Spooky season is in high gear, and some streamers like Netflix and Prime Video are celebrating by dropping some of their most anticipated new shows of the fall season.
On Netflix, Josh Hartnett battles an underground sea creature and lingering guilt from a past traumatic experience in the better-than-you’d-think horror-thriller, Below.
Over at Prime Video, high school is back in session in Carrie, Mike Flanagan’s radical new adaptation of Stephen King’s classic horror novel.
Watch With Us also recommends streaming the pirate adventure series Treasure Island with Hayley Atwell on MGM+ and the 2nd Annual Page Six Virtual Reali-Tea Awards on Philo.
‘Below’ Season 1 — Netflix
What lies below? That’s what fisherman Calvin Penney (Hartnett) wants to know. His small Newfoundland town is being terrorized by a mysterious sea creature, and it’s not only bad for business, it’s causing people to disappear for good. Calvin teams up with visiting marine researcher Dr. Fonda Howlander (Mackenzie Davis) to stop it, but are they a match for a monster that’s been hibernating in the Arctic for decades?
With its tense action scenes and focus on character development over cheap thrills, Below is a satisfying cross between Jaws and Stephen King. The six-episode series has mood for days, with frequent shots of a foggy coastal town that will send shivers down your spine — and make you want to rewatch John Carpenter’s classic 1980 film, The Fog. After M. Night Shyamalan’s underrated thriller Trap and the little-seen balls-out action flick Fight or Flight, Hartnett continues his Hartnett-aissance by playing a parent (to 32-year-old Charlie Heaton!) still dealing with unresolved daddy issues of his own.
‘Carrie’ Season 1 — Prime Video
Two things can be true at once. Take Carrie, for example; it’s a well-made and occasionally dazzling thriller about a bullied teen, Carrie White (Summer H. Howell), who gradually discovers she has telekinetic powers. It’s also a disappointing adaptation of Stephen King’s 1974 novel and does nothing to dispel memories of Brian De Palma’s superb 1976 film adaptation with Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie.
Do yourself a favor — forget Carrie is a straightforward horror adaptation and treat it as a Mike Flanagan sci-fi original. The Haunting of Hill House auteur has crafted some of the best genre shows in the last 10 years, and Carrie showcases his strengths as an empathetic storyteller. Howell and Samantha Sloyan, who plays Carrie’s strict mother, are terrific, and the plot is expanded just enough to justify its eight-episode length. We live in an age of endless content, though, so instead of ending on a satisfying note, Flanagan’s Carrie plants seeds for season 2. It’s exhausting just thinking about it.
‘Treasure Island’ Season 1 — MGM+
Ahoy, mateys! Set sail for swashbuckling adventure with MGM+’s lavish new adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic pirate novel, Treasure Island. In 1788, teenager Jim Hawkins (Tom Sweet) and his single mother, Bess (Hayley Atwell), need cash — fast. When they stumble upon an old treasure map, they think they’ve hit the jackpot. But they’re not the only ones in search of instant fortune. The infamous pirate Long John Silver (David Oyelowo) has his sights set on taking all the loot for himself, and he’ll shoot, stab and kill anyone who gets in his way — and that includes Jim and Bess.
While Ridley Scott and Hugh Jackman are scheduled to make their own big-screen adaptation of Treasure Island in 2027, this enjoyable six-episode series should tide you over. Sweet and Atwell are charming as a mother-and-son duo who rely on each other to get by and also to kick some pirate butt, while Oyelowo is appropriately badass as the one pirate you don’t want to run into on the high seas.
‘2nd Annual Page Six Virtual Reali-Tea (VRT) Awards’ — Philo
With gas prices still high and the midterms just around the corner, we all could use a break from reality, and what better way to do that than by watching an awards show honoring the best in reality TV?
Philo is now streaming the 2nd Annual Page Six Virtual Reali-Tea (VRT) Awards, a raucous celebration of all the wild personalities and even wilder moments from some of the most popular reality shows on cable and streaming. The VIP-only guest list includes Countess Luann de Lesseps, Scheana Shay, Teresa Giudice, Kyle Cooke, Tarek & Heather Rae El Moussa, Candiace Dillard Bassett, Hilaria Baldwin, Carole Radziwill, Lindsay Hubbard and, hopefully, you. Hosted by Page Six’s Virtual Reali-Tea hosts Danny Murphy and Evan Real, this awards show is just what you need to spice up your weekend with a little drama and a whole lotta shade.
