7 best movies and TV shows to watch this weekend on AMC+, Netflix, Hulu, and more

We’re just barely into October, but that means it’s time for scary season. Every streaming service has its share of thrillers and horror, including some great classics if you’re inclined to look around, but some of the new releases are really going to make the month more enjoyable. For some casual monster material, Daryl Dixon returns to The Walking Dead as he’s finally reunited with Carol. If vampires are a little more your thing, check out the reboot of Stephen King’s classic Salem's Lot. If these aren’t quite scary enough, turn off the lights and check out either Hold Your Breath or It’s What’s Inside.

If you’re not in the mood for dark and evil, but maybe prefer some chaotic good in your life, The Legend of Vox Machina returns with the best animated D&D out there from the Critical Role crew. Babes takes us in the other direction with a down to earth movie about friendship and pregnancy, while keeping it funny and silly. And finally, if you’re just feeling music, the docuseries Reggaeton: The Sound that Conquered the World brings some of the top artists that made it happen. There's also a bonus pick at the end, though you'll probably end up watching it with English dubs.

8 The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol

AMC+ — Season 2 — September 29

Fans of The Walking Dead have been looking forward to the return of the series’ favorite hunter since he mysteriously washed ashore in France with no memory of how he ended up there. Melissa McBride was originally supposed to be part of the spin-off series, but scheduling conflicts kept her out of the first season. Now she’s making the long-awaited return to the franchise as Daryl attempts to find his way back to the States, and her.

The world is still filled with (don’t call them) zombies, which certainly fits the theme for a Halloween-timed series. AMC is sticking to short seasons with just six episodes in the second season; but on the plus side, the series was already renewed for a third season. The first episode aired on September 29, and they’re continuing each Sunday.

7 The Legend of Vox Machina

Amazon Prime Video — Season 3 — October 3

Dungeons & Dragons players, it’s time. Vox Machina is back for another round, or several if the pub is serving. For the uninitiated, The Legend of Vox Machina is an animated series closely based on a campaign played out on Critical Role, and voiced by the players and guests. The show is expertly animated, the storytelling is fast-paced, the dialog is hilarious, and the action is downright epic. Just a heads up, it’s definitely not for kids.

We pick up where the team left off at the end of last season, and the stakes are even higher as the members of Vox Machina turn their attention to the Chroma Conclave and its leader, Thordak the Cinder King. The whole season isn’t dropping all at once, but episodes are on an accelerated schedule with three dropping each week through October 24. If you’d like to see what you’re getting into, the first episode of the new season is free to watch on YouTube, and you can also catch up on the first two seasons through Prime Video.

6 Babes

Hulu — Movie — September 30

If you’re just looking for something that’s not too scary this weekend, Babes is a movie about friendship and motherhood. When Eden (Ilana Glazer) becomes pregnant after a one-night stand, she leans on her lifelong friend, also a new mother herself, for support.

Written by Ilana Glazer and Josh Rabinowitz, both having worked together on Broad City, the movie threads the needle to be awkwardly funny in ways that get you thinking without becoming uncomfortable.

5 Reggaeton: The Sound that Conquered the World

Peacock — Docuseries — October 3

Reggaeton is a cultural phenomenon, sweeping through the world thanks to its blend of dance and hip-hop with deep roots in Jamaican and Latin music. If you’re in the mood to feel the music, the four-part docuseries takes you back to the early days in Panama and Puerto Rico, then to the worldwide explosion with Daddy Yankee’s hit Gasolina, and then through to modern hits.

Featuring artists like Bad Bunny, Karol G, and Daddy Yankee, you get the first-hand accounts of Reggaeton’s emergence in the barrios as an underground style before it took over music charts all over the world.

4 Hold Your Breath

Hulu — Movie — October 3

Horror takes many forms, but it’s always the scariest when it taps deep into the things we need to survive. In the last decade, films like Bird Box and A Quiet Place have dared us to give up sight and sound. Hold Your Breath asks you to fear the very air you breathe.

Set in rural 1930s Oklahoma, a pervasive presence rides on the dust storms and threatens to take over those that take a breath — and it makes the possessed do evil things. Hold tight for a dark and sinister horror experience that will leave you feeling uneasy, and might have you leaving an air purifier running through the night.

3 It’s What’s Inside

Netflix — Movie — October 4

A body-swap movie that promises body drops. Netflix is serving up the obligatory party-turned-nightmare scenario when a group of former college friends reunite for a pre-wedding get together. Of course, each of the stereotypes are present; but when an estranged friend arrives with an unusual party game, it puts the group into a dangerous Freaky Friday situation — but they really should have known better than to attach wires to their heads.

Things get interesting as deep-seeded conflicts and secrets start to come out while people are in control of bodies that don’t belong to them. Rivalries and grievances quickly go out of control, and it ensures very bad things are to come.

2 Salem's Lot

Max — Movie — October 3

Stephen King probably deserves credit for causing more nightmares than almost any person alive or dead. After the success of IT and IT: Chapter 2, it’s time to visit another King classic: Salem’s Lot. All three movies were adapted by Gary Dauberman, who now takes on the role as director, as well.

The story follows horror writer Ben Mears as he returns to his hometown looking for inspiration for a new book. What he doesn’t expect is the town is already occupied by a vampire and his human servant, who are plotting to turn the citizens into a ready-made meal bank and an army of the undead. While staying true to the story, there are enough creative twists to keep it from being a direct copy of the book or the old mini-series.

1 Where’s Wanda

Apple TV+ — Season 1 — October 2

I couldn’t resist a bonus this week. Apple TV+ just launched Where’s Wanda, a quirky and unusual “comedy” about a girl going missing from a small town. It doesn’t take long for her parents to begin investigating their neighbors and learning their many, many secrets — some of which they may regret having discovered.

The series is originally in German, but if you know the language or don’t mind English dubs, it looks like a fun time all the same. The first two episodes are already out, and new episodes land every Wednesday through the middle of November.