October often comes with the reputation that it is spooky season, which is warranted given how it ends on Halloween. And while the new horror movies and shows are plentiful, the month’s roster of new movies and shows is also filled with other genres and more lighthearted fare in case you aren’t the horror fan type. From dramas to comedies, mysteries to horror, and more, here’s what you can expect with October 2026’s lineup.
RELATED: The New Movies and Shows of September 2026 to Have on Your Radar
Movies Coming to Cinemas in October 2026
Digger
From director Alejandro G. Iñárritu comes one of 2026’s most divisive movies. It stars Tom Cruise as an oil baron who must stop a catastrophe his company started. While reviews have been decidedly mixed, it is at least one of the most inventive films of the year. It is now showing in cinemas nationwide.
The Social Reckoning
Aaron Sorkin is back to deliver the sequel to one of the best movies of the 21st century. Inspired by true events and the whistleblower who started the social media reckoning we’re seeing play out today, this movie is a companion piece to The Social Network and a true David and Goliath story. Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison), a young Facebook engineer, enlists the help of Jeff Horwitz (Jeremy Allen White), a Wall Street Journal reporter, to go on a dangerous journey to expose Facebook’s malpractices that ends up blowing the whistle on the social network’s most guarded secrets. It will screen in local cinemas on October 7.
Other Mommy
Jessica Chastain in a new horror movie? You have our attention. From producer James Wan and director Rob Savage comes a terrifying trip into the darkening world of a young girl, Bela, who forms a relationship with a sinister entity in her home that looks uncannily like her own mother. Get into the Halloween spirit early by watching the movie in cinemas on October 7.
SB19 Wakas At Simula: The Trilogy Concert Finale
SB19’s record-breaking Wakas At Simula: The Trilogy Concert Finale earlier this year is heading to the big screen with a special theatrical edition on October 7.
Always Lalisa
K-pop superstar LISA needs no introduction. But with her documentary, one of the most famous women in the world lets down her guard as it follows the artist during the release of her debut solo studio album, as well as her more personal moments that dig deeper into who Lalisa is. Limited screenings will start on October 12.
2 Valid IDs
Cinemalaya 2026 breakout hit 2 Valid IDs is getting a commercial release this October for those who missed it during its initial run. The award-winning film tells the story of a woman who needs to make a cash remittance to pay for her husband’s hospital bills. But problems arise when she is told that she needs two valid IDs to do so, leading her down the hellhole that is Philippine bureaucracy. You can watch this in cinemas on October 14.
Street Fighter
Video game movie adaptations are having a strong year so far, and this adaptation of the famous fighting game franchise hopes to continue that trend. Set in 1993, estranged Street Fighters Ryu and Ken Masters are thrown back into combat when the mysterious Chun-Li recruits them for the next World Warrior Tournament: a brutal clash of fists, fate, and fury. But behind this battle royale lies a deadly conspiracy that forces them to face off against each other and the demons of their past. Get ready to fight in cinemas on October 14.
Whalefall
After facing the horrors of Raccoon City, Austin Abrams confronts his next nightmare: being eaten alive by a whale. In this relentless survival thriller, Jay Gardiner goes diving off the Central Coast of California in search of his father’s (Josh Brolin) remains, only to be swallowed whole by a massive sperm whale. Trapped inside its claustrophobic belly with a ticking survival clock, Jay realizes that his father’s hard-earned lessons may be his only key to escape. How exactly does a grown man survive being eaten by a whale? Find out in cinemas on October 14.
The Intern
No, this is not a re-release of the 2015 Nancy Meyers romcom, but a Korean remake starring Choi Min-sik and Han So-hee that follows the general beats of the original, which is about a young female entrepreneur who takes in an elderly man as her intern. The movie will show exclusively in SM Cinemas starting October 14.
Clayface
The DCU goes the horror route in this body horror take on the Batman villain. Matt Hagen’s meteoric rise from Gotham street kid to Hollywood leading man is tragically cut short when a local crime boss’s actions leave him horribly disfigured. Abandoned by his team and with nothing left, Matt seeks out a cutting-edge treatment that miraculously returns him to his former self, but also unexpectedly affects his grip on reality as he begins to manifest shapeshifting powers, spiraling him down a destructive path of all-consuming revenge. The film will play in cinemas on October 21.
Sense and Sensibility
Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esmé Creed-Miles lead the latest adaptation of Jane Austen’s iconic novel that centers on a charming, witty, and deeply relatable story of love and sisterhood. End the month with a dose of girlhood when the movie plays exclusively in Ayala Malls Cinemas on October 28.
Red Crown
Remember when there was a pageant that supposedly had a cash prize worth over 20 million pesos and featured several established queens and GMA artists as competitors? It turns out that it was just promo for this upcoming satirical thriller from director Dominic Zapata. It follows a group of women who join a pageant to win the life-changing cash prize. But things aren’t as they seem, as sinister intentions are afoot. See this for yourself in local cinemas on October 28.
New Streaming Movies and Shows of October 2026
East of Eden
This mini-series adaptation of John Steinbeck’s 1952 novel stars Florence Pugh as Cathy Ames and Christopher Abbott and Mike Faist as the Trask brothers. It follows a fiercely independent woman who drives a rift between two brothers, igniting a saga that unfolds across two generations. It can be streamed now on Netflix.
Between Steps
Set in a university robotics lab, Between Steps follows Minjae (Choo Youngwoo), a doctoral candidate and former swimmer forced to give up on his dream of becoming a professional athlete after losing his leg. Reserved and unable to get over his fear of getting hurt, Minjae has avoided romance his entire life, but when Youjin (Kim Sohyun) arrives as a fresh transfer from her Clothing and Textile course, things begin to change for the better.
Branded a troublemaker and the complete opposite of Minjae in every sense, Youjin is known for cutting to the chase, and while the duo initially feel distant and awkward around each other, an unexpected attraction begins to grow between the mismatched pair. You can stream this now on Disney+.
Carrie
Mike Flanagan has given us some of the best horror movies and shows of the past decade. He’s back this year, and this time, with his take on the Stephen King classic. Misfit high‑schooler Carrie White (Summer H. Howell) has spent her life hidden away inside the walls of her home with her fiercely protective mother, Margaret (Samantha Sloyan).
After her father’s sudden, untimely death thrusts her into the unforgiving ecosystem of public high school, Carrie is forced to navigate a viral bullying scandal that tears through her community, the relentless pressure and casual cruelty of the social media age, and the awakening of mysterious telekinetic powers that rise alongside her adolescence. The series will begin streaming on Prime Video on October 7.
Merry Berry Love
This cross-cultural Korean and Japanese drama follows hardworking farmer Karin Shirahama (Mio Imada) as she pours her heart and soul into cultivating the best strawberries possible. One day, a down-on-his-luck city boy, Lee Yubin (Ji Changwook), arrives on the island, and after a hilariously uncomfortable first encounter, the pair end up spending a lot more time with each other due to an unexpected misunderstanding. Stream this on Disney+ starting October 7.
Below
From the snowy rural countryside of Vermont in Verity, Josh Hartnett heads to the foggy bay in this monster thriller. When a mysterious sea creature starts terrorizing a coastal town, a fisherman must fight to protect his family and his community’s vanishing way of life. The series will drop on Netflix on October 8.
Animals
Featuring a stacked cast that includes Ben Affleck, Kerry Washington, and Gillian Anderson, this dramatic thriller, also directed by Affleck, follows an LA mayoral candidate and his wife who scramble against time to save their kidnapped son and are forced into making choices and revealing secrets that could tear their world apart. You can stream this on Netflix on October 9.
Love Of Your Life
Directed by Rachel Morrison, Love Of Your Life follows Maya (Margaret Qualley), whose chance encounter with Charlie (Gabriel Basso) sets in motion a sweeping romance and a future beyond anything she had imagined. When that future is suddenly upended, Maya is sent hurtling toward an unexpected new life—one that will force her to reckon with who she is, what she wants, and how to love again. Catch this movie on Prime Video on October 14.
Visionquest
The finale to the MCU’s epic trilogy that began with 2021’s groundbreaking, award-winning WandaVision and 2024’s Agatha All Along puts the focus on Vision. Rebooted and having escaped from those who sought to weaponize him, Vision has been in hiding. Searching for new meaning, he consults the AI personas embedded in his programming, including F.R.I.D.A.Y., E.D.I.T.H., J.A.R.V.I.S., and the infamous Ultron.
His discreet existence ends when a bounty placed on his head thrusts him on the run with Thomas Shepard, a mysterious boy who may be Vision’s son, reincarnated. As Vision evades capture, he must confront his nature, resist Ultron’s influence, and unravel the enigma that is his young companion if he’s to survive. The series will begin streaming on Disney+ on October 14.
Make Me Tingle
In this ten-episode series, conservative marketer Gong Yeon-su (Nam Ji-hyun) crosses paths with intimate product retailer CEO Dokgo Dal (Kim Jae-yeong). Their clashing perspectives on relationships spark an unexpected connection, forcing two complete opposites to challenge each other and redefine modern love. The Korean romantic drama series will premiere on HBO Max on October 15.
Masterplan
When a legendary thief sets his sights on the Mona Lisa, he recruits two young strangers to help him—Chiara, a sharp Italian cybercrime expert, and Jay, a swaggering French explosives specialist—before revealing they are long-lost siblings. And yes, he is their father. Thrown into a chaotic reunion they never asked for, this new family must learn to work together—and try not to kill each other—if they want any chance at pulling off the heist of the century. The film will come to Prime Video on October 16.
Phony
What would you do if you realized that your mom is not who she says she is? That’s the dilemma at the heart of this coming-of-age mystery about a teenager who wakes up in the hospital after a car accident to discover his mom-his only parent and his best friend-appears to have been replaced by an impostor. Find out what happens when the series lands on Disney+ on October 20.
Final Table
Ahn Hyo-Seop enters his chef era in this new drama series.“The Table: K-Chef 2026” sets out to crown the best Korean chef alive. Kang Han, a world-class talent who works behind the name “Chris K”; Choi Song-yi (Hong Hwa-yeon), fighting to keep her late father’s restaurant standing; Cha Woo-jin (Chang Ryul), a star chef who accepts nothing short of perfection; and a field of chefs who each carry a story of their own.
They push one another to the edge, plate after plate—and somewhere between the rounds, the rivalry turns into something closer to care. A warm survival drama about people who come to win, and end up mending each other’s wounds instead. See, not everything has to be cutthroat competition. The series will drop on Prime Video on October 24.
Balaraw: Blood Island
Ending October on a spooky note is Balaraw: Blood Island, Netflix’s latest Filipino mystery thriller series starring Janine Gutierrez, Charlie Dizon, and Agot Isidro and directed by Rae Red. When Sabina’s mother disappears, Sabina spends years trying to track her down. One day, a promising lead points her to the mysterious Balaraw Island, but what awaits her there is survival, dark secrets, and the fate of her own identity. Catch this six-episode series on the streaming platform on October 29.
Also, making their streaming debut this month are several movies following their theatrical releases. Here’s a selection of them:
Midnight Girls – October 1 on Netflix
Oasis: Don’t Look Back With Anger – October 9 on Disney+
In The Grey – October 15 on Prime Video
KATSEYE: Wild Hearts – October 16 on Disney+
Poon – October 30 on Prime Video
New TV Seasons to Watch in October 2026
If you think there isn’t any more room for new content this month, these titles beg to differ. Whether dropping all the episodes in one go or making their premieres this October, these new seasons are giving us even more reasons to return to some of our favorite worlds, characters, and stories.
Scrubs Season 2 (October 1)
The Diplomat Season 4 (October 15)
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Season 2 (October 20)
Nobody Wants This Season 3 (October 22)
LOL: Last One Laughing Philippines Season 2 (October 30)
Featured Image: IMDB (via Instagram)
Recommended Video
Latest Posts
Latest Issue
