TV Halloween: New horror series and thrillers to watch - LA Times

Trump's trials. Israel and Gaza. Problems of the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Another price hike at Disneyland. If only there was something else to scare us... or at least distract us from the real horrors of2023. The purpose of this list is to help you find that sweet scary spot among the terrifying obstacle course of television programs in October. Many of the episodes mentioned below are already available for streaming, or you can watch them in their entirety by Halloween. There is one documentary series mentioned that is slated to be released only in early November, but given the reduction in the number of new programs due to strikes by screenwriters and actors, you'll thank me for this creepy stone, telling the story of a mom and dad cult disguised as an online dating site. Or you can always watch the news.

Streaming on Netflix

Imagine this fantastically terrifying project as "Success" with metaphysical twists, a sinister sense of retribution, and blood. Lots of blood. This eight-part Netflix series from Mike Flanagan ("The Haunting of Hill House", "Midnight Mass") is loosely inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's short story of the same name, but its themes of devouring the rich are always relevant. It follows the nefarious and wealthy founders of a pharmaceutical company, the scheming twins Roderick Usher (Bruce Greenwood) and Madeline Usher (Mary McDonnell). We meet them as the greedy and repugnant children of Roderick begin to die one by one in barbaric and cruel ways. Could this be retribution for the Fortunato pharmaceutical company pushing narcotic painkillers on an unsuspecting public, or is there something even more sinister behind the company's success and its CEOs? Pay attention to the enigmatic woman from their past, Vera (Carla Gugino). She's everywhere, always, and her name is an anagram of the word raven.

New episodes are released on Fridays and broadcasted on Starz.

Pat is going crazy or is there really a ghost in her new home telling her to kill? The hour and a half dark comedy "Shining Vale" from Starz plays on all possible horror clichés while simultaneously exploring mental illness through an occult lens. "Women suffer from depression about twice as often," the series says in a frank warning. "Women are also twice as likely to be possessed by a demon." Patricia Phelps (Courteney Cox) enters, a bestselling writer whose next novel is delayed for a very long time. Suffering from creative stagnation and a dull marriage, she moves with her family from New York to the picturesque suburb of Shining Vale, where she hopes to finish her manuscript and improve her relationship with her emotionally repressed husband Terry (Greg Kinnear). But the old mansion and its inhabitant (Mira Sorvino) have other plans. In its second season, this witty series by Jeff Astrof and Sharon Horgan reimagines many stories of male authors suffering for their craft ("The Shining," "Misery"), placing at its center the story of a distressed mom and her plethora of medications.

Premiere on Friday on Apple TV+

When America was experiencing the "Amityville Horror," England was experiencing the "Enfield Poltergeist." One single mother, Peggy Hodgson, and her four children were terrorized by violence in their modest home in a London residential complex, and their story later became the basis for "The Conjuring2." But this documentary series from Apple TV+ takes a closer look at the horrific yet suspicious events that made headlines, examining over200 hours of audio recordings made in the house between1977 and1978, and comparing old and new interviews with witnesses who claimed to have experienced shaking walls, banging doors, and flying chairs. In this four-part series from MetFilm and Concordia Studios, they even recreate the Hodgson family home on set, with all its drab beige wallpapers and mid-century vintage appliances.

Streaming on Netflix

Like "The Enfield Poltergeist," this documentary examines the controversial stories surrounding the alleged demonic possession of a boy in Brookfield, Connecticut, in the 1980s—a case that became the first in U.S. history where demonic possession was used as a defense in a criminal trial. It features interviews with people who actually experienced this case, including David Glatzel, who was 11 years old when his family claimed he was possessed (he is now over 50), and his siblings. Together, they recall how their brother's strange behavior attracted the attention of renowned demonologists and paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, known for their investigations into the alleged hauntings in Amityville, New York, and how the chaos in their home led to a murder that some still attribute to a hellish entity. However, their conflicting narratives shed new light on the case and the validity of the first "the devil made me do it" defense.

Streaming on Netflix

It's 2023, and Detective Shahara Hasan (Amaka Okafor) discovers a corpse on Longharvest Lane in London. The body is that of an unidentified naked man with a gouged-out eye and a curious tattoo. Detective Alfred Hillinghead (Kyle Soller) finds the same body in the same place in 1890. Detective Charles Whiteman (Jacob Fortune-Lloyd) does the same in 1941, and Detective Iris Maplewood (Shira Haas) in 2053. They eventually learn that the death of their stranger is caused by someone traveling back in time, but why? I would love to share a spoiler about this British crime thriller right here, but I won't, because I still don't fully understand what's happening in this story, which is based on the DC Vertigo graphic novel of the same name. However, that hasn't stopped me from immersing myself in its unsettling and sinister world. But expect horrific autopsy scenes from different time periods, because bloody horror never goes out of style.

Streaming on Hulu

Finally, a ghost-hunting show with something entertaining when the mischievous ghosts don't show up. This hour-and-a-half reality show from Hulu follows five gay ghost hunters - a tarot reader, a witch, a tech guru, a psychic, and a paranormal investigator - as they launch their investiGAYtions into paranormal activity at various haunted locations across the country. From executive producer Kristen Stewart, who narrates, and the creators of "Queer Eye," this vibrant take on an old concept aims to "break boundaries to bring acceptance to the unknown - both alive and dead," all while looking fabulous.

New episodes are broadcast on Mondays on Max.

In the second season, this biblical horror series from Spain follows the exiled Father Vergara (Eduardo Fernandez), an exorcist and former inmate trying to escape his past in the small Spanish village of Pedraza. However, the townspeople begin to experience supernatural activity of a hellish nature, linked to an ancient coin in Father Vergara's possession. The silver coin is one of those paid to Judas Iscariot for betraying Jesus and handing him over to the Romans, so you could say it's a bad penny. Enter demons, Vatican conspiracies, strange animal behavior, and apocalyptic deadlines. In this season, the torn population of Pedraza faces a new enemy played by Paul Giamatti. Director Alex de la Iglesia describes the villain as "such a pervert that even the devil is afraid of him."

Broadcast on FX on Hulu

Wait, didn't "American Horror Story" just return with its 12th season last month? Yes, but this is a spinoff of the hit anthology series by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, which is noticeable in the last letters of the show's title. The Halloween special offers new horror with each new episode, and there are four of them here for your fright. The trailer for the episode is under...