New on Netflix October 12-18: 7 shows, movies, specials and docs you need to stream
Serial killers, zombies and UFOs this week
With Halloween coming up in a few weeks, the Netflix gears are rumbling into action with some dark topics. Not many horrors are joining since the witching day is still three weeks out but we’re seeing serial killers, zombies, UFOs and more in the new movies and TV shows being added to the world’s biggest streaming service.
My weekly round-up of new videos streaming on Netflix looks at additions coming to the platform between Saturday, October 12 and Friday, October 18 this time around.
I create this list by looking at every new addition coming to Netflix during the week, and condensing it down into a curated list of the must-watch new Netflix Originals. These can include talked-about movies, sequel series to hit shows, riveting-sounding documentaries or specials that people will be discussing for weeks to come.
So let’s look at what’s new on Netflix this week…
Rachel Bloom: Death, Let Me Do My Show
- Comedy special arrives on Tuesday, October 15
Death, Let Me Do My Show isn't your average Netflix stand-up show, because Crazy Ex Girlfriend creator Rachel Bloom's new production is being referred to as a "one-woman musical comedy".
Expect, therefore, singing and showpieces alongside comedy about the pandemic, Bloom's personal life and the "ever-present specter of death" according to the show's description. It's an off-Broadway performance that Bloom performed at Netflix's stand-up festival earlier in the year.
I Am A Killer season 5
- True crime docuseries returns on Wednesday, October 16
The latest season of Netflix's anthology true crime documentary continues in the same vein that the past seasons have.
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In each episode, we meet a convicted murderer who's behind bars. They'll talk us through the crimes they committed, and in some cases they're regretful or even insistent on their innocence, while in others that's not the case. We'll also learn more about the case from others involved.
There are six episodes, so that means six new cases.
Outside
- Filipino zombie movie arrives on Thursday, October 17
The Halloween monsters are coming out in Outside, with zombies shambling their way onto this round-up.
Hailing from the Philippines, Outside is about a family that flees into the countryside to escape a zombie pandemic rocking the country. They fortify the father's old farmhouse but that just puts him up against other horrors that he had to face back home.
Outside is pretty long for a horror movie, clocking in at nearly two and a half hours, but Netflix is emphasizing that it's a "psychological" horror movie.
The Lincoln Lawyer season 3
- Law drama returns on Thursday, October 17
Netflix's popular legal drama returns with The Lincoln Lawyer season 3, which drops this week.
The Lincoln Lawyer is about a lawyer who runs his business from his Lincoln vehicle (hence the name). In this latest season he investigates the death of a friend (who we know from a past season) while navigating new issues in his own life.
There are ten episodes in The Lincoln Lawyer's new season and all will land on Thursday, October 17.
The Man Who Loved UFOs
- Argentine drama movie lands on Friday, October 18
A new Argentinian movie this week brings UFOs into the mix... at least in the title, though it doesn't sound like the movie is actually about aliens.
Instead The Man Who Loved UFOs is about a television reporter who makes a name for himself reporting on extraterrestrial occurences. It's inspired by the life of José Kerzer, a real reporter who, in the 1980s and 1990s, made a name for himself covering UFO cases in Córdoba.
Woman of the Hour
- Crime drama debuts on Friday, October 18
Perhaps Netflix's biggest new arrival of the year is Woman of the Hour, which was directed by its star Anna Kendrick and is based on a true story.
Kendrick stars as a contestant on a dating TV show who's matched with a man who just so happens to be a serial killer. She has to survive after drawing the attention of this terrifying figure.
Woman of the Hour already has a lot of buzz after film festival performances and soon it'll be available for you to watch.
Yintah
- Canadian documentary movie arrives on Friday, October 18
At the end of the week we've got a new Canadian documentary called Yintah.
Yintah is about the Wet-suwet-en nation in British Columbia, which has been fighting for ownership of their ancestral land for decades. They're up against massive fossil fuel companies who have money and power in their arsenal, but that's not enough to stop the Wet'suwet'en and the journalists covering them.
After airing at several major film festivals, Yintah will soon be available to watch on Netflix.
Tom is the streaming and ecommerce writer at What to Watch, covering streaming services in the US and UK. His goal is to help you navigate the busy and confusing online video market, to help you find the TV, movies and sports that you're looking for without having to spend too much money.