The best movies to watch before they leave streaming (October 2022)

Halloween is nearly (finally!) here This is what you know. That’s right — the pleasant chill of autumn is slowing giving way to the bitter frost of winter, and as sure as the leaves wilt and fall from the branches of trees, several of the best movies on streaming are their leaving their respective platforms to make way for newer titles. Before that happens though, we’ve put together a list of some of our favorite movies to watch before the clock strikes midnight on All Hallows’ Eve.

The best streaming movies at October’s end are listed here.

Bound

Gramercy Pictures

The Wachowskis’ directorial debut is this scintillating neo-noir thriller about two women who fall for each other and steal $2 million in mob money. Jennifer Tilly is Violet, Caesar’s high-female girlfriend. (Joe Pantoliano) Gina Gershon plays Corky, an excon who is a maintenance worker at Violet’s apartment. When Corky and Violet catch each other’s eyes in the elevator, the seduction begins, as they become irresistibly drawn to one another and the possibility of a better life outside of their respective confined circumstances.

It has been many years since then and so many great movies. Bound may still be the high mark of the Wachowskis’ illustrious career. Gershon, Tilly, and Gershon were both fantastic and had a wonderful time. The film is very erotic in its sexual scenes, as well as in the other moments. Corky’s work on the plumbing is both deeply sensual. It’s an unforgettable romantic crime thriller, and among the sexiest American movies ever made. —PV

Bound Leaf PrimeVideo October 31.

Candyman

Shout Factory image

Bernard Rose’s 1992 adaptation of Clive Barker’s short story “The Forbidden” is an unequivocal masterpiece. Virginia Madsen stars (Sideways), the film centers on the story of Helen, a Chicago graduate student completing her thesis on urban legends and folklore, in particular the infamous “Candyman” killer said to haunt the Cabrini-Green projects. When Helen’s efforts inadvertently arouse the attention of the malevolent spirit (Tony Todd), she’ll have to find a way to put the killer to rest while convincing all those around her that she isn’t losing her mind. The film is captivating, seductive and horrifying. It was also beautifully shot. CandymanThis is an iconic horror film that you should celebrate and return to over the years. Don’t even get me started on that Philip Glass score, it’s genius! —Toussaint Egan

Candyman Leaf Peacock Oct. 31.

Don’t Look Now

Image: D.L.N. Ventures Partnership

There have been few movies that used locations more successfully than this one. Don’t Look Now The canals of Venice. Julie Christie (Donald Sutherland) and Julie Christie, who both lost their daughters in tragic drowning accidents in their first marriage, moved to Venice to find work. But the haunting presence of the ghost of their children is still with them.

Director Nicolas Roeg’s camera makes the winding canals of Venice a haunted space, and his use of the color red is the kind of stuff made to be taught in film classes. Christie and Sutherland, who play the roles of the bereaved couple that switch between positions halfway through the film after making a surprising discovery, are both outstanding. —PV

As Austen Goslin put it in our Halloween movie countdown:

To help sell the overwhelming weight that grief can put on a person and the way it can reshape their world, Roeg turns Venice’s endless alleyways, bridges, and water into something like a dreamscape, folding them in on each other and creating vast distances out of each canal. The city feels at once claustrophobic and miles wide, perfectly reflecting the confusion, and utter dismay of the characters and creating an atmosphere of tension that’s rarely achieved in a movie with as few direct and overt scares as this one. But that’s the kind of movie Don’t Look NowOne that can be sat with you for many years like silent grief, and not make you get out of bed.

Don’t Look Now Leaf PrimeVideo October 31.

Last Action Hero

Image: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

You must be able mimic what draws people to a particular genre to create a parody that is effective. It’s the reason why Wes Craven’s Scream movies work so well, and the same could be said about Last Action Hero.

A young movie-obsessed child (Austin O’Brien) is thrown into the world of his favorite action franchise, while the movie’s villain (a deliciously over-the-top Charles Dance) is sent to the real world. The child and the movie’s hero (Arnold Schwarzenegger) have to get back to the real world to stop the villain.

John McTiernan directed the filmPredator, Die Hard), Last Action Hero This kind of talent behind the camera and having an action star as a lead role is a huge benefit. My favorite thing about the film is Dance and all the prop glasses eyeballs that he uses. —PV

Last Action Hero Leaf Netflix Nov. 1.

Predator

Image: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

You’ve made time to see Prey You’re probably aware of this by now. If you haven’t caught up with the newest installment of the Predator franchise, why not do a double feature with the terrific original before it leaves streaming?

Every Predator movie may be worth watching, but it’s hard to beat the muscleheaded thrills of the John McTiernan-directed original. A military elite is dispatched to rescue hostages from a rainforest. But they are ultimately hunted by an alien.

Here are 2 pieces Predator For trivia: Jesse Ventura (the future governor) and Arnold Schwarzenegger (the future governor) were seen in this film together. Running ManIn 1987, a similar product (the ), was also released. Who was the original Predator suit’s man? Jean-Claude Van Damme. I love JCVD, but I’m happy for all parties that they went with the 7’2” Kevin Peter Hall instead. —PV

PredatorLeaves Hulu Oct. 31.

Psycho

Paramount Pictures Photo

I venture to guess I don’t have to do a whole lot to argue on behalf of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 psychological horror thriller. Even though it got mixed reviews upon its initial release, it is still highly recommended. Psycho quickly earned its reputation as one of Hitchcock’s best films — if not his best — due in part to its impressive camerawork, memorable score, and a deeply chilling and remarkable performance by Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates. Whether you have or haven’t seen it already, I have some great news: Now’s the perfect time to give it a watch. I guarantee it’s a scream. —TE

PsychoLeaves Peacock Oct. 31.

The Mighty Quinn

Image by M Home Entertainment

Denzel Washington wasn’t the only great movie star of all time. He was also bringing great movie star energy and excitement to other disposable thrillers. The Mighty QuinnBased on A.H.Z. Carr’s 1971 pulp novel Maubees but gussied up with a title cribbed from a Bob Dylan song, would not be a highly recommendable murder mystery without the now-two-time Oscar-winning actor — despite a script from Blade RunnerHampton Fancher is a pedestrian writer. Washington is a formidable character as Xavier Quinn (the police chief on a fictional Caribbean island), who ends up investigating Maubee (Robert Townsend), after a millionaire resort proprietor dies. On the trail of the killer, Quinn interrogates witnesses, races home to pick up his kid, outsteps a seductive femme fatale, tries to mend a fractured relationship with his estranged wife, and dodges enough bullets to earn the “mighty” title. Which results in Washington pairing muscle with charm, smug authority with in-over-his-head anxiety, and a calculating sense of the island’s dynamics. Michael Rose and his reggae support Washington. The Mighty QuinnThis is a quick 98 minute whodunnit that has a 1970s-style crime twist. It replaces beauty with equally captivating on-screen presence. For some of us, that’s the ideal vacation. —Matt Patches

The Mighty QuinnLeaves HBO Max Oct. 31.

Miss Congeniality

Warner Home Video

Sandra Bullock plays the role of an FBI agent who works undercover to stop a bomb threat. It’s a perfect fit for her particular combination of movie-star screen presence and down-to-earth charisma, and lives on as a standout fish-out-of-water comedy of the era. —PV

Miss Congeniality Leaf Netflix Nov. 1.

The Nightingale

Image by IFC Films/Shout Factory

Set in 1825 during the British colonization of Australia, director Jennifer Kent’s (Babadook) period drama stars Aisling Franciosi (The FallClare is a young Irish convict serving her seven year sentence. Her abusive master Lt. Hawkins, played by Sam Claflin refused to release Clare. Clare is subjected to horrific acts of sexual violence by her master and his staff. With no chance of justice being served against the British authorities, Clare sets out on a relentless pursuit through Tasmanian wilderness in order to exact revenge on Hawkins, who leaves for a Captain position higher up. It is known for the historical accuracy of its depictions, both extreme and accurate, of rape, murder and racism, which were perpetuated by British settlers in Australia against Indigenous people. The NightingaleIt is visually arresting and emotionally riveting tale of revenge told through skilled performances, stunning cinematography and unflinching brutality. —TE

The Nightingale Leaf Netflix Nov. 1.

They are alive

Universal Pictures

John Carpenter’s satirical sci-fi action horror film has taken on a life of its own since it first premiered over 34 years ago. Released in theaters at the end of the Reagan administration, Carpenter’s searing critique of yuppie culture and unrestrained capitalism stars “Rowdy” Roddy Piper as “Nada,” a down-on-his-luck construction worker trying to earn an honest living in Los Angeles. Upon stumbling on a box of sunglasses that give him the ability to see the insidious subliminal imaging behind advertising — the ghoulish alien overlords secretly pulling the strings — Nada must convince his friend Frank (Keith David) to find the resistance movement amassing to take the fight to Earth’s unscrupulous extraterrestrial overlords.

Visible in everything from street art and fashion to music, film, and television — not unlike the alien propaganda at the center of the movie itself — They are aliveIt is truly a counter-culture icon. You’ve got to watch this film, if for no other reason than to see Piper and David duke it out in a back alley for over six straight minutes. It’s glorious. —TE

They are alive Leaf Peacock Oct. 31.

Thirst

Image by First Look International

Park Chan-wook’s masterful vampire novel should be a must-see for fans of this romantic thriller about vampires. I’m a Cyborg, But That’s OK And Stoker. Song Kang-ho plays a troubled priest, who is dying while receiving an experimental treatment for dangerous diseases. However, he returns to life and transforms into a vampire. He also becomes involved with an old friend.

In many ways, this movie is in close relationship to his two most recent releases — The Handmaiden And Decent to leave The combination of the emotional intensity of the former and the charged relationship dynamic created by the latter creates a gripping experience. With Park’s typical attention to detail and eye for arresting images (as well as his wicked sense of humor), it’s an unconventional and sexy Halloween watch. —PV

ThirstLeaves Peacock Oct. 31.