Pumpkin spice is suddenly in everything, sweater weather is here, and horror movies are all over your local multiplex\u2014welcome to October. But while the start of fall certainly boasts its share of films that go bump in the night, an intriguing mix of prestige titles is also on deck as we creep closer to awards season. Some of them (Whalefall, The Social Reckoning) certainly still feel like horror movies, even if they don\u2019t necessarily show literal monsters onscreen. But for those who want to avoid scares of all types, there\u2019s a lush new take on Jane Austen and a new Laika offering that seems destined to become an animated classic.<\/p>\n
The Social Reckoning (October 9)<\/p>\n
Aaron Sorkin wrote and directed this long-awaited follow-up to 2010\u2019s The Social Network, though its title promises a \u201creckoning\u201d that anyone who\u2019s been online in the 16 years since the original\u2019s release already knows has not (and probably won\u2019t) come to pass. The film dramatizes the story of whistleblower Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison), who leaked a bunch of Facebook documents in 2021 that identified some of the platform\u2019s more controversial business practices. Succession\u2019s Jeremy Strong stars as Mark Zuckerberg, alongside a cast that includes Jeremy Allen White, Bill Burr, and Betty Gilpin.<\/p>\n
Other Mommy (October 9)<\/p>\n
Jessica Chastain pulls double duty in this Blumhouse flick whose trailer freaked everyone out ahead of Spider-Man: Brand New Day over the summer. The story is basically what it says on the tin: A young girl bonds with a sinister, shape-shifting entity that looks just like her real mother but definitely is not). Chastain plays both the caring parent desperate to save her kid and the freaky doppelganger threatening her family. Disturbing with a capital D.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sense And Sensibility (October 16)<\/p>\n
This new take on Jane Austen\u2019s classic Regency-era tale of sisterly affection, desperate yearning, and sharp social satire doesn\u2019t appear to be reinventing the wheel in the costume drama space. But, gosh, does it look as though it ticks all the boxes any fan could want. Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esm\u00e9 Creed-Miles star as Elinor and Marianne Dashwood alongside a supporting cast that includes Caitr\u00edona Balfe, Frank Dillane, Herbert Nordrum, George MacKay, and Fiona Shaw.<\/p>\n
Street Fighter (October 16)<\/p>\n
This new adaptation of the popular video game hails from director Kitao Sakurai, who has decided to keep the plot pretty simple and get right down to what the people want to see: A bunch of weird guys (and girls) punching each other, bolstered by some cool effects. There\u2019s a barebones story\u2014Ryu and Ken are two former students from the same martial arts school who\u2019ve gone their separate ways, only to be drawn back together by way of a tournament held by the villainous M. Bison\u2014colorful characters, who look remarkably like their in-game counterparts; outlandish visuals; and a lot of street fighting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Whalefall (October 16)<\/p>\n