October is always a good time to go to the theater, with a great selection of horror dominating the box office and the small screen. 2023 is shaping up to be a little different, as some of the higher profile horror films haven’t been slated for the spooky month, like Saw X which has a September release date. In addition to a handful of horror films, some critically acclaimed thrillers will be filling up the theaters this October. So, let’s look at the 10 most anticipated movies set to release in October 2023.
The Exorcist: Believer
Our first most anticipated movie is The Exorcist: Believer, which is set to release on October 6, 2023. The film is the sixth movie in The Exorcist franchise and the first of an upcoming planned trilogy. The Exorcist: Believer stars Leslie Odom Jr. (Hamilton, Murder on the Orient Express) as Victor Fielding whose daughter Angela (Lidya Jewett) is possessed by a demon. He seeks out Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn), who is the mother in the original film, to help his daughter.
The movie also stars Ann Dowd (The Handmaid’s Tale, Hereditary), Raphael Sbarge (Once Upon a Time, Murder in the First), and Jennifer Nettles, the singer who makes up one-half of Sugarland. It is intended as a direct sequel to the original The Exorcist, like the new Halloween trilogy and Saw X. The Exorcist: Believer has been written and directed by David Gordon Green, who also wrote and directed the new Halloween trilogy. He is also the writer and director of the planned sequel to this film, The Exorcist: Deceiver, which is set for a 2025 release.
The Royal Hotel
A psychological thriller, The Royal Hotel is set to hit screens on October 6, 2023. Directed by Kitty Green (The Assistant), the film stars Julia Garner (Ozark, Inventing Anna), Jessica Henwick (Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Game of Thrones), and Hugo Weaving (The Matrix, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring). It was filmed in Australia, taking place in an isolated pub called The Royal Hotel in the Australian Outback.
Inspired by the documentary Hotel Coolgardie, The Royal Hotel follows two backpackers named Hanna (Garner) and Liv (Henwick), who travel to and work at the aforementioned bar. Based on the tense trailer which you can watch above, they will be dealing with harassment at the hands of the patrons of The Royal Hotel. The film has already premiered at the 50th Telluride Film Festival, and therefore it is currently sitting at 96% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Pet Sematary: Bloodlines
One of the rare, anticipated movies on the list not to be undertaking a theatrical release is Pet Sematary: Bloodlines, which is due to hit Paramount Plus on October 7, 2023. It stars David Duchovny (The X-Files, Californication), Jackson White (Ambulance, Tell Me Lies), Forrest Goodluck (The Revenant, How to Blow Up a Pipeline), Jack Mulhern (Mare of Eastown, Painkiller), Henry Thomas (E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, The Haunting of Hill House), Natalie Alyn Lind (The Goldbergs, The Gifted), and Pam Grier (Coffy, Jackie Brown).
Pet Sematary: Bloodlines acts as a prequel to the 2019 film Pet Sematary. However, the story is based on a segment of Stephen King’s 1983 novel Pet Sematary. King himself has said that it is “the story Jud Crandall tells Louis Creed to try and dissuade him from using the Pet Sematary”. It is the directorial debut of Lindsey Anderson Beer. White plays a younger Crandall, who was played by John Lithgow in the 2019 movie. It should be an interesting and terrifying look at the Pet Sematary with an angle we haven’t seen before.
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour
Swifties will be flocking to the theater in October when the highly anticipated film, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour releases. Directed by Sam Wench, the movie will be released in theaters on October 13, 2023. The Eras Tour is a filmed version of Swift’s extremely popular concert tour featuring songs from all of her ten studio albums. The concert was filmed at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The Eras Tour was allowed to be filmed during the SAG-AFTRA strike because the production met the requests of the union.
As tickets for the tour sold out fairly quickly, seeing this film version will be the only way many fans will be able to experience the concert. In an interesting move, the film has been sold directly to the theaters, skipping the major studios. It will be running for four weekends, and it has already made $65 million in pre-sales.
Divinity
Who doesn’t like weird science fiction movies? Divinity is a movie directed by Eddie Alcazar, which is set to be released on October 13, 2023. While it may not be incredibly anticipated, if you are into science fiction this is a great pick for your October. The movie stars Bella Thorne (The Babysitter, Blended), Stephen Dorff (Blade, Immortals), and Scott Bakula (NCIS: New Orleans, Quantum Leap).
Divinity follows the story of a father and son’s quest for immortality via a substance called Divinity. It was produced by Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s Eleven, Magic Mike), and it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. It is currently sitting at 62% on Rotten Tomatoes, but don’t let that stop you from enjoying your time at the theater.
Pain Hustlers
The highly anticipated movie Pain Hustlers is scheduled to have a limited release in theaters on October 20, but it is also coming to Netflix on October 27, 2023. The film was directed by David Yates (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them). It stars Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer, A Quiet Place) as Liza Drake, a woman who works for a pharmaceutical start-up.
Pain Hustlers also stars Chris Evans (Knives Out, Captain America: The First Avenger), Andy García (Ocean’s Eleven, The Godfather: Part III), Catherine O’Hara (Home Alone, Schitt’s Creek), and Brian d’Arcy James (Spotlight, West Side Story). It is based on the book by Evan Hughes, The Hard Sell: Crime and Punishment at an Opioid Startup which follows a specific start-up involved in the American opioid crisis of the 2000s.
Killers of the Flower Moon
The newest film directed by Martin Scorsese (Goodfellas, The Irishman) is about to come to theaters on October 20, 2023. Killers of the Flower Moon is one of the most highly anticipated movies of the year, let alone October. It is a Western crime drama based on the book of the same name by David Grann. The film follows the true story of the murders which occurred in the Osage Nation in the 1920s, due to oil found in the region.
The movie has a stacked cast with Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street, Titanic), Robert De Niro (Goodfellas, Casino), Lily Gladstone (Certain Women, Billions), Jesse Plemons (Game Night, Breaking Bad), John Lithgow (Shrek, The Crown), and Brendan Fraser (The Mummy, The Whale) starring. Killers of the Flower Moon was written by Scorsese and Eric Roth (Forrest Gump, Dune), and it is slated to be released on Apple TV Plus sometime after its theatrical release. But, it will also be screened in IMAX, so there’s an ideal way to watch it for everybody.
Freelance
An action-comedy starring John Cena (Peacemaker, Fast X) and Alison Brie (Community, GLOW) is going to be released on October 27, 2023. Directed by Pierre Morel (Taken, Peppermint), Freelance follows a former Special Operations operator named Mason (Cena), who protects a journalist named Claire (Brie) from a military coup in a foreign country.
Juan Pablo Raba (Six, Narcos), Alice Eve (Before We Go, Star Trek Into Darkness), Marton Csokas (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Equalizer), and Christian Slater (Heathers, Mr. Robot) also star in the film. Judging from the trailer it seems like Freelance will be equal parts action and comedy, which there certainly hasn’t been enough of this year.
Five Nights at Freddy’s
Every gamer must have this one at the top of their most anticipated movies list, as the movie adaption of Five Nights at Freddy’s is set to release on October 27, 2023. Of course, the film is based on the uber-popular video game franchise of the same name. Directed by Emma Tammi (The Wind), the film is a Blumhouse Productions film so expect plenty of scares.
Aside from the animatronics, Five Nights at Freddy’s also stars Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games, The Disaster Artist), Elizabeth Lail (Once Upon a Time, You), Piper Rubio, and Matthew Lillard (Scream, Scooby-Doo) as William Afton. The story follows a man named Mike (Hutcherson) who accepts a job as a night guard for Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. But, he doesn’t realize that the place is a hunting ground for the restaurant’s four animatronic mascots that come out at night and kill. It will be released on Peacock at the same time as its theatrical release.
The Killer
Easily one of the most anticipated movies of the year is David Fincher’s (Gone Girl, Fight Club) upcoming October release, The Killer. Set to release on Netflix on November 10, The Killer will also be screened theatrically on October 27, 2023. Starring Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds, X-Men: First Class) as the unnamed hitman the title refers to, the film is based on the French graphic novel series of the same name by Luc Jacamon and Matz.
The trailer for The Killer, which you can see above, captures the vibe of a David Fincher thriller. The movie follows The Killer as he is hunted after a hit goes awry. It also stars Charles Parnell (Top Gun: Maverick, The Last Ship), Kerry O’Malley (Snowpiercer, Annabelle: Creation), Sala Baker (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Mandalorian), and Tilda Swinton (Snowpiercer, Doctor Strange). The Killer has already premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival and therefore it is currently sitting at 82% on Rotten Tomatoes. Of course, this is not to be confused with Hit Man, which Netflix recently acquired.
