Streaming giants battle for October with new horror series

The Toronto International Film Festival is usually where the film industry looks ahead to upcoming movies, but this year it also offered a preview of the next wave of streaming horror. Four major platforms — Peacock, Netflix, Amazon and AMC — showcased new horror-adjacent series all set to launch in October, underscoring how important the month has become for streaming content strategy.

Carrie arrives on Prime Video

The highest-profile release is "Carrie" on Prime Video, an adaptation of Stephen King's classic novel that has already inspired three feature films. This version is directed by Mike Flanagan, known for King adaptations and for Netflix limited series such as "The Haunting of Hill House," "Midnight Mass" and "The Fall of the House of Usher." Amazon signed Flanagan in 2022, and "Carrie" is his first project for the platform, premiering October 7th. The story — about a bullied teenage girl whose destructive psychic powers awaken — has been modernized, with much of the bullying now taking place online, and the series format allows more room for teen drama.

Netflix and Peacock join in

Netflix follows a day later, on October 8th, with "Below," a six-episode series about an ancient sea creature terrorizing a small fishing village in Newfoundland, starring Josh Hartnett as a fisherman struggling to hold his family together.

Peacock, meanwhile, is releasing "Crystal Lake" on October 15th, a prequel series to the "Friday the 13th" franchise centered on Pamela Voorhees, Jason's mother, played by Linda Cardellini, following her descent after her young son's drowning death.

AMC rounds out the lineup

AMC Plus will premiere "Yaga," a supernatural detective series starring Carrie-Anne Moss and Hudson Williams, on October 23rd.

Together, the premieres reflect how horror has become a major business for streaming platforms, with October emerging as the industry's key season for the genre.