Prequel animated series Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 takes us back to Hawkins, while the VOD debuts of Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Frankenstein reimagining The Bride! and rabid animal horror Primate are the only two movie releases on streaming this week.
SERIES
Kevin S1
20 April 2026 – Prime Video
Loosely inspired by a real-life break-up and the cat who was caught in the middle, Kevin is a new animated adult comedy series about “finding where you belong in the world”. Co-created by Aubrey Plaza – who also lends her voice talents alongside the likes of Jason Schwartzman, Amy Sedaris, Whoopi Goldberg, Tig Notaro, John Waters, Cary Elwes, and more – it follows the titular feline after the unexpected break-up of his human owners. With the couple unable to decide where Kevin should go, he leaves his pampered life to move into a local pet rescue in Astoria, Queens where a chaotic band of misfit animals will help him to figure out what he really wants out of life.
Unchosen S1
21 April 2026 – Netflix
Initially titled Out of the Dust, six-part psychological thriller series Unchosen is a new British production debuting on Netflix next week. Molly Windsor stars a Rosie, a wife and mother stuck in a claustrophobic conservative Christian cult, caught between her dedication to her family, her fear of her dominating husband Adam (Asa Butterfield), and her desperation to escape. However, a chance encounter with newcomer Adam (Fa Free) – a mysterious stranger with a dark criminal past – unexpectedly sets Rosie on a path of female emancipation and sexual discovery, leading to all sorts of turmoil in her life and the lives of those around her.
Criminal Record S2
22 April 2026 – Apple TV+
I can’t tell you exactly why, but British crime thrillers are just a cut above the rest. And Apple TV+’s Criminal Record definitely did let down its side when it debuted back in 2024. Starring ex-Doctor Who frontman Peter Capaldi and The Good Wife’s Cush Jumbo, it followed two London detectives – one a veteran, one just starting out – who bump heads as they both get involved on an old murder case. In season two, DCI Daniel Hegarty and DS June Lenker are still not quite used to working together, but they will have to put that aside when a young man is stabbed to death at a political rally, kickstarting a deadly cat-and-mouse game that spirals into a far-right bombing conspiracy in the heart of London.
Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 S1
23 April 2026 – Netflix
While opinion is divided on the final season of Stranger Things (personally, I think most of the season was a mix of highs and lows, but the epic finale really stuck the landing!), there’s one thing just about everybody agrees on. Those “kids” were way too old. This is unfortunately the problem with making a series about young characters when their actors are virtually going through puberty right on screen. Stranger Things is still one of Netflix’s biggest properties though, and they clearly want to do more with it, but how? The answer is simple: Animation! Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 is a new animated series that takes place between the events of season two and three. The gang of Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Max are all here to take on a new “paranormal mystery terrorizing their town”. The gang is joined by previously unrevealed new character Nikki, who is voiced by rapidly rising young talent Odessa A’zion. Weirdly, she’s arguably the biggest name in the voice cast, as the original cast are not returning, with their characters all voiced by different actors. Either way, this looks like fun!
RENTALS/PURCHASES
The following movies have recently become available for digital purchase/rental:
The Bride!
Purchase: Apple TV – R200
Rental: Apple TV – R170
Fresh from her incredible well-deserved Oscar win for devasting drama Hamnet, Jessie Buckley is back with something very different. Written and directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Bride! is a twisted, loosely inspired reimagining of the classic 1935 horror film, The Bride of Frankenstein (which at the time was a sequel to Universal’s iconic Frankenstein). In this version, Christian Bale plays Dr. Victor Frankenstein’s tragic monster, now calling himself “Frank” and still alive in 1930’s Chicago. Plagued by a century of loneliness, he yearns deeply for a companion and gets his wish when he presses a local scientist into reanimating the body of Buckley’s Ida, a young woman recently killed after a falling out with the Chicago mob. Reborn without her memories, Frank declares Ida to be his bride, taking advantage of the situation. But the world is not ready for a monstrous romance like this, and soon the pair find themselves on the run from both killers and police alike.
Primate
Purchase: Apple TV – R150
Rental: Apple TV – R45
If you like your horror less revisionist and more… horrific, then we also have you covered this week with Primate. Written and directed by British filmmaker Johannes Roberts (Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, 47 Meters Down), Primate follows Lucy, a young woman who returns to her family’s remote tropical home in Hawaii following her mother’s death. Accompanied by friends, Lucy immediately reconnects with Ben, the family’s Highly intelligent pet chimpanzee that Lucy’s mother rescued as a baby, upon arriving back home. But soon things take a dark turn as weird discrepancies arise around the usually very friendly Ben. Unbeknown to Lucy, Ben has contracted rabies, which has driven the ape psychotic. Critical response was very positive towards Primate, especially about how it lean and effective it is with just a 90-minute runtime.