10 things you must stream this October
Trawling through the endless TV shows and movies, unsure what to watch? We've got your favourites list covered, with some grade-A Halloween content...and some stuff for the scaredy-cats.
Ash Vs. Evil Dead (Stan)
Let's get it out here up front. Bruce Campbell is a god among men. If chins could kill (yes, that's also the title of his autobiography) then this guy would have a body count a mile high. Schlock horror hero Ash is back for Season 2 of the TV spin-off of the movie trilogy, with awesome one liners, signature Sam Raimi blood spatter and a chainsaw for a hand.
Transparent (Stan)
This series, now in Season 3, has picked up a slew of awards now for its portrayal of a Los Angeles family coming to grips with their father Mort (played by Jeffrey Tambor) being transgender. If you know Tambor from "Arrested Development" it's a bit of a departure, but there's a reason this series is the first Amazon original, and the first show produced by a streaming company, to pick up a Golden Globe.
No Activity (Stan)
Now in its second season, "No Activity" is a seriously funny Aussie comedy that really does justice to what streaming services can do when they invest in original content. If "Seinfeld" was the comedy about nothing, this is the cop show about nothing -- cops and robbers stuck on the fringes of the action and shooting the breeze, with great comic timing.
Black Mirror (Netflix)
A wonderfully dark and eerie show, Black Mirror invites us into a different world each episode to speculate on what the world would look like if one strange thing went wrong. What if your loved ones could live on in social media after they die? What if the British Prime Minister could only solve a hostage crisis by "getting intimate" with a pig on live TV? Expect stranger things in Season 3.
Mascots (Netflix)
We couldn't be more excited for this new fly-on-the-wall comedy from mockumentary king Christopher Guest. He's played in the worlds of folk music and professional dog shows, and now he's taking on the world of mascots -- the forgotten and, let's not lie, obscure heroes of the sporting world. A giant fist mascot, an oversized pencil sharpener and a huge toilet -- this Netflix original gives them all a time to shine.
The Cabin in the Woods (Netflix)
Joss Whedon's gorey love note to the horror genre, "The Cabin in the Woods" plays with all the classic Hollywood tropes enough to make you laugh, but still throws in plenty of jump scares to genuinely leave you a bit terrified. It's a perfect mix of comedy and horror, with some sensational cameos. Also, that Chris Hemsworth fellow is just straight up good looking.
The Walking Dead (Presto)
As musician Jonathan Coulton says, "All they want to do is eat your brains. It's nothing personal, I mean, no one's going to eat your eyes."
A Nightmare on Elm Street (Presto)
Presto is leading the retro horror charge with the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. Aside from the amazingly retro poster art that Nightmare gave us, it also left us terrified of falling asleep (that's where Freddy lives after all) for an embarrassingly long time. Or was that just me?
Saw (Presto)
As advertised.
Star Wars (Foxtel)
Every. Star. Wars. Movie. Ever.
Well, the three awesome originals, the three forgettable prequels and the fantastic return to form that is "The Force Awakens." Foxtel has a pop-up channel on the go for the October long-weekend. It's a short time and it's just on pay TV, but it deserves an honourable mention in our streaming wrap.