11 Best New Movies on Netflix: October 2021’s Freshest Films to Watch

This may not be the creepiest thriller to prepare you for Halloween, but it’s a thriller nonetheless! Jake Gyllenhaal stars as a tense 911 operator in The Guilty, which follows his quest to track down a missing person after he receives a horrifying call. Focusing mostly on his character as he attempts to save the day, The Guilty is an enthralling character study on one of the most important professions out there.

Stream The Guilty on Netflix

Have a little fun with Hairspray this October! The star-studded movie musical released in 2007 and is still an absolute blast. With stars like Nikki Blonsky, Zac Efron, Amanda Bynes, and, yes, John Travolta as Mrs. Edna Turnblad, Hairspray is a terrific adaptation of classic 1960s-style fun. In the movie, unlikely dancer Tina Turnblad auditions for a spot on her favorite TV show — and, against all odds, she snags the part. If she wants to keep hold of it, though, she’s going to have to leave a lasting impression.

Where to watch Hairspray

There’s even more Gyllenhaal in store over at Netflix this October! The actor has surely left a mark as one of the great thriller actors of our time, with other hits like Nightcrawler and Velvet Buzzsaw in the mix. This David Fincher movie is based on a true story: the infamous tale of the Zodiac Killer. Following in the footsteps of the journalists, investigators, and police that attempted to track him down, Zodiac will have you searching for clues online after the credits roll.

Where to watch Zodiac

Looking to laugh this month? No worries, Netflix has more than just scares to offer! Check out Step-Brothers, a Will Ferrel-John C. Reilly hit with so much lighthearted humor in store. The pair star as two old sons who just won’t leave the nest, later forced to move in with one another when their parents get married. Although they argue at first, they soon become best of friends, ready to dive into crazy middle-aged antics galore. Hey, can we build bunk beds?

Where to watch Step-Brothers

Netflix has got a special treat coming this October. If you loved Bandersnatch or any of the interactive movies offered on the streamer, get ready for one more. Escape the Undertaker is a haunted house fun for the whole family — it even features WWE superstars! The New Day wrestlers are invited to spend an evening in The Undertaker’s mansion. What they don’t know is that he’s rigged it full of traps and puzzles, and if they want to make it out, they’ve got a long night ahead of them.

Stream Escape the Undertaker on Netflix

Stranger Things producer Shawn Levy has a new high school movie ready for fans of the series to devour while they wait for Season 4. There’s Someone Inside Your House will follow Makani Young, a teen who is forced to move away from her home in Hawaii to a secluded town in Iowa. All she wants is to finish high school, but her peers insist on stalking down a serial killer before they become victims themselves.

Stream There's Someone Inside Your House on Netflix

Not much is known about Fever Dream — after all, fever dreams are pretty hard to decipher, right? A woman and a young boy wake up next to each other, although they have no relation to one another. She is dying, and will need to help him to safety if she wants to escape an invisible threat. Fever Dream is based on the best-selling novel of the same name written by Samanta Schweblin.

Stream Fever Dream on Netflix

If you’re looking for less horror and more drama, Netflix is releasing a dramedy you won’t want to miss in mid-October. What happens when two couples try their own version of Wife Swap? Chaos. After four weeks spent as one another’s lovers, feelings are changed forever. If they want things to ever go back to normal, they’ve got a lot of harsh conversations and true emotions to reveal first.

Stream The Four of Us on Netflix

You’ve heard of 30 Rock‘s “night cheese,” now get ready for Night Teeth. It’s just a little different! To earn a little extra dough, a college student becomes a chauffeur for just one night. He’ll drive two women around L.A. for one night as they go party-hopping. But later, he learns that both of them are a little more bloodthirsty than he initially imagined. As they drag him through the fatal underworld of the City of Angels, he realizes he may never escape.

Stream Night Teeth on Netflix

If you loved Three Identical Strangers, Netflix’s new mind-bender of a documentary Found is for you. After three adopted American teenagers meet online, they realize that all three of them are blood-related cousins. As each other’s only relatives, they journey to find one another and unite in person for the first time in their lives. Not only do they meet in person — they take a whole trip to China to learn more about one another!

Stream Found on Netflix

Zack Snyder fans, you’ll have to make it through the entire month of October for this — but it’ll all be worth it. The Justice League director released his own cut of the film this year just as his Netflix zombie film, Army of the Dead, was also debuting on the streamer. To top things off, a prequel to the film, Army of Thieves, will also land on Netflix this month. A small-town bank teller gets the chance of a lifetime when he’s recruited to help break some of the most complicated safes in the world, teaming up with some of Interpol’s most-wanted criminals to strike it rich.

Stream Army of Thieves on Netflix