Every month, all the major streaming services add a host of newly acquired (or just plain new) shows, movies, and documentaries into their ever-rotating libraries. So what’s a dedicated reader to watch? Well, whatever you want, of course, but the name of this website is Literary Hub, so we sort of have an angle. To that end, here’s a selection of the best (and most enjoyably bad) literary film and TV coming to streaming services this month. Have fun.
NEW:
Salem’s Lot
Max, October 3
Literary bona fides: baed on ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King (1975)
The first feature film adaptation of Stephen King’s classic—the other two were miniseries, you’d be forgiven for forgetting—was written and directed by Gary Dauberman, who is also responsible for the most recent adaptation(s) of It. On FKA Twitter earlier this year, Stephen King told his followers that the movie is “quite good” and not “embarrassing, or anything.” He added: “Who knows. I just write the fucking things.”
Teacup
Peacock, October 10
Literary bona fides: based on Stinger by Robert McCammon (1988)
From our fall preview: The logline for Peacock’s new horror series tells us that it “follows a disparate group of people in rural Georgia who must come together in the face of a mysterious threat in order to survive.” (FYI: Based on the plot of the McCammon book, that mysterious threat is aliens!)
Sweetpea
Starz, October 10
Literary bona fides: based on Sweetpea by CJ Skuse (2017)
From our fall preview: Ella Purnell (Yellowjackets) stars as Rhiannon in this British series, a “darkly comedic tale of revenge,” in which the girl no one notices starts, well, killing people. Relatable!
Disclaimer
Apple TV+, October 11
Literary bona fides: based on Disclaimer by Renée Knight (2015)
From our fall preview: Written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón, this miniseries stars Cate Blanchett as a journalist who discovers she is a character in someone else’s novel—a novel that reveals a secret no one else should know. Kevin Kline and Sacha Baron Cohen also star, but mostly I will watch anything with Blanchett in it.
Rivals
Hulu, October 18
Literary bona fides: based on Rivals by Jilly Cooper (1988)
Sex, horses, scandals, and old money in the Cotswolds of the late ’80s? I’d probably watch it even if David Tennant didn’t figure prominently.
THROWBACK:
(NB: It’s officially spooky season, and your throwbacks will be themed accordingly…)
Misery (1990)
Max, October 1
Literary bona fides: based on Misery by Stephen King (1987)
Relax and stay awhile with one of the most terrifying literary villains of all time, as iconically portrayed by Kathy Bates.
Stephen King’s It (1990)
Max, October 1
Literary bona fides: based on It by Stephen King (1986)
Another Stephen King classic, another iconic villain.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
Paramount +, October 1
Literary bona fides: based on Dracula by Bram Stoker (1897)
Vampire recommendation #1: Francis Ford Coppola’s take on Dracula, starring Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, and Keanu Reeves, not to mention Richard E. Grant, Cary Elwes, and Tom Waits. Keanu Reeves may not have been able to do an English accent, but honestly, it only makes it better. A guilty pleasure for the ages (two hours).
Interview with the Vampire (1994)
Max, October 1
Literary bona fides: based on Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice (1976)
Vampire recommendation #2: Another star-studded, blood-sucking adaptation, this one directed by Neil Jordan and featuring Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Antonio Banderas, Kirsten Dunst, Christia Slater, and Thandiwe Newton, among others. Dramatic, romantic, and also two hours long.
I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
Peacock, October 1
Literary bona fides: based on I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan (1973)
Always a good quasi-scary rewatch—despite how the author felt about the adaptation.
Practical Magic (1998)
Max, October 1
Literary bona fides: based on Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman (1995)
Make some midnight margaritas and try not to accidentally kill anyone.
American Psycho (2000)
Paramount +, October 1
Literary bona fides: based on American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis (1991)
The book was published in the ’90s, the film adaptation came out in 2000, but Patrick Bateman is, unfortunately, eternal.
Shutter Island (2010)
Peacock, October 1
Literary bona fides: based on Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane (2003)
Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Max von Sydow and Michelle Williams star in Martin Scorsese’s Hitchcockian thriller, adapted by Laeta Kalogridis, and featuring a very classy soundtrack.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016)
Peacock, October 1
Literary bona fides: based on Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith (2009)
For those who prefer their spooky movies on the silly side.
White Noise (2022)
Peacock, October 1
Literary bona fides: based on White Noise by Don DeLillo (1985)
Existential dread being the most horrifying monster of all.
