Movie Features

5 Hottest Movies of October 2024 You Need to Watch

What movies should be on your radar this October?

Published

7 months ago

September 30, 2024

Jeremy Proome

October will forever be the spookiest of movie release periods given that Halloween falls within the month, and this year is no different. There are some frights on the cards for horror-lovers, along with some more action-packed entries to keep your heart racing throughout the month. Here are our picks for the biggest movies to watch in October 2024:

Salem’s Lot

Release date: 3 October 2024 (streaming on Max)

Based on the Stephen King book and subsequent miniseries that followed, Salem’s Lot is a horror that centres on a writer who returns to his hometown of Jerusalem’s Lot in search of inspiration, only to discover the presence of a vampire. It’s coming to Max this October, and Lewis Pullman (Top Gun: Maverick) is in the lead role. The film was directed by Gary Dauberman, who wrote entries in The Conjuring Horror Universe, Annabelle, and The Nun.

Joker: Folie à Deux

Release date: 4 October 2024

Todd Philips’ 2019 Joker spin-off was a huge risk, telling the origin tales of Batman’s most beloved villains set in an alternate DC universe. The movie was a massive hit and the sequel, Folie À Deux, sees the return of Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck / Joker with Lady Gaga joining the cast as Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn. However, instead of a psychiatrist working in Arkham Asylum, this iteration of the character sees Quinn as a fellow asylum inmate with Arthur; her curiosity eventually turns to obsession and she forms a deadly romantic relationship with him.

The Silent Hour

Release date: 11 October 2024

Joel Kinnaman (Suicide Squad, Robocop) stars in this crime-thriller that follows a Boston detective who returns to duty after an injury leaves him with permanent hearing loss. Tasked with interpreting for a deaf witness to a brutal gang murder, they find themselves cornered in a soon-to-be-condemned apartment building where the killers try to eliminate her.

Smile 2

Release date: 18 October 2024

2022’s Smile was one of the surprise horror hits of the year, bringing an interesting spin on the genre with some truly horrifying scenes and ideas. The sequel, Smile 2, is set for release this October, and follows global pop sensation Skye Riley (played by Naomi Scott) who begins experiencing increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events. Overwhelmed by the escalating horrors and the pressures of fame, Skye is forced to face her dark past to regain control of her life before it spirals out of control.

Venom: The Last Dance

Release date: 25 October 2024

While some of the other Spider-Man spin-off films haven’t done too well (cough, Madame Web), Venom is stampeding ahead with the third film in the series coming this October. Venom: The Last Dance picks up after the events of 2021’s Venom: Let There Be Carnage, with Tom Hardy returning as Eddie Brock / Venom, one of Marvel’s greatest and most complex characters. The plot sees Eddie and Venom on the run, hunted by both of their worlds with the net closing in. As a result, the duo are forced into a devastating decision that will bring the curtains down on Venom and Eddie’s last dance.