It’s definitely not just about spooky stuff on Disney+ in October. In fact, arguably the most Halloween-suitable addition to the streamer was last month’s Marvel Zombies. The good news is that whether you love true crime, animation, medical dramas, global entertainment, thrillers or live sport, you’ll find fresh offerings on Disney+ over the coming days and weeks.
Before we mention our personal highlights, no doubt many home viewers will be excited to hear that Season 22 of Grey’s Anatomy returns on 10 October (with weekly episodes) and The Simpsons S37 starts dropping episodes from 13 October. Then, of course, we need to mention the recent addition, from 2 October, of linear channels ESPN and ESPN 2 to Disney+. That means live sport like the return of the NBA from 22 October, NFL games, and MLB World Series action from 24 October. World rugby is included in the mix too, though it seems like this is more the season for football/soccer action, covering the likes of the English Football League (EFL), German DFB-Pokal, Saudi Pro League, and Turkish SüperLig.
The Lost Station Girls (Limited Series)
True crime girlies, here’s one for you. Out of France comes The Lost Station Girls, which centres on a real-life police investigation that ran for twenty years. It all started in the period 1995 to 2001, when, in the south of France, a teenage girl disappeared and three young women were found murdered. What followed was a relentless manhunt spanning two decades, as investigator Flore Robin (Camille Razat) and the Perpignan police refused to give up on the case.
All six episodes of The Lost Station Girls are streaming from 8 October.
To Cook a Bear (Limited Series)
If you want to expand your viewing horizons, our top pick for the month is mystery thriller To Cook a Bear, a Disney+ Nordic Original series based on Mikael Niemis’s bestselling novel. In 1852, a new pastor (Gustaf Skarsgård) and his family arrive in the isolated village of Kengis in Northern Sweden. At the same time the preacher inspires the poor local farmers to demand a better life from the local elites, the community is shaken by frightening rumours of bear attacks and disappearances.
The six-episode To Cook a Bear is streaming from 15 October.
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (Film)
Your Halloween movie offering from Disney+ this year is less horror, more psychological thriller. Hulu’s The Hand That Rocks the Cradle is a remake of the 1992 hit starring Rebecca De Mornay. Longlegs’ Maika Monroe plays Polly Murphy, a live-in nanny who at first seems like a godsend for Caitlyn (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Miguel Morales (Raúl Castillo). However, a mentally fragile Caitlyn soon starts to suspect that Polly has plans to take Caitlyn’s family as her own.
Watch The Hand That Rocks the Cradle on Disney+ from 22 October.
Star Wars: Visions Volume 3 (Animated Anthology Series)
Now in its third season, animated anthology series Star Wars: Visions hands the creative reins to top international animation studios to interpret the Star Wars galaxy their way. Following Volume 2, which turned to animators around the world, with Volume 3, the creative focus is back on Japan. The anime studios behind this set of standalone shorts are David Production, Kamikaze Douga, Trigger, Kinema Citrus, Polygon Pictures, Project Studio Q, Production I.G, and Wit Studio.
Watch all nine shorts that make up Star Wars: Visions Volume 3 from 29 October.
National Geographic’s Witches: Truth Behind the Trials (Documentary Series)
A highly appropriate documentary for spooky season is six-part Witches: Truth Behind the Trials, originally screened on National Geographic. Bouncing between locations, this series explores the myths and truths behind various witch trials that took place in Scotland, England, Germany, Sweden, Ireland and America from the 15th to 18th Century. These trials resulted in the execution of hundreds of people, specifically women, the elderly, indigenous figures and the disabled. More information on the episodes here.
Witches: Truth Behind the Trials is streaming from 31 October.