This weekend, Netflix is unleashing all sorts of frightening creatures, from vampires and bogeymen to the scariest of all – a politician. Ahhhhhhhh!
The Watch With Us team is a big fan of the streamer. That’s why we’ve put together a quick guide to some of the best new movies you should watch this weekend.
Netflix is currently shut down Animals, Ben Affleckis the new thriller about a mayoral candidate who is willing to do anything to get his kidnapped son back.
We also recommend streaming two horror films: The Spooky Stephen King Adjustment The Boogeyman and an adaptation of Dracula.
“Animals” (2026)
Gillian Anderson, Kerry Washington and Ben Affleck in Animals.
Warrick Site/Netflix © 2026.Political campaigns are often stressful and tense affairs, but there has never been a campaign quite like Mark Kimball’s (Ben Affleck). He’s in the middle of a brutal campaign to become LA’s next mayor, and his patience and energy are as low as his bank account. When his son is kidnapped and held for ransom, he and his wife Abigail (Kerry Washington), must decide how far they are willing to go to get him back. They don’t have much time for this because the kidnappers want their money in just a few hours. Is Mark willing to break the law he is committed to upholding?
If the horror films of the ’80s were about the rise of the slasher, then the ’90s were about the rise of the horror comedies. A handful of iconic ’80s slashers had sequels in the 1990s, but the films that stood out during that era weren’t sequels. It was the films that took the bigger risks. To celebrate (…)
Co-written and directed by Affleck, Animals is very similar Akira KurosawaThe classic from 1962, High and lowwhich also told a similar story about a kidnapped child and his father’s resulting moral dilemma. Told in a compact time, Animals ramps up the tension without compromising character development or realism. Affleck is best known for his acting, but is also a talented director Animals is his best film since 2010 The city.
“The Boogeyman” (2023)
Sophie Thatcher in The Boogeyman.
Patti Perrett /© 20th Century Studios /Courtesy Everett CollectionAfter one of his patients kills himself in his home, therapist Will Harper (Chris Messina) is understandably concerned about the impact it will have on his two daughters, Sadie (Sophie Thatcher) and Sawyer (Vivien Lyra Blair). He is not surprised when Sawyer says that she sees the Boogeyman at night, although he does not believe what she sees is real. But Sadie knows that what her little sister is seeing isn’t a figment of her imagination – there’s actually a supernatural being lurking in her home that wants to destroy every living thing it encounters.
Based on a short story by Stephen King, The Boogeyman is just scary enough to pass the scare test. The best part of the movie is when the two sisters try to figure out who the Boogeyman is and what he wants from their family. The film is stripped of almost all color and evokes a cold dread that only a handful of horror films like the 1973 classic offer The Exorcisthave achieved. It’s not as great as that groundbreaking film, but The Boogeyman is a quality horror film that will make you look under your bed at night and wonder if you are really alone.
“Dracula” (1979)
Frank Langella in Dracula.
Universal Pictures / Courtesy: Everett CollectionWhen a ship mysteriously crashes on the Yorkshire coast, best friend Mina (Jan Franz) and Lucy (Kate Nelligan) saves his only survivor, Count Dracula (Frank Langella). The handsome and unworldly count charms the two women and their guests as he attends a dinner in his honor. After Mina mysteriously dies, Lucy’s father Jack (Donald Pleasance), suspects that Dracula may have caused her death. Lucy, however, blames herself and, like Mina before her, falls under Dracula’s spell. Is the count innocent? Or is he really what Jack and his good friend, Dr. Van Helsing (Laurence Olivier), do you suspect that he is really a blood-sucking vampire?
October is typically the peak of spooky season, but for streamers like Netflix, HBO Max, Prime Video, and more, it’s the perfect time to bring back fan-favorite shows or release new movies. Netflix is of course leading the way, with a list that includes Nobody Wants This season 3, The Diplomat season 4, Animals with (…).
Based on Bram Stoker’s famous gothic novel, this Dracula mixes things up a bit. Lucy, not Mina, is the female protagonist, and Langella’s Count is more of a romantic antihero than a fearsome creature of the night. While the film’s narrative is mostly overly familiar, it’s different enough to feel like you’re experiencing a new story. Even though the film is set in the early 20th century, it has the look and feel of the late 70s, making it the only Dracula film in the world that exudes sex, drugs and disco vibes.
