbie (Rosario Dawson) and her young son, Travis (Chase Dillion), who move from New York to the haunted Gracey Manor with plans of turning it into a bed and breakfast. There's just one problem: a motley crew of supernatural squatters who now call the place home.
She recruits a paranormal tour guide (LaKeith Stanfield), a psychic (Tiffany Haddish), a priest (Owen Wilson) and a historian (Danny DeVito) to learn more about the ghosts and (hopefully) figure out how to send them on their merry way. In the process, they uncover a larger, more sinister plot is afoot. With an all-star cast like that, Haunted Mansion has just as many laughs as you'd expect.
Streaming now on Disney Plus
Saving Private Ryan (Netflix)
Directed by Steven Spielberg, Saving Private Ryan is one of the most celebrated war movies of all time. Set in 1944 on the European frontline, it follows Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) as he leads a small group of men on a mission to locate Private James Ryan (Matt Damon) to bring him home after his three brothers are killed in the conflict.
Captain Miller and his courage team endure unimaginable hardship on their harrowing journey to find Private Ryan. With unwavering resolve and a strong sense of honor, they confront each obstacle head-on and bond over their shared struggles amid the most brutal war in modern history. While renowned for its depiction of the Normandy landings in its opening sequence, "Saving Private Ryan" offers far more than just its iconic opening. There's a reason it's often considered Spielberg's magnum opus.
Streaming now on Netflix
Totally Killer (Prime Video)
It's officially spooky season, and to kick off the Halloween vibes, Prime Video has a new horror-comedy, Totally Killer, that's a cross between classic teen slasher movies like Halloween and Back to the Future.
Here's the premise: Back in 1987, a small town was rocked after three high school girls were stabbed to death on their sixteenth birthdays. The person responsible, known as the Sweet Sixteen Killer, was never caught. Now, 35 years later, a new victim has been claimed: a former classmate of the murdered girls. Her daughter, Jamie (Kiernan Shipka), accidentally travels back in time to just before the infamous murder spree, where she teams up with her now-teenage mother to take down the would-be-killer and get back to her timeline before she's trapped in the '80s forever.
Streaming now on Prime Video
Freddy vs. Jason (Max)
Is Freddy vs. Jason a good movie? Debatable. Do I still find myself returning to this cheesy crossover every Halloween regardless? Absolutely.
The 2003 slasher pits the dream-hopping Freddy Krueger against the machete-wielding Jason Voorhees in an epic showdown that leans more toward silly than scary. To orchestrate his latest killing spree, Freddy enlists the help of fellow violent murderer Jason. But when the hockey-mask-wearing psychopath won't stop chopping up Freddy's intended victims, the two face off in a battle that takes them to both the dream world and Camp Crystal Lake. It's a fun one for either A Nightmare on Elm Street or Friday the 13th series. And if you're looking for more horror classics, Max just added a sizable collection, making it our go-to streaming service this Halloween.
Streaming now on Max
Fair Play (Netflix)
Chloe Domont’s feature directorial debut Fair Play, made a huge splash at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, receiving critical acclaim and going on to secure a $20 million deal with Netflix.
Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich (Oppenheimer, Hail, Ceasar!) play ambitious co-workers at a cutthroat hedge fund who are in a secret relationship. However, there's trouble in paradise when Dynevor’s career takes off, and the new power dynamic leaves Ehrenreich stewing in bitter resentment. The couple's relationship is put to the test as they must face the true price of success and the unnerving limits of ambition.
Streaming now on Netflix
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