A parade of new movies, TV shows, documentaries and more streaming options marches onto Netflix this October . Horror, crime, prestige drama, ridiculous comedy. There’s a little bit of everything in this month’s Netflix offerings, but I wanted to highlight the top ten movies coming to the streaming giant this month.

Some of these are brand new Netflix Originals, but the majority are a mix of classics and modern hits. We’ll start with the biggest release of the month, a new thriller from the director of Gone Baby Gone , Argo and The Town .

1. Animals (2026) — October 9

Ben Affleck directs, co-writes and stars opposite Kerry Washington in this new Netflix thriller about a Los Angeles mayoral candidate and his wife whose son is kidnapped. As they scramble to come up with the ransom, secrets begin surfacing that threaten both their family and Affleck’s political ambitions. Affleck’s track record behind the camera — from Gone Baby Gone and The Town to Argo — makes this easily one of my most anticipated Netflix movies this month.

2. The Prestige (2006) — October 1

One of Christopher Nolan’s best, The Prestige stars Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman as rival magicians whose professional competition becomes an increasingly dangerous obsession. Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson and David Bowie round out an excellent cast. Honestly, if this is one you haven’t seen, the less you know the better. I haven’t watched it since 2006, so it’s about time to add this back to the list.

3. Heat (1995) — October 16

Michael Mann’s crime masterpiece pits Al Pacino’s obsessive LAPD detective against Robert De Niro’s meticulous professional thief, with Val Kilmer caught in the middle. It’s nearly three hours long so you’ll want to carve out a full evening for this one. That three hours is a heady mix of character drama, cat-and-mouse intrigue and one of the greatest shootouts ever put on film. If you’ve somehow never watched Heat , or if it’s just been a really long time, you can remedy that when it drops on Netflix on October 16.

4. The Menu (2022) — October 1

A delicious addition to our list, The Menu is a twisted dark culinary comedy. Ralph Fiennes plays a celebrated chef serving a very unusual tasting menu to a collection of wealthy guests at his exclusive island restaurant. Anya Taylor-Joy is the one diner who immediately senses something is terribly wrong. Part horror movie, part pitch-black comedy and part vicious satire of foodie culture (which makes Nicholas Hoult’s presence in the cast especially delightful given his role as #1 foodie, and Emperor Peter III of Russia, in Hulu’s The Great ).

5. Sacrifice (2026) — October 16

This one looks pretty wild. Athena director Romain Gavras directs Chris Evans as a movie star taken hostage at a lavish Greek island charity gala by Anya Taylor-Joy and her band of fanatical followers. Yes, this means that both new Netflix Original movies on this list involve kidnapping, but otherwise the two films could not be more different. The rather stacked cast also includes Salma Hayek, John Malkovich, Vincent Cassel, Sam Richardson and Charli xcx.

6. Crimson Peak (2015) — October 1

Guillermo del Toro’s gorgeous Gothic romance stars Mia Wasikowska as a young author who marries a mysterious English aristocrat (Tom Hiddleston) and moves into his creepy ancestral mansion. Jessica Chastain plays his even creepier sister. The nightmarish tale is very much a del Toro picture, so if you enjoyed his Netflix film, Frankenstein , give this one a watch.

7. Gladiator (2000) — October 21

Ridley Scott’s Best Picture-winning historical epic is always an entertaining film, though if you’re looking for something unintentionally hilarious the sequel is also landing on Netflix this October . In the original, Russell Crowe stars as Maximus, the Roman general betrayed by Joaquin Phoenix’s wonderfully loathsome Commodus and forced into slavery before fighting his way through the gladiatorial arena. Are you not entertained?

8. Cocaine Bear (2023) — October 14

Sometimes you just want to watch a bear do cocaine and unleash a little of the old ultra-violence. Elizabeth Banks directs this gleefully ridiculous horror-comedy, very loosely inspired by the true story of a black bear that ingested a stash of cocaine dropped in the Georgia wilderness. Keri Russell, Alden Ehrenreich and the late Ray Liotta lead the human cast, which is really quite an all-star cast for a movie called Cocaine Bear.

9. The Bourne Identity (2002) — October 1

The movie that reinvented the spy thriller for the 2000s stars Matt Damon as an amnesiac who discovers he’s exceptionally good at fighting, escaping assassins and possessing a . . . certain set of skills that normal people don’t have. It’s quite different from the novel, but still a great thriller. Better yet, Netflix added the entire Bourne movie collection on October 1, so you’ve got a ready-made marathon at your fingertips.

10. Moonlight (2016) — October 1

Barry Jenkins’ beautiful Best Picture winner follows Chiron through three stages of his life as he grows up in Miami and struggles with identity, masculinity, sexuality and his place in the world. Mahershala Ali won his first Oscar for his supporting performance and the film won Best Picture at the Academy Awards. It holds a 98% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Check out the full list of Netflix releases this October here. Are any of these on your to-watch list? Let me know on Twitter , Instagram , or Facebook .

We’re also getting a new Narnia movie on Netflix in the not-so-distant future, one that I’m a little bit worried about :