A new month is here, and just like all the best streaming services, Paramount Plus is raking in a fresh batch of movies and shows to stream. But with so much on offer, how do you settle on what to watch next? With that in mind, I've combed through everything that's new to Paramount Plus this October and rounded up a handful of critically acclaimed movies that deserve a spot on your watchlist.
Each one of these movies has earned at least a 90% score (or higher) on the review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes. Granted, a high critics' score doesn't guarantee that you'll personally enjoy a film, but it is a good sign that most viewers enjoyed their watch and consider it worth streaming.
Among the top picks are a classic feel-good drama that launched Matt Damon's career, an overlooked horror film that'll keep you on the edge of your seat, one of the best sci-fi movies of the 2010s, and more. Here are the five new to Paramount Plus movies you should consider watching first in October 2025.
'Green Room' (2016)
I consider Patrick Stewart's little-known horror film "Green Room" a must-watch this spooky season. It keeps the tension dialed up from start to finish with its gritty, unsettling realism and claustrophobic setting that gets under your skin and stays there.
The story centers around a very unfortunate punk band — bassist Pat (Anton Yelchin), guitarist Sam (Alia Shawkat), drummer Reece (Joe Cole), and frontman Tiger (Callum Turner) — who take a last-minute gig for some quick cash. They discover too late that the venue is a neo-Nazi gang's watering hole, and their night only goes downhill from there when they stumble on a murder in the club's green room. With the gang's merciless leader (Patrick Stewart) out to tie up loose ends, the band must do whatever it takes to fight for their lives.
Genre: Mystery & Thriller/Horror
Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
Watch "Green Room" on Paramount Plus now
'Zero Dark Thirty' (2013)
After winning an Oscar for "The Hurt Locker," director Kathryn Bigelow returned with "Zero Dark Thirty," a war drama that was initially met with critical praise when it released back in 2012 but has faded from the spotlight in the decade since. That's a shame, though, because this thriller still holds up surprisingly well. Jessica Chastain’s powerhouse lead performance and Bigelow’s signature directorial style plunge you right into one of history's most volatile chapters in recent memory.
The story follows the nearly decade-long global manhunt for Osama bin Laden through the eyes of Chastain's Maya, a CIA analyst whose relentless focus on tracking down the Al Qaeda leader consumes nearly every part of her life.
Genre: Drama/Mystery & Thriller/War
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Watch "Zero Dark Thirty" on Paramount Plus now
'District 9' (2009)
Neill Blomkamp makes some weird movies, and I'm all about it. His directorial debut, "District 9," is no different, imagining what chaos would unfold if an alien spacecraft became stranded above Johannesburg, South Africa. The aliens, derogatorily called "prawns," are confined to a government-controlled slum known as District 9. With the government facing mounting pressure to get the aliens out of their backyard, one unlucky pencil-pusher, Wikus van de Merwe (Sharlto Copley), is tasked with leading the relocation efforts.
That all goes to hell in a handbasket when he's accidentally exposed to the alien's biotech, triggering a shocking physical transformation that slowly turns him into one of the aliens. He finds himself hunted down by humans and aliens alike, and with no one else to trust, he teams up with an alien named Christopher (Jason Cope) on a desperate quest to find a cure and help them return to their home world.
Genre: Sci-Fi
Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
Watch "District 9" on Paramount Plus now
'No Country for Old Men' (2007)
I'm a huge Coen brothers' fan, and "No Country for Old Men" is probably tied for the one I revisit most (next to "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"). Even if you’ve seen it before, this adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s novel remains a masterclass in slow-burning suspense, making it well worth a rewatch.
At its center are two men entangled in a deadly cat-and-mouse chase over a briefcase stuffed with stolen cash: the relentless hitman Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) and a stubborn yet resourceful Vietnam vet Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin). As the weary local sheriff (Tommy Lee Jones) watches the tensions escalate, he struggles to make sense of a world that seems to be slipping beyond his understanding. Bardem is iconic as the unsettling and stoic Chigurh, who feels more like an unstoppable force of nature than a villain.
Genre: Crime/Drama/Mystery & Thriller
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
Watch "No Country for Old Men" on Paramount Plus now
'Good Will Hunting' (1998)
As the weather gets colder, it's always nice to curl up with a feel-good old favorite to warm your heart. "Good Will Hunting" is just the ticket, beloved for its heartfelt performances and sincere storytelling that are easy to lose yourself in. In a breakout role for Matt Damon, he stars as Will Hunting, a bright young janitor working at a New England university who stuns everyone when he anonymously solves a difficult math problem left on Professor Gerald Lambeau's (Stellan Skarsgård) chalkboard.
When Lambeau learns Will is facing jail time over a fight, he strikes a deal to keep him from behind bars. Part of the deal is that he studies mathematics and sees a psychotherapist, Lambeau's old friend Dr. Sean Maguire (Robin Williams). Williams slowly chips away at Will's defenses in these therapy sessions, and watching their dynamic evolve is as touching as it is fascinating.
Genre: Drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
Watch "Good Will Hunting" on Paramount Plus now
Not feeling any of these? Check out our round-up of all the best shows and movies on Paramount Plus for tons more streaming suggestions perfect for your next movie night.
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