Halloween weekend is finally upon us, and the best streaming services are offering plenty of treats this weekend to fill up our watchlist. With the calendar flipping over from October to November, there's a ton of new movies to sift through, so I'm shining a spotlight on the best ones worth watching.
Leading the pack this week is Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson's steamy and twisted new thriller "Verity" on paid video-on-demand platforms. Parents out there will be happy to know that "Minions and Monsters," a chaotic but endearing tribute to the Golden Age of Hollywood, just landed on Peacock. For some high-flying thrills this weekend, a nail-biting new documentary called "Hanging by a Wire" just arrived on Paramount+, and I had to watch most of it through my fingers. Meanwhile, Netflix has a feel-good sports comedy starring Woody Harrelson called "Champions" from a few years back, and "Scream 7" arrived on Prime Video this week if you're looking for a fresh horror movie this weekend.
So without further ado, let's dive into the best new movies on streaming this weekend.
'Hanging by a Wire' (Paramount+)
If heights make you queasy, you might want to skip this one. "Hanging by a Wire," a new nail-biting survival documentary on Paramount+, promises plenty of white-knuckle moments and has earned tons of buzz and positive reviews since its Sundance premiere earlier this year, and it's not hard to see why.
In August 2023, a cable car carrying eight passengers, six of them children, became stranded high above a ravine in Pakistan after one of the cables snapped. Suspended more than 900 feet in the air, the terrified passengers were left hanging by a wire as officials on the ground raced to safe them in time. The aerial drone footage is enough to make your stomach drop, and the whole ordeal will leave you wondering how well you'd be able to handle getting trapped in such a nightmare scenario.
Watch "Hanging by a Wire" on Paramount+ now
'Verity' (PVOD)
Colleen Hoover has cemented herself as a powerhouse of modern fiction, and her latest bestselling novel adapted to the big screen, "Verity," is not a movie I expected to enjoy as much as I did — proving that, yes, you can put Anne Hathaway in anything and I'll eat it up. Dakota Johnson co-stars as struggling writer Lowen Ashleigh, who's hired to complete the bestselling book series of acclaimed author Verity Crawford (Hathaway) after an accident leaves her paralyzed and unable to write.
After Verity's husband Jeremy (Josh Hartnett) poaches her for the job, Lowen moves into their home, where she soon uncovers a disturbing manuscript that casts their marriage in a whole new light. This glossy thriller delivers plenty of juicy drama, an unsettling atmosphere and enough intrigue to keep you hooked, especially in its first half. The second half stumbles, falling far short of its deliciously twisted potential, but even still, it's a fun and steamy watch to kill a weekend afternoon.
Buy or rent "Verity" on Amazon or Apple now
‘Minions and Monsters’ (Peacock)
The Minions are Hollywood-bound in this surprisingly fun third installment of the "Despicable Me" spin-off. Set in 1927, the latest "Minions" sequel follows a new batch of the jaundiced little henchmen as they crash into the silent-film era and try to take over showbiz by becoming movie stars.
Naturally, their big-screen ambitions take a disastrous turn when they accidentally unleash an eyeball-covered monster on Los Angeles. It's another helping of familiar Minions mayhem, but this installment was clearly made by diehard Hollywood fanatics. Kids will get a kick out of the slapstick humor and colorful chaos, while grown-ups can enjoy the affectionate nods to a bygone era on the silver screen.
Watch "Minions and Monsters" on Peacock now
'Scream 7' (Prime Video)
What's your favorite scary movie? I'll be real with you, "Scream 7" probably won't be your answer after watching it, but with Halloween kicking off this weekend, it's exactly the time to enjoy some schlocky slasher thrills. While it doesn't come close to topping the original, "Scream 7" is an entertaining enough return to form with plenty of nostalgia to chew on that longtime fans won't be disappointed.
Neve Campbell reprises her role as Sidney Prescott, who's forced out of hiding when a new Ghostface killer targets her daughter. This latest chapter packs in plenty of callbacks to previous installments and even brings back some familiar faces who probably should have stayed dead. It's not exactly subtle, but still a bloody good time with all the twists, throwbacks and fan service you'd expect.
Watch "Scream 7" on Prime Video now
'Champions' (Netflix)
Sometimes a feel-good sports comedy is just the thing to kick off your weekend with some positive vibes. While Bobby Farrelly’s “Champions” follows the formula to the letter, Woody Harrelson is a treat to watch as a disgraced former minor-league basketball coach who gets a chance at redemption by coaching a team of players with intellectual disabilities.
After getting into trouble with the law, Marcus (Harrelson) is ordered to complete community service and gets put in charge of the Friends, a local basketball team of players with intellectual disabilities who have dreams of competing in the Special Olympics. Presided over by Cheech Marin’s world-weary civil servant, the program is so woefully underfunded that the only way the team can make it to away games is by hopping on the city bus. Initially, Harrelson's exasperated by their lack of skill, but after spending more time with them...well, you can probably guess what happens next (and all the warm fuzzies that go along with it).
Watch "Champions" on Netflix now
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