5 Netflix exclusives coming to South Africa this October

It’s almost October, which means longer days, hayfever, and an existential dread at how quickly time passes. But it also means spooky scary series on Netflix, so, hey, at least there’s that to look forward to.

Here’s just five of the exclusives heading our way this month.

6 October: The Death and Life of Marsha P Johnson

Kicking off the month on the first Friday is The Death and Life of Marsha P Johnson — a documentary about the legendary trans woman oft credited for igniting the Stonewall Riots in 1969.

Johnson was an outspoken activist for many major LGBT+ issues before she was found dead in the Hudson River after the 1992 Pride March. Her death was ruled a suicide, but her friends and family said that Johnson was not depressed and had theretofore not experienced any suicidal tendencies.

The Death and Life of Marsha P Johnson explores never-before-seen footage and rediscovered interviews in a bid to discover what really happened to the icon who helped changed the face of LGBT+ politics.

Also premiering on 6 October is Italian series Suburra (trailer) which is “a crime thriller set in Rome that describes how the Church, the state, organized crime, local gangs and real estate developers collide and blur the lines between the legal and the illicit in their quest for power”. The show acts as a prequel to the eponymous 2015 film — which is based on a 2013 novel of the same name.

Italianception.

13 October: The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)

The Meyerowitz Stories was one of only two Netflix films selected for the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, and the rave reviews have been streaming in.

Netflix describes the film as an “emotional and comic inter-generational tale of adult siblings contending with the long shadow their strong-willed father has cast over their lives”.

It stars Dustin Hoffman, Ben Stiller and Adam Sandler — in a performance many critics have called the his best. In fact, critics have loved the film in general, giving it an impressive 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, with terms like “deftly-handed“, “brilliant“, and “richly explored” all thrown into the mix.

13 October: MINDHUNTER

If you’ve been craving more David Fincher goodness since Gone Girl came out three years ago, then you’re in for a treat this month.

Fincher’s MINDHUNTER is a period drama set in 1979 about two FBI agents who interview serial killers to decipher how criminals think. Of course, the study has its challenges and many in the FBI don’t approve of the work being done.

Based on the true crime novel Mind Hunter: Inside FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit, the show stars Jonathan Groff (Looking) and Anna Torv (Fringe) and is sure to be an exceptionally creepy way to spend the last Friday the 13th of 2017.

20 October: 1922

Are you riding the high that is this month and Stephen King adaptations? If so, here’s another to add to the ever-growing list.

1922 is a film based on the 131-page King novella that told of a man who killed his wife when she wanted to leave his farm for the city — only to have his life unravel as he grows more sure that she’s haunting him.

The film — which currently has an 86% Rotten Tomatoes rating — has been dubbed by critics as “atmospheric” and “largely satisfying“.

Also out on 20 October is Wheelman (trailer), a film about a getaway driver thrust into a dangerous bank robbery that could cost him his life. So, essentially, a dark Baby Driver.

27 October: Stranger Things

Spoilers for the first season of Stranger Things ahead.

And now, for the moment everyone’s been waiting for: Stranger Things is returning for a “thriller” of a second season (probably).

It’s the year after the little town of Hawkins was attacked by a dimension-traveling demogorgon and Will Byers was rescued. The first season sets us up with more questions than answers: What’s happening to Will? Where’s Eleven? Is Chief Hopper okay? Who will replace the Barb-sized hole in the internet’s heart?

Most importantly: Will the show sustain the massive hype it created last year? We’ll find out come Halloween.

Also premiering on the 27th is documentary Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold, which tells of writer Joan Didion, who spent over 50 years writing essays, novels, screenplays, and criticism about the state of US politics.

Bonus: Comedy Specials

If you hadn’t heard, Netflix is a joke — or at least that’s what it marketed when gaining hype for the slew of comedy specials hitting the platform. Here’s which are coming in October.

• 3 Oct: Rodney Carrington: Here Comes the Truth (trailer): “A guitar-wielding Carrington treats the audience with his comical lyric skills, while speaking his [hilariously uncensored] truth about divorce, dating younger women and his rationale on how to heal the world.”
• 10 Oct: Christina P: Mother Inferior: “Ms P discusses the taboos of motherhood, gleefully recalls the rage she felt towards her husband while having their child, unflinchingly reminisces on growing up with a crazy mom and a dad raised to show no feelings, as well as sheds light to why she thinks people hate millennials and how Gen X survived without selfies.”
• 17 Oct: Patton Oswalt: Annihilation: “The deeply personal and powerful stand-up special dives into the last year of Patton’s life, following the passing of his wife, and how he worked through the pain and grief by finding humor.”
• 30 Oct: Judah Friedlander: America Is The Greatest Country In The United States