October may be the time when everyone wants to find new and exciting horror movies to watch, and Netflix only has a few of those, but the Halloween season is also a prime spot for new and classic TV shows. The good news about Netflix‘s catalogue of TV shows is that the streamer knows its audience well. Not only are there plenty of shows coming back with new episodes, but older series that the streamer has nabbed the rights to, and they’re not all spooky (though it helps that plenty of them are).
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So if you have a gap in your schedule, these are the shows on Netflix that will be well worth your time this month. Some of the titles are just showing up for the first time on the streamer, while others have been hiding, lurking in the virtual aisles as unassuming shows waiting for you to find them. Even more are coming back with brand new episodes, so not only is there time to get caught up and fall in love, but to be ready for the next piece of the story.
10) The Diplomat
Netflix has dabbled in political thrillers since it started making TV shows, but with The Diplomat, the streamer has found its most successful execution of the formula. The Diplomat doesn’t just rip ideas from the headlines; it grounds the global plotting in the personal stakes of each character, making it digestible and enticing.
What makes The Diplomat stand apart from others in this vein is the performance by Keri Russell, whose arresting presence as a US ambassador in the UK makes what could be nonsensical plotting feel heavy and interesting. The best news about this one is that two seasons are already streaming on Netflix, with the show’s third batch of episodes set to drop on October 16th, so there’s plenty of time
9) Evil
Fans looking for something like The X-Files but with a more modern flair and less of a time commitment should flock toward Evil. Come for the supernatural plotting, but stay for the hilarious riffs on demons and the modern world as Evil delivers unique monsters almost every week and an overarching story that rewards a binge watch.
Evil‘s impressive make-up and creature effects are a great reason to watch it, but the writing for the series remains its real hallmark. Juggling the difficult task of being smart drama with a cohesive narrative, a scary monster-of-the-week TV series, and a hilarious character piece, Evil pulls off the near impossible more than once. It’s scary, funny, goopy, and perfect for a fall weather watch.
There is a problem, though; there are actually four seasons of Evil, but the fourth and final can only be found on Paramount+.
8) Haunted Hotel
Created by Matt Roller and executive produced by some of his collaborators from Rick and Morty, including Dan Harmon & Chris McKenna, Haunted Hotel is a cartoon comedy that does exactly what it says on the tin: a family running a haunted hotel and the logistical and literal nightmare that it carries with it. Featuring Will Forte and Skyler Gisondo in its voice cast, Haunted Hotel quickly establishes its unique world and rules by meshing them with its ten-jokes-a-minute tone.
If the aesthetics of countless horror movies are something you’re eager to satisfy with your TV watching in October, but you want to keep the actual scares as far away as possible, check into the Haunted Hotel. 10 episodes just dropped, and a second season has already been confirmed, a welcome change for Netflix subscribers.
7) The Haunting of Hill House
In the years since The Haunting of Hill House‘s release, creator Mike Flanagan made a name for himself as being THE horror creator at Netflix, and it largely started here. Based on Shirley Jackson’s novel and featuring dual casts (the younger and older versions of their characters), The Haunting of Hill House is a generational TV series that manages to weave between terrifying visuals, emotional monologues, and set design that feels fresh while evoking the classic trappings of gothic horror.
To make this one even more interesting, you should know ahead of time that there are hidden ghosts throughout The Haunting of Hill House. Once you spot your first you’ll end up looking behind every door and corner that you can to find more, but beware, the depth of these characters is not one to ignore, so let the ghosts find you.
6) Interview With the Vampire
If you think you know the story, that’s where you’re wrong. AMC’s TV series takes many of the ideas from Rice’s text and modernizes them in major ways. Even when their decision to change the story or a character is rooted in production problems, Interview With the Vampire roots the changes in the narrative and the characters in a way that is respectful of the source material. On the whole, Interview With the Vampire has plenty of surprises to be found, even if you’ve seen the film or read the book.
Season 3, which will be retitled The Vampire Lestat, is set to premiere in 2026, so catch up while the air is filled with spooky vibes.
5) Midnight Mass
Mike Flanagan may have made huge waves on Netflix with multiple horror TV shows, but his magnum opus is Midnight Mass. Flanagan’s writing weaves together a narrative that wears all its influences on its sleeve, harkening to his muse, Stephen King, while also delivering something wholly unique in its execution. With characters you love to hate and deaths that will rattle you, Midnight Mass is Flanagan’s best work, which puts it in contention for the best thing ever produced by Netflix.
Though you’ll be tempted to binge the entire thing in a couple of days, I’ll make a specific recommendation: watch this a different way. With only seven episodes total, savor each of these, let the story of Midnight Mass, its mystery, and its characters unfold in front of you with patience. Watch one and digest it before you move forward. This is a series that’s a full meal to enjoy, not an eating context to get through.
4) Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, a loose adaptation of the Archie comic of the same name, makes it very clear that this is not a fresh reboot of the ’90s sitcom, Sabrina the Teenage Witch. This series, which has four seasons under its belt (and a Christmas special), takes the concept to dark places full of horror, monsters, and, naturally, campy witchy goodness. Though many viewers love the larger mysteries and overarching plots that define each season, none of it would work if it weren’t for Kiernan Shipka’s electric performance as the title character.
Shipka is only 25, but her career in Hollywood has been extensive, with noteworthy roles on Mad Men, The Legend of Korra, and others; but Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is the perfect encapsulation of her abilities as an actress. The series not only shows off her range as a dramatic performer but also how she can tap into the shifting tones of anything thrown at her.
Fans waiting for more of Netflix’s Wednesday who haven’t made the trip to Greendale should make a pit stop quickly.
3) Santa Clarita Diet
Santa Clarita Diet is undeniably a fun watch, but what really sets it apart from other streaming comedies is the content itself: it’s a horror comedy that doesn’t skimp on the gore. In the series, Drew Barrymore’s Sheila Hammond becomes undead, and despite trying to keep her normal life going, she’s forced to reckon with her newfound hunger for human flesh
In addition to being unique because it was one of Barrymore’s last vehicles, the series also acts as a unique piece of star Timothy Olyphant’s career. Though the actor has gotten to be funny in his dramatic roles like in Deadwood and Justified, Olyphant as Joel Hammond in the series is a bizarre loose cannon that wears the humor of the show on his sleeve, not waiting for the right time to deploy it.
Some viewers may want to know that this one ends a certain kind of way (a cliffhanger) before diving in, but the series is so much richer than just a conclusion that doesn’t end up getting a pay off later.
2) Splinter Cell: Deathwatch
Gamers have been waiting on something, anything from the Splinter Cell franchise for over a decade. With no video game released in the past twelve years, and talk of a movie over twenty years old at this point, this is an adaptation that is a long time coming. Though we haven’t seen any of it yet, the series has John Wick architect Derek Kolstad behind it which is already an exciting prospect for a new TV series. Furthermore, fans of the game will finally have something to hang onto, and it’s one that appears to be in canon with the video games. All eight episodes of the show’s first season will premiere on October 14th
1) The Witcher
It’s been two years since The Witcher brought new episodes to life, and the wait is almost finally over, making now the right time to catch up and get ready for what will follow (now with Liam Hemsworth in the lead role). If there’s one thing that sets The Witcher apart from other fantasy shows currently being made, and even the ones that have long been over, it’s a series that knows exactly what kind of tone it has. Yes, there’s a dark aura around the larger narrative and horrible beasties, but at the center of it all, The Witcher is just fun. There’s not much whimsy to be found, but the series strikes a unique balance between gory monsters, sword fights, and surprising laughs.
Season 4 of The Witcher drops on October 30th; unlike recent releases like Wednesday or Stranger Things, Netflix is releasing the entire season at once without splitting it up. If this marks your first foray into the series, too, Netflix has even more where that came from, including a prequel series and two animated films.
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