Just as has been the case for the majority of 2020, Halloween is probably going to be a little different than we’re used to this year.
With 2020’s scariest visitor undoubtedly being the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, this means that the usual frightful festivities of Halloween parties, trick or treating and more will be out of the question, which is leaving people to turn to other forms of fun to mark the occasion.
Netflix has undoubtedly been one of the real MVP’s for many over the past few months of lockdown by constantly churning out new content to consume, and October and Halloween is certainly no different.
A bunch of new and fan-favourite horror films and shows have already landed or are coming to the streaming platform here in the UK all through this month.
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Here’s our picks for some of the best.
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The Conjuring
1st October
The Conjuring / Flickr
The Conjuring really isn’t one for the faint-hearted.
The film stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as Ed and Lorraine Warren – paranormal investigators and authors associated with prominent cases of haunting – who come to the assistance of the Perron family after they begin to experience increasingly disturbing events in their farmhouse in Rhode Island in 1971.
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The first instalment to the franchise has already arrived to watch on Netflix now.
If you fancy immersing yourself in the full Conjuring Universe though, then get yourself down to the Scare City drive-in cinema at Event City for an experience like no other.
Corpse Bride
1st October
The Corpse Bride
Tim Burton’s cult-classic Corpse Bride is one for the whole family this Halloween.
The stop-motion animated gothic romance has spawned a thousand Halloween costumes since its release in 2005, and if you love The Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, and Beetlejuice, but haven’t seen this gem yet, then you need to get it on your list.
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It’s already available to stream on Netflix now.
Friday 13th
1st October
Friday 13th
The Friday 13th franchise is undoubtedly one of the biggest names in the horror film world.
The American slasher movie follows a group of teenagers on their holiday at Crystal Lake as they encounter the infamous character of Jason Voorhees and the franchise was given new life in 2009 with a reboot of the original.
Jason was redesigned to be leaner and quicker for the new film, and with his own backstory.
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Another one that’s ready to stream on Netflix now.
Paranormal Activity 4
1st October
Paranormal Activity 4
Paranormal Activity is a record-breaking franchise.
The first film broke records on its nationwide release in 2009 thanks to its incredible cheap production costs and unexpected popularity, and it’s now a six-part film series – including a seventh in the works – with the fourth instalment ready to stream on Netflix now.
Paranormal Activity 4 focuses on Alex Nelson and her family as they experience hauntings, capturing the paranormal happenings on webcams and mobile phones.
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Vampires vs The Bronx
2nd October
Vampires vs The Bronx / Netflix
The first of Netflix’s original offerings is the comedy-horror Vampires vs The Bronx.
The film follows a group of teenagers who are forced to protect their neighbourhood in the Bronx when a gathering of vampires invades and is a perfect Halloween watch for people who love the spooky season, but like to keep their wits about them.
Ready to stream on Netflix now, it’s also scored already scored an impressive 94% on Rotten Tomatos.
The Binding
2nd October
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The Binding / Netflix
The Binding is another Netflix-orginal, but this one’s an Italian paranormal film.
It’s set in the stunning backdrop of rural Southern Italy, but all is not as it seems as the main character tries to fight a mysterious curse that’s trying to claim her daughter.
You can catch this on on the streaming platform now.
The Haunting of Bly Manor
9th October
The Haunting of Bly Manor / Netflix
The Haunting of Bly Manor is the much-talked-about Netflix original series which has just landed on the streaming platform on Friday.
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The second entry to Netflix’s The Haunting anthology, this chilling nine-part series comes from the same creator as the hit The Haunting of Hill House series Mike Flanagan, and will once again star Victoria Pedretti, but this time as tutor Dani Clayton.
Perhaps not one for those who aren’t keen on basements filled with creepy dolls.
Overlord
11th October
Overlord / Paramount Pictures
Overlord is the 2018 offering by acclaimed director by J.J. Abrams (Lost, Star Wars, Cloverfield).
It follows a team of American paratroopers as they drop into a Nazi-occupied village, but it doesn’t take long before they realise that there’s a more sinister experiment taking place here than they could possibly have predicted.
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Landing on Netflix today, this is one that horror fans should definitely add to their must-watch lists.
Disappearance at Clifton Hill
20th October
Disappearance at Clifton Hill
Disappearance at Clifton Hill is a critically-acclaimed 2019 Canadian thriller starting Tuppence Middleton.
It’s set in Niagara Falls – where a troubled young woman has inherited a motel in her hometown – and the memory of a childhood kidnapping quickly ensnares her.
You can catch this one landing on Netflix this month.
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The Possession of Hannah Grace
25th October
The Possession of Hannah Grace
It’s safe to say The Possession of Hannah Grace is a classic jump-scare film.
Pretty Little Liars star Shay Mitchell is at the helm of this film playing an ex-cop working the night shift at a morgue, where the body of a young girl who died as the result of an exorcism gone wrong is under her care.
But as the trailer says, death is only the beginning.
Get ready to stream this one on Netflix from 25th October.
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Public vote opens for ‘most memorable’ TV moment of the year at 2026 BAFTAs
Emily Sergeant
What was the most memorable TV moment of this past year? It’s time to have your say.
The BAFTA TV Awards for 2026 are merely months away, with the ceremony set to take place on Sunday 10 May, and now, the shortlist for the Memorable Moment Award have been announced and the public is being called on to vote for their favourite.
Each year, the Memorable Moment Award – which is currently sponsored by P&O Cruises – honours the impact of television in the UK and its power to ‘entertain, inform, and bring the nation together’.
The nominations were compiled by an ‘esteemed’ independent jury of influential TV critics, as well as TV presenter, Josie Gibson, showcasing key moments from 2025 that reflect the power of TV.
The six nominees for this year’s P&O Cruises Memorable Moment Award are…
✨ Adolescence – Jamie snaps at the psychologist ✨ Big Boys – “I didn’t make it, did I?” ✨ Blue Lights – The police are warned of an ambush plot to silence a key witness ✨ Last One Laughing – Bob… pic.twitter.com/Mes4cCjwgH
So, what are the nominees for this year then? Which TV moments does the UK public get to pick from as the winner of the coveted award?
Nominations include moments from smash-hit TV shows like Netflix’s one-shot miniseries Adolescence, BBC’s iconic reality competition show Celebrity Traitors, and Prime Video’s side-splitting comedy show Last One Laughing.
The nominations are:
Adolescence (Netflix) – Jamie snaps at the psychologist
Big Boys (Channel 4) – “I didn’t make it, did I?”
Blue Lights (BBC) – The police are warned of an ambush plot to silence a key witness
The Celebrity Traitors (BBC) – Alan Carr wins The Celebrity Traitors
Last One Laughing (Prime Video) – Bob Mortimer and Richard Ayoade’s speed date
What It Feels Like For A Girl (BBC) – Byron leaves for Brighton to start uni, where she introduces herself as Paris.
The moment chosen to represent Adolescence is where main character Jamie becomes frustrated and then flies into a rage during his assessment by child psychologist Briony, while comedians Bob Mortimer and Richard Ayoade’s ‘speed date’ has been chosen to represent Last One Laughing, and of course, the moment where Alan Carr was revealed as the winner has been selected for Celebrity Traitors.
“It’s been a huge pleasure to chair this year’s jury and share in the thoughtful, passionate conversations about the standout television moments of 2025,” commented Hilary Rosen, chair of BAFTA’s Television Committee, as the shortlist was unveiled.
“From powerful drama to unmissable entertainment and brilliantly sharp comedy, the nominees reflect the creative breadth and cultural impact of best-in-class television.
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“I look forward to seeing which memorable moments resonate with the public, and the conversations they’ll spark well beyond the final vote.”
Voting is open until 9pm on Wednesday 22 April, and you can cast your vote on the BAFTA website online here.
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Review | What we made of Country 2 Country 2026, and why Manchester should be very excited
Danny Jones
Excuse me, but it looks like we might have a new favourite festival on the cards: Country 2 Country – and it’s very rare we gig in London and enjoy ourselves anyway near as much as we do up North, but now we’re already dreaming of just how good C2C Manchester could be.
In fact, scratch that, we know it is.
Billed as Europe’s biggest country music festival, there really isn’t anything quite like it here. Yes, there’s Buckle & Boots Festival closer to home, but there’s nothing in the folk and country world on this kind of massive scale, unless you go all the way to see the actual CMA Fest over in the US.
London’s also been lucky enough to host some very big names at BST Hyde Park too, but this fully-fledged arena weekender, complete with an outdoor festival hub, town square, trading post, a barn full of line-dancers, and SO much more, celebrates every single part of that culture.
By day, the aim is to make a little country town, complete with shops, food, drink and music aplenty. (Credit: Audio North)
But… We think the North can do it better.
So too did some of the acts and punters as well, by the way; we spoke to several people on-site who’d made the trip from all over because it was closer than Glasgow, Belfast or Berlin.
Up-and-coming British country rock artist, Bronnie – who was literally hours away from a move across the pond to pursue her dreams of living the cowgirl turned music artist experience down in the Southern states – said simply: “There’s always this feeling like there’s more fun to be had up North”
Moreover, the friends she’s already made over in America’s ‘Music City’, she says, have claimed that “the vibes are just better”, apparently. Not to sound too biased, but we obviously couldn’t agree more.
However, with the news that C2C is coming to Manchester city centre and Northern England for the very first time, people are already hopping mad at the idea of a Manc debut.
That’s to say that what The O2 in London isn’t special and will always be to most punters, we just know full well that our particular region is going to take to this new annual event like a duck to water.
A lot of the people we spoke to kept repeating the same: that working class connection, simple but relatable imagery, the pure poetry you’ll find not only in Nashville but creative cousins like Manchester.
The Broadway strip in Austin may be the spiritual home of this kind of music, but we Greater Mancunians lay claim to plenty of genres and some of the biggest artistic traditions ourselves.
With that in mind, we are convinced we’re going to leave a lasting impression when our inaugural Country 2 Country Festival comes to the AO Arena next year.
Our line dancing might leave a little to be desired, but we’ve got a whole year to work on it, not to mention plenty of time to dive even further into the UK’s growing country music obsession.
You can see more pictures from our 2026 C2C gallery down below.
Country fashion was everywhereThe official CMA Spotlight Stage was one of the bestNo one shyed away from a partyKruse Brothers were one of our favourite from the weekendAlana Springsteen was incredibleAnd by the evening, it’s a proper hedonist hoedown… (Credit: The Manc)
Emily Sergeant -
9th October 2020 
