Grab the popcorn, dim the lights and maybe don’t go near any lakes. OSN+ is going full spooky season this October, with slashers, cursed doorways and a Frankenstein glow-up, plus enough superheroes, true crime and ’90s nostalgia to see you through the month.
The main event is Crystal Lake, arriving exclusively on October 16 with all eight episodes at once. Pub quiz tip: Jason isn’t the killer in the original Friday the 13th. It’s his mum, Pamela Voorhees, and this prequel finally gives her the spotlight. Linda Cardellini plays Pam, a grieving single mother almost a year after her son drowned in the town lake. Then two strangers turn up asking about her past, and it all goes very ki-ki-ki, ma-ma-ma. Whether the origin story can fill eight episodes is an open question, but for slasher fans, clearing the evening is mandatory.
The horror doesn’t stop there. Talk to Me kicks things off on October 1 and is still the best “don’t touch the cursed hand” film around. It’s basically a party game with a terrible terms of service. On October 9, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride arrives exclusively and sends Frankenstein’s lonely monster to 1930s Chicago to find himself a companion. Then on October 23, A24 releases Backrooms, also exclusive. It’s the internet’s favourite liminal-space nightmare, with its buzzing lights, damp carpet and rooms that never end, now made into a feature film. If you’ve ever fallen down that YouTube rabbit hole at 2am, this one’s for you.
Want something unsettling without the monsters? Mother Mary (exclusive, October 1) follows a pop star reuniting with her estranged costume designer just before a big comeback. Emotional baggage guaranteed. The same day brings Aftersun, which will wreck you in the quietest way possible, and The Many Saints of Newark, a Sopranos origin story with a young Tony.
Capes are covered too. Superman & Lois drops its complete final season on October 8, all ten episodes, with Lex Luthor and Doomsday descending on Smallville. It’s a proper boss fight to finish on. The Big Bang Theory universe keeps growing with season three of Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage on October 9. Egyptian comedy Maqsoom arrives October 23 with a 1990s girl band getting back together after thirty years for one last show in Aswan, which is basically a reunion tour with extra drama.
Your weekly schedule stays busy as well: HBO’s Youth on Mondays, Survivor season 51 on Thursdays and Turkish romance Deep in Love on Saturdays.
Over on discovery+, the true crime fans are well served. Unmasking a Monster: Aileen Wuornos (October 2) uses digital replica tech to recreate the people in the case, which is either very clever or very creepy depending on who you ask. Toxic season 2 lands October 23, and How to Catch a Dirtbag (October 29) has social media personality Tizzy recruiting his ten million-plus followers for internet justice.
For lighter viewing, Kitchen Chaos (October 20) has chefs reacting to viral food fails. October 25 is a double bill of 90 Day: Hunt for Love season 2 and Totally ’90s House, where ’90s TV icons renovate time-capsule homes. The real space-nerd pick is Artemis II: To the Moon and Back on October 18, following humanity’s first crewed lunar trip in more than 50 years. It isn’t fiction, and it’s arguably the coolest thing on the list.
So: slashers, monsters, a Moon mission and Doomsday. October has range.
